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Shannon Hale Explores the True Test of Friendship In her Graphic Memoir Real Friends
Real friends. We’ve all had them or tried to find them; we’ve thought we had them and realized we didn’t; we’ve even been them or completely missed the mark. The concept of real friends is a complicated beast and bestselling author Shannon Hale tackles it with honesty, grace, and humor in her graphic memoir which released this month.
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Real Friends traces Shannon’s friendships from her first best friend Adrienne, in kindergarten, to the core group she finds in 5th grade, with all the messy relationships in between. Sandwiched between two older sisters close in age and two younger siblings close in age, Shannon is stuck in the middle, trying to bridge both gaps. Her mother tells her “all you really need is one friend” but that gets tricky when Adrienne moves away, leaving Shannon in the lonely middle once again, forcing a friendship with a neighbor who is forever-at-fault for not being Adrienne.
When Adrienne returns the following year, Shannon thinks she’s hit the friend jackpot, but Adrienne’s return also brings “The Group”, a clique of girls led by Adrienne’s new friend, Jen. Hale humorously notes there were plenty of Jennifers in her grade but only one Jen. Adrienne is part of the group but Shannon is never quite sure if she is. Especially because Queen Bee Jen likes to rank her friends and Shannon almost always finds herself at the bottom.
As Shannon navigates the confusing and changing set of friendship rules in the group, she also struggles with her oldest sister, Wendy, whom she compares to a wild beast. With Wendy’s mood swings and flaring tempers, the two constantly butt heads; their relationship proving to be just as complicated as the ones Shannon is trying to figure out at school.
LeUyen Pham’s colorful illustrations have a fun, retro vibe that give a lot of life and movement to Shannon’s story of ever-changing and evolving friendships. The narrative is especially entertaining when it breaks out of the classic comic panels to her wild and carefree imagination sequences. This is where Shannon shines in the group, becoming known as the girl who can always come up with a silly story or an engaging role-play game. No matter where she falls in the complicated hierarchy of friendships, Shannon’s humor and imagination come out on top.
As with most coming-of-age stories (and most real-life friendship sagas) Shannon gradually starts to understand that vying for a higher status in someone else’s ranking isn’t what makes a true friend. She starts to question the relationships she might have missed out on while so singularly focused on fitting-in and she eventually finds “the group” she needs and wants in her life by breaking free of that focus.
Real Friends is the honest portrait of friendship most young people are craving. Navigating friendship is a lifelong journey and watching Shannon search for true friends will make any kid feel less alone in their own messy pursuit. For anyone who has ever had or been a friend, this memoir is funny, heartbreaking, and wildly relatable.
Real Friends is on B&N bookshelves now.