Natasha Friend
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Books
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Perfect
Isabelle Lee is a typical, wisecracking, middle-of-the-pack girl who happens to be dealing with some big issues. Her father has died and no one--especially her mother--wants to talk about it. Meanwhile, Isabelle's sister, who "used to be nine and charming," has messed everything up by ratting Isabelle out to their mom about her eating disorder. Isabelle can't bribe her to stay quiet and ends up in "Eating Disorder and Body Image Therapy Group." Trapped in a room with no air circulation and orange carpet, Isabelle is amazed when Ashley Barnum, the prettiest, most popular girl girl in school--a.k.a. Royalty--walks through the door. In a world where appearances are all that matter, coping takes some interesting and potentially harmful turns. (PERFECT, Milkweed Editions, 2004)
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Lush
Samantha has a secret... It's hard enough being a thirteen year-old girl, but when your dad can't stop drinking and you're not allowed to tell, life gets even harder. Add to the mix a yoga-obsessed mother, a gym teacher who hates you, and boobs that won't stop growing, and you really need someone to talk to. When Sam picks a random high-school girl in the library and starts sending her notes asking for advice, a mysterious friendship develops. But who is A.J.K., really? And will she be able to help Sam help her father, before it's too late? (LUSH, Scholastic, Inc., 2006)
“As she did in PERFECT (2004), Friend adeptly takes a teen problem and turns it into a believable, sensitive, character-driven story, with realistic dialogue. The cautiously optimistic ending works because Friend has convinced readers that Sam can handle whatever happens. Friend, who clearly understands and empathizes with young teens, is a writer to watch.” -Booklist
“Although the subject of the book is a heavy one, author Natasha Friend balances it with humor in scenes with Sam's little brother and her school friends. She keeps the pace lively with excellent writing and believable voices for each character. At the end of the book are resources for teens facing similar problems with alcoholism: Web sites, toll-free numbers, support groups, and further reading.” -Children's Literature
“The author of PERFECT . . . writes with great honesty about Sam's life, and this honesty will be appealing to younger YA readers. . . . It all works as a realistic novel that expresses truths about living with an alcoholic parent, with confusion about secrets, trust, and self-esteem.” -Kliatt
“Witty dialogue and smooth writing. . . . [T]his is a perceptive novel featuring a likable protagonist to whom readers will easily relate. As in PERFECT (Milkweed, 2004), Friend adroitly portrays a weighty topic with touches of humor and grace. -School Library Journal
"Sam comes across as a savvy as well as naive teen who tells her own story with humor, honesty and hope. Realistic family drama.” -Kirkus Reviews
"Natasha Friend has written a touching novel centered around a strong female character. The cycle of emotional abuse that is associated with alcoholism seems to be realistically portrayed and comes full circle, ending with the healing process and what it takes for a family to survive a tragedy, heal, and stay together." -Teensreadtoo.com
“LUSH is author Natasha Friend's follow-up to the highly acclaimed PERFECT. Like her former work, it cuts to the raw emotions of this teen girl living in a not-so-perfect situation. The language is . . . touching and moving. Sam is real and so is her father's alcoholism. LUSH will be helpful to young people who are going through the same problem Sam faces. Friend also includes a list of important alcoholism resources for kids and teens at the end of the novel.”
-Teenreads.com
“Although the subject of the book is a heavy one, author Natasha Friend balances it with humor in scenes with Sam's little brother and her school friends. She keeps the pace lively with excellent writing and believable voices for each character. At the end of the book are resources for teens facing similar problems with alcoholism: Web sites, toll-free numbers, support groups, and further reading.” -Children's Literature
“The author of PERFECT . . . writes with great honesty about Sam's life, and this honesty will be appealing to younger YA readers. . . . It all works as a realistic novel that expresses truths about living with an alcoholic parent, with confusion about secrets, trust, and self-esteem.” -Kliatt
“Witty dialogue and smooth writing. . . . [T]his is a perceptive novel featuring a likable protagonist to whom readers will easily relate. As in PERFECT (Milkweed, 2004), Friend adroitly portrays a weighty topic with touches of humor and grace. -School Library Journal
"Sam comes across as a savvy as well as naive teen who tells her own story with humor, honesty and hope. Realistic family drama.” -Kirkus Reviews
"Natasha Friend has written a touching novel centered around a strong female character. The cycle of emotional abuse that is associated with alcoholism seems to be realistically portrayed and comes full circle, ending with the healing process and what it takes for a family to survive a tragedy, heal, and stay together." -Teensreadtoo.com
“LUSH is author Natasha Friend's follow-up to the highly acclaimed PERFECT. Like her former work, it cuts to the raw emotions of this teen girl living in a not-so-perfect situation. The language is . . . touching and moving. Sam is real and so is her father's alcoholism. LUSH will be helpful to young people who are going through the same problem Sam faces. Friend also includes a list of important alcoholism resources for kids and teens at the end of the novel.”
-Teenreads.com
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Bounce
Is it crazy to talk to your dead mother on a daily basis? Thirteen year-old Evyn Linney doesn’t think so. For as long as Evyn can remember, she’s talked to her mom—the only mom she’s ever wished for, the only one she still wants. And now, Evyn needs her more than ever because, bombshell: Evyn’s dad is getting married. And they’re moving to Boston. Worse, the woman he’s marrying has six kids. Six. Six kids that Evyn and her brother Mackey will soon be related to. What happens when you’re forced to leave the only life you’ve ever known, to move in with a bunch of strangers? When you can’t stand the woman your father’s in love with? When you find yourself falling hard and fast for your twenty year-old stepbrother? The perils of dealing with a new stepfamily are illuminated in BOUNCE, the story of a girl who must learn how to manage her life . . . even when so many things are beyond her control. (BOUNCE, Scholastic, Inc., 2007)
"Friend has neatly captured the mix of anger, hormones, and confusion that boil in a 13-year-old's brain. Writing about the ways families blend with messiness, anger, love, confusion isn't easy, but she's done it, and given us one terrific coming-of-age novel. A-." -EntertainmentWeekly.com
"Friend offers no fairy-tale ending but presents, through hip conversations and humor, believable characters and a feel-good story with a satisfying amount of pathos." -School Library Journal
"This beautifully written and great coming-of-age novel is short, clean, sweet and will truly engage both middle and high school readers." -VOYA
"[Friend] has an unmistakable gift for exploring family dynamics. . . . The tender scenes have a genuine poignancy, as when Evyn and her dad share a heart-to-heart in the middle of the night, or when Evyn's stepmother tells her about her own mother's death. In the end, these moving moments make for a story that is both real and heartfelt." -Publishers Weekly
"Friend gives Evyn an authentic teen voice and emotions, at the same time providing a satisfying blend of humor and empathy that will strike a particular chord with readers coping with their own friendship and blended family troubles." -Booklist
"Friend . . . takes readers on the roller coaster ride that is Evyn's new life. You'll feel her frustration, sadness, and fear on every page." -Teensreadtoo.com
"Friend offers no fairy-tale ending but presents, through hip conversations and humor, believable characters and a feel-good story with a satisfying amount of pathos." -School Library Journal
"This beautifully written and great coming-of-age novel is short, clean, sweet and will truly engage both middle and high school readers." -VOYA
"[Friend] has an unmistakable gift for exploring family dynamics. . . . The tender scenes have a genuine poignancy, as when Evyn and her dad share a heart-to-heart in the middle of the night, or when Evyn's stepmother tells her about her own mother's death. In the end, these moving moments make for a story that is both real and heartfelt." -Publishers Weekly
"Friend gives Evyn an authentic teen voice and emotions, at the same time providing a satisfying blend of humor and empathy that will strike a particular chord with readers coping with their own friendship and blended family troubles." -Booklist
"Friend . . . takes readers on the roller coaster ride that is Evyn's new life. You'll feel her frustration, sadness, and fear on every page." -Teensreadtoo.com
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"Isabelle's therapy sessions help explain the disease to readers without seeming didactic. The believable and likable heroine relates many heart-warming moments. . . . Ultimately Isabelle's story will both touch and educate readers." -Publishers Weekly
"Natasha Friend's first novel is every thing a first novel should be. . . . excellent for teen girls whether they have an eating disorder or not. All girls in this age range struggle with the same issues and will find in this book tools for coping. Friend's treatment of the subject is realistic, never cheesy, . . . funny, and just about perfect. -Newpages.com
"Clearly and simply written with a nice balance of humor and drama, with insight into the mind of 13-year-olds and how families suffer from trauma, this story can speak to girls coping with their own transitions into adolescence." -Kirkus Reviews
"Eating disorder plots aren't new . . . but Friend tells this more as a family story, bringing a spontaneity and engagement to Isabelle's narration that lifts this above most pointed problem novels. . . . [A] witty and perceptive family drama." -Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books