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When Friendship Followed Me Home /

Ben Coffin has never been one for making friends. As a former foster kid, he knows people can up and leave without so much as a goodbye. Ben prefers to spend his time with the characters in his favorite sci-fi books...until he rescues an abandoned mutt from the alley next-door to the Coney Island Library.

Scruffy little Flip leads Ben to befriend a fellow book-lover named Halley - yes, like the comet - a girl unlike anyone he has ever met. Ben begins thinking of her as "Rainbow Girl" because of her crazy-colored clothes and her laugh, pure magic, the kind that makes you smile away the stormiest day.

Rainbow Girl convinces Ben to write a novel with her. But as their story unfolds Ben's life begins to unravel, and Ben must discover for himself the truth about friendship and the meaning of home.

Paul Griffin

GMD	BOOK
Classification	F GRI
Publisher	Penguin Young Readers Group, 2017-07-18
Subject	Juvenile Fiction / Social Themes / Death & DyingJuvenile Fiction / Social Themes / FriendshipJuvenile Fiction / Books & LibrariesFriendsFriendshipNew FriendsNew FriendshipsJuvenile FictionJuvenile Fiction / Animals / GeneralJuvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / GeneralActionAction and AdventureFiction / Action & AdventureDogs
ISBN	9780147510068
Additional ISBN	0147510066
URL

Notes

Review
★ A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
★ A People magazine Popular Pick
★ A Summer 2016 Kids' Indie Next Pick
★ A Publishers Weekly Best of Summer Pick

* "[T]his bittersweet, well-paced book...left me with faith that people can feel discarded, as though everything they love will be taken from them, and still end up whole, if they are touched by love of friendship." - The New York Times Book Review

* "Griffin writes beautifully about family, friendship, belonging, and loss in a story that is sure to leave every reader with at least a tear in his or her eye, if not a pile of soggy tissues." -Examiner

* "If you have middle schoolers who are too young to fully grasp John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and love dogs, give them this sweet tearjerker." - School Library Journal

* "The dialogue between Ben and Halley is snappy and smart (think John Green for middle-graders), and the sci-fi story the two friends write together reveals the emotions behind their wit." -BCCB

* "'Friendship' is an absolutely beautiful, heart-expanding book. I cried, but more than that I felt this giant balloon of love for everyone. This story convinced me all over again that love and imagination are life's biggest magic. It'll make you want to grab hold of everyone important to you and lick them on the nose." -Rebecca Stead

* "Entrancing, magical, tragic, and uplifting." - Kirkus Reviews

* "As in his young adult books, Griffin (Adrift) handles hard topics with penetrating insight and honesty, while balancing painful moments (and there are many) with levity." - Publishers Weekly

* "This is a multi-tissue read... Griffin's characters are unique and charmingly multidimensional. Readers looking for a deep read will take to this story as quickly as Flip takes to Ben." - Booklist