Friends Forever is a young adult novel about friendship and the social games young teens play. The book has been revised and updated for a new release – 2014- by White Bird Publications complete with a new cover. Available in Paperback
BLURB
Friendship is a tenuous thing when you’re thirteen and everything in your life is changing, especially your best friend. Terrified that she will lose Lauren to the influence of Angie who is rich, beautiful, and the most popular girl in school, Debbie Webly will do almost anything to hang on to her BFF. When her efforts backfire, Debbie finds out that true friendship is based on much more than looks or popularity.
REVIEWS
“This is a must-read for every tween and teen. It is my hope that every young person…and us slightly older people too…can learn something from this wonderful real-life tale.” Ruthie
“Ms. Miller captures the trails and tribulations of 13 year-olds very easily. She talks their lingo and keeps the book interesting with enough twists and surprises to keep younger readers turning the pages to the very end.” Pam Stone
“This was a good book about life as a teen. There was even some romance – Teen Girls would enjoy the book!” Chris
“The characters are well drawn and their experiences are so true to life that you remember why you never want to be thirteen again. A surprise twist shows some of the shadowy reasons for Angie being mean, and it’s a valuable lesson in understanding in why some people do what they do.” LuvBooks
“This is a really good book that any gender of any age would love. It perfectly captures what life’s like being a teenage or a pre-teen. This book is so good, I read it three times.” RM – an 11-year-old reader
“I recommend you buy this book for your teenaged daughters. So much better than a lot of the crap they sell for teens. This one actually has a good message and Maryann has a wonderful writing style. They will enjoy it!” Denise
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Friends Forever
Chapter One
“Growing up isn’t easy,” Debbie’s mother said as she carefully worked a touch of yellow into the flowers coming to life on a canvas in front of her. “Goodness knows it’s never been easy, but the worst thing I had to worry about when I was your age was whether I’d get a new pimple on the night of my first date. I didn’t have to worry about drugs or who might be hanging around school with a gun.”
Debbie stood there half-listening, impatient to be off to meet Laura. She knew her mother meant well, but sometimes Debbie got so tired of hearing the litany over and over again.
Her mother’s voice droned on. “I’d never heard of uppers or downers. The only pills I’d ever seen were aspirins. And the first time one of those melted in my mouth, I decided I’d never…”
“Mom,” Debbie glanced at the door. “Could we talk about this some other time? I promised to meet Laura and I’m already late.”
“There, it’s finished.” Mrs. Webly picked up a rag and wiped paint off her hands. Somehow she usually managed to get as much paint on herself as she did on the canvas. Debbie could measure her mother’s progress with a painting by the number of different colors splattered on her smock and her hands. “What do you think?”
“It’s pretty, Mom,” Debbie replied, absently. “Can I go now?”
“Such enthusiasm! I don’t know if I can stand it.”
“Aw, Mom.”
Mrs. Webly laughed. “Okay. But you can only stay an hour. Then I want you back to help with dinner.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Fair, my little Chickadee says. Fair? Let’s find our contract and see what it says about fair.” Mrs. Webly made a big show of shuffling papers on the desk, and Debbie rolled her eyes. Her mother always acted a little goofy when she finished a painting, but this was a bit much.
“Okay, Mom, I get your point. Can I go now?”
Barely waiting for her mother’s nod, Debbie raced to the door, stepping out into bright sunshine and a cool, fall breeze. The leaves were just starting to turn and Debbie noticed that the colors on the maple almost matched the vibrant yellows and oranges in her mother’s painting.
Laura lived across the street in a rambling ranch house similar to its neighbors, but distinct in landscape design. What Debbie’s mother could accomplish on canvas, Mrs. Parker created in dirt. Asters and Chrysanthemums bloomed brilliantly against a backdrop of deep green shrubs. Pansies and Primroses created a riot of color in and around a rock garden. And a low, sculpted hedge followed the curved walkway to the front door.
Most days, Debbie would pause long enough to enjoy the gardening spectacle, but today she had more important things on her mind. She hoped Laura wouldn’t be mad at her for being late. Her friend seemed to get mad over every little thing lately, and Debbie wasn’t quite sure of her footing anymore.
She didn’t understand it. They had been best friends since first grade. As far as she was concerned nothing had changed, and she couldn’t figure out what she’d done to create this tension between them. They only thing she knew for sure was that ever since Angie Cooper started including Laura in her group, things hadn’t been the same.
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Synopsis
Friendship is a tenuous thing when you’re thirteen and everything in your life is changing, especially your best friend.
Debbie Webly is terrified that she will lose Laura to the influence of Angie who is rich, beautiful, and the most popular girl in school. There’s not much Debbie won’t do to hang on to her friend, but will she cross some line that she can never come back from?
And what about Brad? Does she even stand a chance with him?
The challenges mount when Debbie is tempted to commit social suicide by taking up for Stephanie who is even more of an outcast than she is.
When Angie makes a surprising move, Debbie finds out that true friendship is based on much more than looks or popularity.
Review Snippets
“4 1/2 Stars! FRIENDS FOREVER beautifully captures the pain and confusion of early adolescence. Ms. Miller’s vivid prose and authentic dialogue plunges the reader into the roller coaster world of a 13 year-old girl. With enough twists and surprises to keep younger readers turning the pages long after their bedtime, FRIENDS FOREVER is a delightful book. I highly recommend it.” — Sharpwriter
“Ms. Miller captures the trails and tribulations of 13 year-olds very easily. She talks their lingo and keeps the book interesting with enough twists and surprises to keep younger readers turning the pages to the very end.” — Pam Stone for Myshelf Reviews
“Miller’s book accomplishes what few others in this genre do. She effectively combines humor, true life feelings, and interesting dialogue in a novel about peer pressure.” — Aimee McLeod for Wordweaving Reviews
***EPPIE AWARD FINALIST***
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