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wardo2700's review
4.0
I forgot to write a review immediately after finishing this book so this will be a short review. I know I really enjoyed the book for such a serious approach to friendship that I think young readers will also enjoy it too. I would recommend this book to young readers 10 and older as it seems directed more to middle school students.
brandypainter's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
I always feel bad for books that come out in November/December. They often get lost in the shuffle as Best of Year lists are made at this time and many are too busy to read new books. If you're not paying attention, it is easy to miss these books entirely. The Friendship Experiment by Erin Teagan is one such book. It is delightful and one of those books that naturally attracts middle grade readers yet I haven't seen many people mention it.
Madeline is dealing with a lot right now for one sixth grader. Her beloved grandfather just died. She is about to start middle school without her best friend by her side. She has a rare blood disorder that causes unpredictable nosebleeds that are difficult to stop. There is a new girl who experienced Maddie's dream of going to Space Camp and won't stop talking about it. Then there is her popular cheerleader older sister and her parents who don't seem to understand how her world is crashing down around her. In order to cope, Madeline begins writing SOPs in her science journal. Operating Procedures on how to avoid people who annoy you and how to survive losing your best friend are nice things to have in your head, but soon discovers the dangers of writing all the things you keep inside your head down on paper as her life spins even more out of her control.
The Friendship Experiment is told in Madeline's first person point of view and being in her head is wonderful. She is a fully realized very human character. She is a little neurotic, compulsive, and anxious. She is incredibly smart and wants to be a scientist more than anythings. She swabs things and grows super gross bacteria in her bedroom. Her greatest flaw (and it is great) is her carelessness with other people's feelings. Part of what makes Madeline's voice so authentic is how wrapped up in her self she is and how she sees everyone as an extension of herself. They matter in how they relate to her and not as individuals, which is text book middle schooler. The power in the book is how Maddie grows, changes, and learns over the course of the story.
All of Madeline's relationships are important and this is a book where the plot is entirely driven by character relationships and interactions. Yes, a lot of things happen and it is a fast paced read because of this, but those things revolve around people. It is a short book at 241 pages and yet Teagen did an amazing job at developing so many relationships and showing their impact on Maddie's existence and her impact on their lives. Grandparents, parents, siblings, friends, acquaintance-all of these relationships are explored and it is done with heart, humor, and insight. I particularly appreciate how chock-full of nerdy science girls this book is, and how it showcases everyone is a little weird about something. I also liked how none of those nerdy science girls were reduced to stereotypes. They all are different and have multiple things going on.
The Friendship Experiment is a fairly typical MG school/friend story, but it is one that excels at what it is trying to do and I think will have wide appeal to kids who love those sorts of stories.
I always feel bad for books that come out in November/December. They often get lost in the shuffle as Best of Year lists are made at this time and many are too busy to read new books. If you're not paying attention, it is easy to miss these books entirely. The Friendship Experiment by Erin Teagan is one such book. It is delightful and one of those books that naturally attracts middle grade readers yet I haven't seen many people mention it.
Madeline is dealing with a lot right now for one sixth grader. Her beloved grandfather just died. She is about to start middle school without her best friend by her side. She has a rare blood disorder that causes unpredictable nosebleeds that are difficult to stop. There is a new girl who experienced Maddie's dream of going to Space Camp and won't stop talking about it. Then there is her popular cheerleader older sister and her parents who don't seem to understand how her world is crashing down around her. In order to cope, Madeline begins writing SOPs in her science journal. Operating Procedures on how to avoid people who annoy you and how to survive losing your best friend are nice things to have in your head, but soon discovers the dangers of writing all the things you keep inside your head down on paper as her life spins even more out of her control.
The Friendship Experiment is told in Madeline's first person point of view and being in her head is wonderful. She is a fully realized very human character. She is a little neurotic, compulsive, and anxious. She is incredibly smart and wants to be a scientist more than anythings. She swabs things and grows super gross bacteria in her bedroom. Her greatest flaw (and it is great) is her carelessness with other people's feelings. Part of what makes Madeline's voice so authentic is how wrapped up in her self she is and how she sees everyone as an extension of herself. They matter in how they relate to her and not as individuals, which is text book middle schooler. The power in the book is how Maddie grows, changes, and learns over the course of the story.
All of Madeline's relationships are important and this is a book where the plot is entirely driven by character relationships and interactions. Yes, a lot of things happen and it is a fast paced read because of this, but those things revolve around people. It is a short book at 241 pages and yet Teagen did an amazing job at developing so many relationships and showing their impact on Maddie's existence and her impact on their lives. Grandparents, parents, siblings, friends, acquaintance-all of these relationships are explored and it is done with heart, humor, and insight. I particularly appreciate how chock-full of nerdy science girls this book is, and how it showcases everyone is a little weird about something. I also liked how none of those nerdy science girls were reduced to stereotypes. They all are different and have multiple things going on.
The Friendship Experiment is a fairly typical MG school/friend story, but it is one that excels at what it is trying to do and I think will have wide appeal to kids who love those sorts of stories.
blakehalsey's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this heartwarming and funny book about a girl who loves science and is dealing with some big changes in her life, as well as a chronic illness she and her sister share. This book has everything I love about middle grade fiction--the importance of friendship, humor, a messy character who's learning who she is and how to move through the world. Throw in some petri dish experiments and and spider crickets, and this is a book I'll rec to everyone.
kenadietd's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
riddhi_345's review against another edition
4.0
This book was short and sweet. I actually really enjoyed it.
wordnerd153's review against another edition
4.0
Entertaining coming of age story about a girl starting middle school who makes all kinds of mistakes and has to deal with the consequences. This will appeal to a lot of MG readers.
bkmckown's review
4.0
Great middle grade book about friendship, grief, siblings and being kind. The main character and her sister have a bleeding disorder that is the most common bleeding disorder, but most people have never even heard of it. I think it’s great that there’s a book for kids who have it. It gives them representation and educated others about their illness.
delprenr's review
4.0
This was a very cute middle grade novel. I love how real the friendship struggles Maddie went through felt. I remember going through very similar problems and learning how to be a good friend.
tashrow's review against another edition
4.0
Maddie isn’t looking forward to middle school. Her grandfather died over the summer and they are clearing out his house to prep it for sale. Her best friend has changed schools too. Maddie enjoyed writing Standard Operating Procedures for her grandfather, helping him cope with his dementia as his Alzheimer’s progressed. So she continues to write SOPs in her lab notebook and carry it with her all the time. She brings it to middle school and starts to document ways to cope with middle school and with the kids she eats lunch with. Meanwhile, middle school becomes a mix of good and bad. Maddie is allowed to work in the college’s science lab with her father. But her blood clotting disorder starts to flare up more, though not as much as her older sister’s. Maddie gets into a serious fight with her best friend, and manages to anger the new kids she has just started to become friends with. It’s clear that middle school is going to take a lot more experimenting to get right.
Teagan writes with a solid and consistent tone in this middle grade novel. Her touch is light and filled with humor, offering a way to see past the disasters that Maddie is facing in middle school. She weaves Maddie’s interest in science throughout the story. It is more than a hobby for Maddie, it’s a way of life. From her swabs of bacteria to the way she looks at projects, Maddie faces it all as a scientist.
Maddie is a warm and wonderful protagonist, still she is also entirely human. She makes plenty of mistakes in this novel, managing to lose all of her friends at once through actions all her own. She can be angry, impulsive, and inflexible and still readers will enjoy the time they spend with her and her scientific mind. The topic of hemophilia and the way the disorder is used in the novel is intelligently done, creating yet another source of angst and separation for Maddie.
A strong STEM novel that deftly shows that girls and science mix very well. No experiments needed to prove that hypothesis. Appropriate for ages 10-12.
Teagan writes with a solid and consistent tone in this middle grade novel. Her touch is light and filled with humor, offering a way to see past the disasters that Maddie is facing in middle school. She weaves Maddie’s interest in science throughout the story. It is more than a hobby for Maddie, it’s a way of life. From her swabs of bacteria to the way she looks at projects, Maddie faces it all as a scientist.
Maddie is a warm and wonderful protagonist, still she is also entirely human. She makes plenty of mistakes in this novel, managing to lose all of her friends at once through actions all her own. She can be angry, impulsive, and inflexible and still readers will enjoy the time they spend with her and her scientific mind. The topic of hemophilia and the way the disorder is used in the novel is intelligently done, creating yet another source of angst and separation for Maddie.
A strong STEM novel that deftly shows that girls and science mix very well. No experiments needed to prove that hypothesis. Appropriate for ages 10-12.
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