A review by kellyhager
BFF*: Just As Long As We're Together / Here's to You, Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume
4.0
I'd read this when I was little, but I didn't really remember anything about it.*
But this is about Stephanie and Rachel, who have been best friends for basically forever. Then Stephanie starts hanging out with Alison (a new girl) and all of a sudden, they're fighting. And the girls are in middle school, so there's also a slew of first crushes and whatnot. AND there's an example of the worst parenting EVER.** It's really sweet and a good lesson about friendship being important.
There's a sequel (Here's to You, Rachel Robinson--this is now one of my most favorite book titles EVER) and, thanks to my Kindle, I will be reading that next. (Kindle sold it as a bundle with this book. Thank you, Amazon!)
As a by the way, I don't like this cover. The girls are all supposed to be the same age, but that girl on the left looks closer to my age.
* = Except for one scene where Rachel talks about giving a speech and Stephanie says that five minutes isn't so long, so Rachel challenges her to stand up and be quiet for five minutes and she only makes it for a minute and 24 seconds. I have no idea why that's what stayed with me.
** = SPOILER. Stephanie's parents are separated and they don't tell her or her brother, Bruce. Her dad has moved to LA to work at that branch of his company, but they act like it's just a really long business trip. (Like a temporary reassignment, not something permanent.) And Stephanie finds out because her dad accidentally slips 'cause he thinks she already knows. Stellar parenting there.
Here's to You, Rachel Robinson is the sequel to Just As Long As We're Together. This time, Rachel's the narrator. It's not long after the events of the first one and Rachel's older brother, Charles, is home. And Charles is a total douche, so Rachel's life is really stressful.
(Although it sounds like Rachel's life is always stressful; Rachel is a perfectionist.)
Stephanie and Alison aren't in this book very much; I missed them.
But this is about Stephanie and Rachel, who have been best friends for basically forever. Then Stephanie starts hanging out with Alison (a new girl) and all of a sudden, they're fighting. And the girls are in middle school, so there's also a slew of first crushes and whatnot. AND there's an example of the worst parenting EVER.** It's really sweet and a good lesson about friendship being important.
There's a sequel (Here's to You, Rachel Robinson--this is now one of my most favorite book titles EVER) and, thanks to my Kindle, I will be reading that next. (Kindle sold it as a bundle with this book. Thank you, Amazon!)
As a by the way, I don't like this cover. The girls are all supposed to be the same age, but that girl on the left looks closer to my age.
* = Except for one scene where Rachel talks about giving a speech and Stephanie says that five minutes isn't so long, so Rachel challenges her to stand up and be quiet for five minutes and she only makes it for a minute and 24 seconds. I have no idea why that's what stayed with me.
** = SPOILER. Stephanie's parents are separated and they don't tell her or her brother, Bruce. Her dad has moved to LA to work at that branch of his company, but they act like it's just a really long business trip. (Like a temporary reassignment, not something permanent.) And Stephanie finds out because her dad accidentally slips 'cause he thinks she already knows. Stellar parenting there.
Here's to You, Rachel Robinson is the sequel to Just As Long As We're Together. This time, Rachel's the narrator. It's not long after the events of the first one and Rachel's older brother, Charles, is home. And Charles is a total douche, so Rachel's life is really stressful.
(Although it sounds like Rachel's life is always stressful; Rachel is a perfectionist.)
Stephanie and Alison aren't in this book very much; I missed them.