Isn’t it Platonic: The best things about best friends in MG
The WWAT crew just recently finished Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley. It was whimsical and heartfelt, and we all had things we really enjoyed about it.
What gave me the most warm-fuzzies was the friendship between Micah and Jenny. They were a perfect example of opposites attract. Jenny helped keep Micah grounded, while Micah helped Jenny believe…in the magic of the circus.
That’s one of the things I love best about middle grade fiction. In young adult fiction, friendships can get a little lost, or even decimated. As teens, we grow up and out of old friendships as our sense sharpen to a new perspective of the world. And that’s important, I guess.
But oh how I love that the friendship in a good middle grade novel can carry a series to stardom. It’s the Harry-Hermione-Ron phenomenon, where the relationship between the main characters attracts the reader beyond the intrigue of the plot and the enchantment of the world building. In a great middle grade novel, if a good friend dies in the story, a little piece of the reader dies with that character.
I also love how friendship forces a main character to grow. In Rebecca Stead’s Liars and Spies and R.J. Palacio’s Wonder, friendships motivate the main character to see the world with a little broader lens. It doesn’t demand a paradigm shift, like those in YA literature, but just a slight expansion of one’s horizon.
And finally, I love the way a good friend can add necessary comic relief in a dark plot. Blackthorn Key did this with Christopher and Tom. Tom was practical, yet, at the same time, his comments are what made me laugh most often.
What’s your favorite “friendship” in middle grade literature? You may have several. As always, the WWAT crew would love to hear about them!
Leave a Reply