How to be… a Friend
Age 8+
Family & Home Stories
A delightful follow up to How to be ... the New Person, from Anna Branford, author of the much-loved series, Violet Mackerel
2Hazel Morrison has settled into her new school, and made a new friend, Laura, who shares Hazel's love of making pretend tutorials about everyday things. How to fold your pajamas: The Morrison Method! Three top tips for drizzling honey on your porridge! Laura's dad is away, and when her mum gets very ill with morning sickness, she turns to Hazel for help. Laura's mum goes to hospital and Laura comes to stay with Hazel's family. They also have to rehearse for the school play, deal with the not-so-helpful Camila, and help find a missing cat. Together the girls learn how to be a friend: navigating self-doubt, secrets, helping out, knowing when to give someone space ... and all the fun in between!
Creators
Anna Branford was born in the Isle of Man and spent her early childhood in Sudan and Papua New Guinea before moving to Australia. Creative writing was her favourite subject at school and she also quite liked playing the piano. These days Anna is a doll maker and a careers educator at RMIT University in Melbourne. Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot was her first published work for Walker Books Australia and was Honour Book in the 2011 CBCA Book of the Year Awards, Younger Readers category. In 2013, Violet Mackerel’s Personal Space won the Young Readers/Picture Book Award category of the Australian Family Therapists’ Award and was shortlisted for the 2013 Children’s Peace Literature Awards. Violet Mackerel’s Possible Friend was shortlisted for the 2014 CBCA Book of the Year Awards, Younger Readers category.
Reviews
This delightful story is one that may be an important read for young readers struggling with friendship worries and other challenges in life.
ReadPlus
Hazel has settled into her new school and made a new friend Laura.. Together they girls learn how to a friend: navigating self-doubt, secrets, helping out, knowing when to give someone space… and all the fun inbetween! A must read!
It Girl
This is a beautifully paced story about building friendships, understanding others and the importance of good communication.
Reading Time
