{"product_id":"when-friendship-followed-me-home-isbn-9780147510068","title":"When Friendship Followed Me Home","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"If you have middle schoolers who are too young to fully grasp \u003cb\u003eJohn Green’s \u003ci\u003eThe Fault in Our Stars\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e and love dogs, give them this sweet tearjerker.\" — \u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In this beguiling tearjerker, a foster kid's luck slowly changes after he befriends a scruffy pup he finds outside the library.\"--\u003ci\u003ePeople \u003c\/i\u003emagazine\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Ben Coffin has never been one for making friends. As a former foster kid, he knows people can up and leave without so much as a goodbye. Ben prefers to spend his time with the characters in his favorite sci-fi books…until he rescues an abandoned mutt from the alley next-door to the Coney Island Library. Scruffy little Flip leads Ben to befriend a fellow book-lover named Halley—yes, like the comet—a girl unlike anyone he has ever met. Ben begins thinking of her as “Rainbow Girl” because of her crazy-colored clothes and her laugh, pure magic, the kind that makes you smile away the stormiest day.  Rainbow Girl convinces Ben to write a novel with her.  But as their story unfolds Ben’s life begins to unravel, and Ben must discover for himself the truth about friendship and the meaning of home.\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e Editors' Choice\u003cbr\u003eA \u003ci\u003ePeople \u003c\/i\u003emagazine Popular Pick\u003cbr\u003eA Summer 2016 Kids’ Indie Next Pick\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e Best of Summer Pick \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"[T]his bittersweet, well-paced book…left me with faith that people can feel discarded, as though everything they love will be taken from them, and still end up whole, if they are touched by love of friendship.\" — \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eBook Review \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Griffin writes beautifully about family, friendship, belonging, and loss in a story that is sure to leave every reader with at least a tear in his or her eye, if not a pile of soggy tissues.\"--\u003ci\u003eExaminer\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"If you have middle schoolers who are too young to fully grasp \u003cb\u003eJohn Green’s \u003ci\u003eThe Fault in Our Stars\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e and love dogs, give them this sweet tearjerker.\" — \u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"The dialogue between Ben and Halley is snappy and smart (\u003cb\u003ethink John Green for middle-graders\u003c\/b\u003e), and the sci-fi story the two friends write together reveals the emotions behind their wit.\"--\u003ci\u003eBCCB\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Full of pace and \u003cb\u003elaughter, bruises and heart\u003c\/b\u003e. Paul Griffin is the sort of writer you're torn between telling the whole world about and keeping all to yourself.\"—\u003cb\u003eMarkus Zusak\u003c\/b\u003e, author of Printz Honor Winner \u003ci\u003eThe Book Thief\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“‘Friendship’ is \u003cb\u003ean absolutely beautiful, heart-expanding book\u003c\/b\u003e.  I cried, but more than that I felt this giant balloon of love for everyone.  This story convinced me all over again that love and imagination are life’s biggest magic. It’ll make you want to grab hold of everyone important to you and lick them on the nose.”   —\u003cb\u003eRebecca Stead\u003c\/b\u003e, author of Newbery Award winner \u003ci\u003eWhen You Reach Me\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Some books change the way you see the world. Some change the way you breathe. \u003cb\u003eThis book will leave you breathless.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003eThis is Paul Griffin's best book yet—\u003c\/b\u003eand that's really saying something.\" —\u003cb\u003ePatricia McCormick\u003c\/b\u003e, author of National Book Award Finalist \u003ci\u003eSold\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eWhen Friendship Followed Me Home\u003c\/i\u003e is both \u003cb\u003ea beautiful book, and an honest book\u003c\/b\u003e; it is, in fact, beautiful because it is honest. We see the pain of loss, and the glory of community. We see love in its many forms, and we witness the truth that love goes on despite all barriers. Cheer for Ben and Halley: it is kids like these who are our hope.”  —\u003cb\u003eGary D. Schmidt\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eOkay for Now\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* \"Entrancing, magical, tragic, and uplifting.\" — \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e* \"As in his young adult books, Griffin (\u003ci\u003eAdrift\u003c\/i\u003e) handles hard topics with penetrating insight and honesty, while balancing painful moments (and there are many) with levity.\" — \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This is a multi-tissue read...Griffin’s characters are unique and charmingly multidimensional. Readerslooking for a deep read will take to this story as quickly as Flip takes to Ben.\" — \u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003ePaul Griffin is the award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eTen Mile River\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Orange Houses\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eStay With Me\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eBurning Blue\u003c\/i\u003e. He lives, trains dogs, and writes in New York City.1 CHUNKY MOLD\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou’d have to be nuts to trust a magician. I learned that lesson the hard way. And then, if you can believe it, I actually became a magician’s assistant. That part was the Rainbow Girl’s fault, but the rest of it I blame on a little dog named Flip.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe trouble started the second Friday of seventh grade. Damon Rayburn shoved me out of the lunch line. “Thanks, Coffin,” he said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“For what?” I said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Offering to buy me a slice.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you think a little threat like that could get me to surrender my pizza money to an idiot like Damon Rayburn, you know me pretty well. He slapped the back of my head and cut to the front of the line.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You’re half a foot taller than him, Coffin,” this kid half a foot shorter than Rayburn said. His name was Chucky Mull, but everybody called him Chunky Mold. “You should have belted him. Now he knows he can push you around.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Allow me to quote Yoda, from The Empire Strikes Back,” I said. “‘A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.’”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You were being called upon to defend your inalienable right to eat meatball pizza,” Mold said. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Yoda also says don’t be a wimp.”“Yoda never uses the word wimp.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“He says, ‘Fear is the path to the dark side.’ Dude, hello, The Phantom Menace?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere was no debating Mold on this stuff. He had the T-shirts—the sheets too. I shoved him toward our spot far, far away in the dark corner where they kept the garbage dumpster nobody ever dumped. Mold’s mom had stuck a note on the waxed paper that barely covered his foot-long hero. It said, LOVE YOU. ⁄ He tossed the note and crammed a hunk of sandwich into his mouth. “Any chance you would consider splitting that with me?” I said. “Come on, Mold, you’ll never be able to finish the whole thing.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Watch me,” Chucky said. “Holy crud, here she comes.”Mrs. Pinto worked her way toward us. She was really pretty for a principal or even a normal human being. “Hi guys,” she said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Good, how are you?” Mold said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“If you ever need anything, stop by my office, okay?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“You too,” Mold said.Mrs. Pinto patted my shoulder as she left.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“She totally just touched you,” Chucky said. “You, a loser, caressed on your loser shoulder by Mrs. P. I sent her the wink almost like four hours ago now. Nothing. Why are you staring at me like that? Dude, the emoticon? Are you visiting from The Stone Age?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“I know what the wink is. I just can’t believe you sent her one.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“So?”“She’s old. Mold, she’s like thirty.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“It’s not what you think. On Facebook the wink is a sign of supreme respect. It’s like when somebody inspires you, you wink at them. It’s true. It’s an ancient custom that goes all the way back to classical times, the Greeks and Romanians. It’s like you’re bowing to her to acknowledge her awesomeness.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Then why not just send her a bow?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Because there’s no emoticon for that, you moron. Just because she has a totally amazing butt doesn’t mean she can’t be my hero too, for her, you know, incredible wisdom and everything.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“That’s why you winked at her—her wisdom.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“What do you know anyway? You’re not even on Facebook. It’s a real thing, I swear. In many cultures it’s considered rude not to send the wink.” He batted away a fly from where the peanut butter slimed his lip like a gluey booger.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI had to believe him, firstly because you can tell when somebody’s lying, and he truly didn’t think he was, and most of all because he was right about me not being on Facebook. The whole friends thing: It wasn’t really happening. Even Mold was more aggravation than ally. I moved to the neighborhood less than two years before. In a year me and my mom were heading to Florida, right after she retired. We could live great down there for cheap, she said. I figured why bother making friends when I was out of here pretty soon?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Chucky, not even a bite? Really?” I said.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Dream on,” he said, or something like that. I couldn’t tell with the sandwich all gunked up in his braces.","brand":"Puffin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302424695013,"sku":"NP9780147510068","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780147510068.jpg?v=1767743952","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/when-friendship-followed-me-home-isbn-9780147510068","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}