Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split

(Book One in the Anna, Banana series)

Bookshop | B&N | BAM | Apple Books | Amazon | Indigo | S&S | Goodreads

Anna has two favorite things: her best friend, Sadie, and her dog, Banana. She can't wait to celebrate her birthday with both of them.

But Anna's birthday party turns into a birthday disaster when Sadie starts a terrible fight that Anna never saw coming. Anna doesn't know why her best friend is suddenly acting like her worst enemy, but she knows she'd do anything to fix it. She and Banana just need to come up with a plan.

Only, what if Sadie doesn't want their friendship to be fixed?

 

Reviews:

"Fast-paced, fun, and funny." —Megan McDonald, bestselling author of Judy Moody

"I've drawn rainbow sparkle hearts on every page of this book, because I love it that much. A perfect friendship story!" —Lauren Myracle, bestselling author of the Winnie Years

"Transitional chapter book readers are one of the genres we get asked for the most at my library and everything about this book is going to be a hit with the kids: Anna's warm, vulnerable, relatable voice, the small details that turn your third grade world, and even the sadness and anger that grown-ups often ignore in this age group. And did I mention there's a delightful multi-cultural cast?" —Librarian Angie Manfredi, fatgirlreading.com, "10 Books You Can't Miss in 2015"

"There's a surprising amount of tension as Anna struggles with her bafflement, narrated in an emotionally sensitive first-person voice....A realistic story for sensitive kids." —Kirkus

"Fans of Sara Pennypacker's Clementine, Hilary McKay's Lulu, and Anna Branford's Violet Mackerel will enjoy meeting Anna and her friends." —School Library Journal

"Rissi's new chapter-book series will appeal to fans of Clementine, Ivy and Bean, or dachshunds." —Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"This is the lovely first installment in a new line of warm, fun, sweet-but-not-saccharine chapter books that features a wiener dog named Banana, households that are quietly but powerfully diverse in their cultures and family configurations, real-life situations that readers will see themselves in, and charmingly perfect / perfectly charming illustrations. Great for readers of Just Grace, Ivy & Bean, Clementine and Judy Moody." —BookRiot, "5 Books to Watch for in May"

"Anna is a likable protagonist....The familiar trials of middle-grade friendship are likely to appeal to same-aged readers looking for a new chapter-book heroine." —The Bulletin

"Well-rounded characters, sweet spot art, and a relatable plot that avoids didacticism make this an entertaining chapter book." —Horn Book

A Scholastic Reading Clubs selection

Click here to find the book on Goodreads. 

Available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook.

Order it from Bookshop | B&N | BAM | Apple Books | Amazon | Indigo | S&S | or ask for it at your local bookstore or library. 

 Recommended for ages 6-10 

I watched in horror as Sadie leaned over her desk and whispered something to Amanda. Amanda glanced at me, then whispered back to Sadie. Sadie giggled softly.

I couldn’t believe it. Sadie never whispered with Amanda. Sadie hardly ever even talked to Amanda. Amanda sometimes picked her nose in public! My best friend was whispering with a known nose-picker and she refused to even look at me. It felt like I’d swallowed a bucket of rocks.

I had to do something.

—From Anna, Banana, and the Friendship Split

Watch the book trailer below!

Hardcover ISBN: 9781481416054     ebook ISBN: 9781481416078     Paperback ISBN: 9781481416061

Published on May 5, 2015 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Also published in Danish, Hebrew, and Czech