Friction

Rating:
Summary: Richie's Picks: FRICTION
Review: " ' You can trust me,' I finally say. Because when people tell you a secret, it's like a gift. You don't just give it away to someone else, even if you never asked for it in the first place." --from FRICTION

Back in the spring of 1999, working as a Children's Buyer, I read an advance copy of Laurie Halse Anderson's SPEAK. My reaction to reading the book was to order a shelf-full for each of the stores. I wrote at the time that SPEAK should be required reading for all eighth-graders, both guys and girls.

Now, after reading SPEAK aloud to a couple of years' worth of eighth-grade English students, I can readily articulate some of its lessons:

We learn, of course, that Melinda shouldn't have put herself in danger by getting drunk in the dark with a bunch of older strangers. But then, after having gotten drunk and having been raped, we also know that Melinda could have avoided or mitigated that nightmare of a freshman year if either:
(1) She had spoken to adults she trusted about what had happened to her.
(2) Her friends and schoolmates had reacted to her unusual behavior (calling the cops, inconsistency in her physical appearance, skipping school, not speaking) by talking to Melinda or speaking about her to adults they trusted.

It is a totally different story, yet a very similar lesson that is encountered in FRICTION, an extraordinarily gripping tale designed for sixth, seventh, and eighth-graders.

FRICTION is written by E. R. (Emily) Frank, a young star who is ascending rapidly on the Y.A. horizon. As with reading SPEAK, FRICTION left me misty-eyed as I finished it.

In FRICTION, an innocent young girl's budding sexuality contributes to the terrible confusion--and, ultimately, to the tragic consequences--when Stacy, a new (and older) classmate begins what appears to be an insidious campaign to portray their young and very popular teacher, Simon, as a "pervert."

Alex, the seventh-grade soccer-playing girl, narrates the story of what happens after Stacy arrives at the progressive private school attended by Alex and Tim. Stacy is the girl with secrets who knows how to make an entrance:

"She's got shiny black hair down to her behind and gray eyes that take up her whole face, and she's as skinny as I am. She's wearing a purple-and-black turtleneck and jeans that look brand-new, and she grins at everybody like she's totally psyched to meet us. She's got a gap between her two front teeth.
" ' Hi,' she goes. 'I'm Stacy.' I see a flash of silver in her mouth. A tongue ring. 'Let's get this party started.'
"And that's how it begins."

Stacy's behavior and her unrelenting proclamations to the students about what's going on threatens the life-long friendship that Alex has with Tim. Alex becomes more and more uncertain in her own mind as to what the truth really is:

"I want things to make sense now, but...the things I need to figure out don't have rules. Like why Stacy wants it to be true that Simon and I like each other in that certain way. Like why I've been scared lately that maybe she's right. What if Simon does look at me?"

As with SPEAK, things spiral out of control because of the failure--by every one of the students--to confide in an adult. The events result in Alex's loss of that innocent childhood image of Simon as a teacher; she instead begins to see him as a man.

(And, so here we go again...)

Many educators apparently get weak-kneed about teaching SPEAK to eighth graders--preferring to ignore its value to those eighth-graders who could well wind up in Melinda's position. Fearing the "mature" content (or fearing other adults who haven't even read the book), they pass off all responsibility to high school teachers, thus diminishing the possibility that its vital message will be heard in time by students at risk. (Melinda notes sarcastically in SPEAK how they don't get around to learning about sex at Merryweather until eleventh grade.)

Similarly, with teaching FRICTION, I could hear the tension start building about five paragraphs back: "SIXTH GRADE!!! Discuss WHAT?!!! BUDDING SEXUALITY?!!! IMPROPER PHYSICAL CONTACT AND SEXUAL ABUSE?!!!"

That's right, let's all procrastinate until an age that it's all ridiculously beside the point. Sorry. If it were me, I'd willingly take on a thousand irate parents/administrators/school board members if it meant that I could save one kid from going through the trauma Melinda faces in SPEAK or that Alex, Tim, Stacy, and Simon all face in FRICTION.

This will be a book you'll be hearing plenty about in the coming year.

Richie Partington
....

Rating:
Summary: !!! FRICTION... !!!
Review: "Friction" is a book about some teens, a teacher, sexual harassment, and lies... this painstakingly authentic book shows how people other than the direct victim can get hurt. This book thrives with all of the confusion and immaturity of the characters, which made the book worthwhile to read. Let's face it: a book about a teenager getting harassed and acting weird is hardly going to fill up enough pages to make a book. So Frank seems to have been forced to add the character 'Simon', and the story take place from another girl's perspective. Mediocre book overall, but Frank has, in my opinion, wrote other books that are more up to the current standards in literature.

Rating:
Summary: pretty good
Review: ALthough the theme of the book is very important and impactful, the story itself was a let down. The whole idea of this "alternative" school is really weird. I also didn't like who the story ended at all. When you finally figure everything out, it just ends. It was a letdown.

Rating:
Summary: !!! FRICTION... !!!
Review: Friction, by E.R. Frank, was a great book if you are looking for something to help someone who has been abused. It is very difficult to write about such a sensitive topic, but Frank does a great job. Frank's characters are well developed and easy to relate to, and they really reflect the attitudes of preteens. Stacy is the typical attituded girl, and it makes it easy to relate to her problems. The storyline is very believable and well thought out. It is written on a level appeasing to older readers, but is easily comprehended by the audience it's written for. I would highly reccomend this book to any of my friends who are wondering if they have been abused.

Rating:
Summary: WOW not what i expected at all!!
Review: i finished this book and for some reason i wanted to cry. it isn't really a sad book at all but i just to be alone and think. you wonder about all the girls in your school and if they are ever telling the truth about anything! it's so amazing what certain people will lie about. i think that it's pretty bad when you can't even tell your "friend" the truth and in fact she'e the one you're spreading the lies about! it's just amazing what some people will do to get others attention.

Rating:
Summary: E.R. Frank is 3 for 3
Review: I have just finished reading three E.R. Frank books in a row. She is three for three, in my opinion.

Friction is a very accurate description of an eighth grade classroom and what can happen at a small school when you add a new girl, rumors, and the natural confusion that teens feel as their worlds change from bubble gum and Big Chief Tablets to their periods, puberty and sexual feelings.

E.R. Frank does a superb job of drawing the reader into the story, accurately and believably describing the gossip and rumor circles that can easily develop in this type of school setting, and showing how seemingly innocent rumors and drama can turn into very hurtful items.

All of the characters in this book learn a solid lesson about life and how important it is to say what you are feeling and speak the truth on behalf of those you care for, or lives can be drastically changed.

Friction is a story of life, love, learning, betrayal, repression, trust, friendship, honesty, lies, the importance of parents being there for their children and knowing when a child is crying for help.

E.R. Frank knows kids very well. She knows teens even better. Most importantly, E.R. Frank has not lost touch with the younger generations.

E.R. Frank is a gift to Young Adult literature, and Friction is just the latest in her series of unforgettable contributions.

Rating:
Summary: shocking
Review: i haven't finished the book yet but the suspense is so good. I have to finish soon. i got it yesterday and i'm about ten pages from the end! i can't wait to find out what happens to these girls! sexual harrasment seems to be a big issue! i hope that the girls come out ok!

Rating:
Summary: Good, But not the Best
Review: In "Friction", we meet Alex, a spirited girl attending Forest Alternative School, where the teachers like to be called by their first names and things are done differently. One day a new girl comes to her class. Stacy shakes things up immediately and starts making Alex feel uncomfortable by spreading rumours that their popular teacher, Simon, "likes" her. At first Alex ignores Stacy, but after a class camping trip she begins to wonder if there's some truth to what Stacy's been saying.

Are the things going on between her and Simon just a special bond they have and a few accidents where she was in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or is Stacy right, and something perverted and gross is going on? Alienated from her best friends and unsure of how to talk to her parents or anyone else, Alex doesn't know where to turn and her confused narrative is a very gripping read.

Although I found this book a bit slow to start off, it got fairly good by the end. Sometimes it seemed a little juvenile, but overall it was an interesting, if imperfect book. Sexual absue is something that needs to be put out in the open, and "Friction" does a good job.

Rating:
Summary: Awesomest book ever
Review: It was a good book but I thought it would be better then what it really was. It was totally right on about the way gossip is spread but it wasnt very compelling.

Rating:
Summary: E.R. Frank can do better!
Review: Life is Funny is one of my favorite books because it realy moved me, as did America. When i heard E.R. Frank came out with a third novel, I was anxious to read it. While the book wasn't terrible, i felt it was a great let down after Frank's first two novels. Friction went nowhere fast. I knew from the begining that Stacy, the girl who comes to a new school where the narrorater attends and shakes up everybodys world, had many issues in her life and had problems with lying. To sum it up, Stacy was basically full of it. Therefore, when she tells others about the things she has seen her classmates do, it is obvious she is attention starved. While there is some truth to this character, unless she seems 100% believeable to the reader, the story is predictable and at some points rediculous. I gave this book 3 stars but it is more like 2 or 2 1/2. I highly recomend E.R. Frank's other wonderful books instead of Friction.