In FRIENDSHIP OVER, the first book of a new series, ten-year-old Celie has quite a few things on her mind—fights with her sister Jo, secrets at school, an increasingly forgetful grandmother, and worst of all, a best friend who won’t speak to her. How can a girl who hates change survive, when everything in her life is changing? By writing, for one thing. Celie’s diary entries include notes, e-mails, homework assignments, and pages from her top-secret spy notebook.
Illustration by Johanna Wright
AWARDS
2015 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People, Honor Book
A Scholastic Book Clubs/Book Fairs Selection
REVIEWS
* “Using a diary format and leavening her tale with humor, Sternberg gets Celie’s voice just right, and readers should find her completely credible. … Wright’s spot-on black-and-white illustrations perfectly complement Sternberg’s text. … This satisfying slice-of-life story about the permutations of friendship and family resonates.” - Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“As she did in LIKE PICKLE JUICE ON A COOKIE and its sequels, Sternberg exposes the travails of adolescence with authenticity and humor in this first volume of THE TOP-SECRET DIARY OF CELIE VALENTINE series…. Letters, emails, and Wright’s … punchy b&w sketches pep up this lighthearted yet emotionally layered story.”- Publishers Weekly
“[T]his [is] a prime readalike for other fiction graphic novel hybrids such as Renee Russell’s DORK DIARIES (S. & S.), Amy Ignatow’s POPULARITY PAPERS (Abrams), and Marissa Moss’s AMELIA’S NOTEBOOK (S. & S.). This title has both wide appeal and substance and begins what will likely be a popular series. - School Library Journal
“Sternberg has Celie navigate through her troubles in a manner both satisfying and believable; readers can look forward to more of Celie’s heartfelt, funny, and engaging diaries.” - The Horn Book Magazine