Friction

I realy liked this book. I thought it was a fantastic book and every teenager should read it. E.R. Frank should write a sequel.

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.

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.

This book was one of the best that I have ever read. It takes you through the life of Alex, and 8th grade girl who I could relate to. She goes to an alternative school, with only one teacher for all her subjects through her middle school years. The teacher's name is Simon, and all of his students think he's awesome. However, when a new girl, Stacey comes to town, she brings things to the students' attention that haven't come up before. Why does he hug Alex? Why did things like this happen, repeatedly? She asks. Stacey challenges the students faith in their teacher, and that's when things get confusing. This book takes you through the class in one year. Although it is short, the theme is so clear, and it really makes you think. E.R. Frank writes in a different way than in her other novels, but this book just proves that she is an amazing author for teens. I would defeniately suggest this book to kids 12 and up, and even some adults. We all need to be more aware of sexual harassment, and this book really shows that.

" ' 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