The Noonday Friends

This is a wonderful story of two friends who come from poor working class families. I read this book in junior high and it has stuck with me since. Great description of New York and a very likeable characters, especially Fran.

My mother bought this book for me when I was very young and I have enjoyed it ever since. It gives a great view of inner-city life; and for its main character, Fran, all the dynamism that comes along with just being an adolescent in working-class New York City and just trying to be a "normal girl". This story also has great historical value as it documents the changes a community experiences as a neighborhood becomes home for a new wave of immigrants (in this case, people from Puerto Rico). This a great book for anyone, male or female.