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Summary
Summary
Lara Zany is known throughout the school yard as the Friendship Matchmaker-kids call on her expertise and follow her hard-and-fast rules to find best friendships. Lara's documented everything from friendship categories (the BOBF, or Bus Only Best Friend; the TL, or Total Loner; the LBC, or Loner By Choice) to strategies (BJF, or the Bungee Jump Friend; FTFP, or Field Trip Faux Pas). But when new kid in school Emily Wong questions Lara's methods, the two decide to compete by each finding a TLa best friend. But Lara, an LBC, doesn't bank on finding her own best friendship in the most unlikely of places. . . .
In the tradition of Clueless , this reimagining of Jane Austen's Emma for middle school readers is a funny and heartwarming story of celebrating individuality and finding acceptance.
Reviews (6)
Bookseller Publisher Review
The Friendship Matchmaker follows the story of Lara Zany, Friendship Matchmaker. Lara spends all of her time helping other children at her school make and keep friends and is writing a manual all about it, but when a new girl comes to school, everything starts to unravel. As Lara embarks on a competition to find a best friend for the most difficult client ever, she comes to see the true value and importance of friendship. Randa Abdel-Fattah narrates Laras journey with compassion, warmth and a great deal of humour and the reader is immediately transported into the world of her characters. The Friendship Matchmaker addresses the serious issue of bullying in such a way that it would provide a great resource for schools and parents in approaching this issue with their children. This is the first junior novel from an author who has previously been viewed as young adult, and hopefully it will inspire its readers to seek out her other novels as they grow into them. This would be a great addition to any public or school library and will be an easy book for retailers to promote. Great writing, topical content and a big dose of humour will make this book one of the successes of 2011. (See interview, page 8.) Natalie Crawford is a freelance reviewer and works at Dymocks Claremont, WA
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-Seventh-grader Lara Zany is a LBC, or Loner by Choice, due to the demands of her duties as the Friendship Matchmaker of Potts County Middle School. Ever since fifth grade, she has worked hard to ensure that everyone has at least one compatible friend and avoids the deadly trio or the TL, Total Loner, designation. She keeps rather meticulous, viciously honest notes in her Friendship Matchmaker Manual, which she hopes will someday be a best-selling publication. The first-person narrative alternates with pages from the manual, which includes a glossary, various and sundry rules, and case notes. Just as readers start to wonder how and why this control freak has so much influence, a new girl, Emily Wong, arrives. She proves mysteriously resistant to Lara's efforts to make sure she fits in and finds a friend ASAP. The plot moves swiftly and is anything but predictable. Tween readers will recognize many of the befuddling social predicaments that Lara attempts to remedy. However, her comeuppance results in an ending that is a bit too tidy.-Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Seventh-grader Lara Zany is the self-proclaimed "official Friendship Match-maker" of Potts County Middle School, and she is drafting a manual filled with her top tips to send to "Harry Potter's publishers" when it's complete. Unfor-tunately, Lara is so busy coaching her "clients" on how to talk, dress, and on what not to bring for lunch or do at recess that she has no time to dwell on her own lack of friends. A transfer student from another school, Emily Wong, shakes up all the rules ("Cartoon-inspired dress choices in seventh grade? Dolphins? This was without a doubt the worst case of RFP [Reputation Faux Pas] I'd ever come across," says a horrified Lara) and bets Lara that she can't match up one of her most difficult "Terminal Total Loner" classmates. Australian author Abdel-Fattah (Where the Streets Had a Name) navigates the intricacies of middle school relationships and social challenges via a well-meaning protagonist whose enthusiasm never flags. Readers will quickly see the end of Lara's tale coming but still be pleased by the happy, slightly rushed denouement. Ages 8-12. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Seventh-grader Lara prides herself on her ability to help others make friends (even though she doesn't really have a friend herself). When new-student Emily arrives boasting the same skill but with different methods, Lara's status as Friendship Matchmaker is in question. The book occasionally veers into after-school-special territory, but Abdel-Fattah demonstrates understanding of middle-school struggles. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Seventh-grader Lara Zany's reign as the self-appointed "Potts County Middle School official Friendship Matchmaker" is in peril. Lara tackles her mission to aid the lonely with determination. Attempting to decipher the social nuances of middle school life, Lara busily compiles the "Friendship Matchmaker Manual," a guide to help the friendless discover their perfect BFFs. However, readers soon realize that Lara the matchmaker mysteriously remains without close friends. When new student Emily defies the status quo by questioning Lara's rigid rules of behavior, a friendship-matchmaking challenge ensues. As Emily and Lara endeavor to find BFFs for two friendless students, the reasons for Lara's adamant rules--and her reluctance to have a BFF--are slowly revealed. Despite her aloof demeanor and exhaustive rules, Lara remains an amiable, sympathetic character. Her vulnerability and inherent kindness shine through, as when she defiantly defends students against the school bully. While the tale's conclusion arrives rather abruptly, its encouraging message will appeal to readers. Abdel-Fattah demonstrates a savvy understanding of the middle school experience in this keenly observed tale. (Fiction. 10-13)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Seventh-grader Lara Zany serves as her school's unofficial friendship matchmaker, helping classmates to make friends and keep them. She becomes an LBC (loner by choice), holding recess and lunchtime seminars and preparing her friendship manual for publication. When newcomer Emily Wong questions Lara's techniques, the two embark on a contest to see who is most successful helping a TL (total loner) find a best friend. Abdel-Fattah's (Does My Head Look Big in This?, 2007) clever middle-school parody of Jane Austen's Emma hits all the right notes, delivering its message (be true to yourself) with humor and panache.--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2010 Booklist