This is a beautiful book about fast friendship, learning to trust and believing in yourself.
596029
Freya is 19 years old and on the verge of becoming a singing star when she loses her voice.  Nothing helps her regain it and now she wonders where she fits in this world and who will love her.  Her father left when she was young, Freya and her sister Sabrina don't speak any longer, her mother is trying to control her life through her singing career.

Harun is a Muslim and gay.  He was raised with lots of love in his family, but he lives a lie every day and doesnt know how to tell them his secret.  He feels he doesnt belong plans to run away from it all after his boyfriend James breaks up with him.

Nathaniel doesnt know who he is, he believes he is invisible to everyone and considers taking his life.  At first I thought maybe he was Autistic, but as I read on I realized that he is the product of his father who truly never grew up.

The 3 meet in Central Park by sheer accident and become intertwined with each other like long lost souls.  This is a beautiful book about fast friendship, learning to trust and believing in yourself.
509337
This is an amazing children's book about having confidence and believing in yourself.  It is done with clever illustrations and gets the point across to children that they don't need anything special to accomplish their personal goals.
597523
This is a great book to read, it will having a person take a good look at the relationship their in and show the value of friendship. I would recommend this for the readers who like romance and friendships and who love greatness in books.
4105229
I enjoyed this book tremendously because it shows the value of friendship and love. It also plays out like a mystery which I loved.
4254672
Every 'Lucky' book written by Nancy Starewicz is focused on important lifelong skills for children and adults.  "Lucky to Be Friends" features her Wheaton terrior, 'Lucky', in real life situations and photos.  This book is an excellent reminder for all of us about being a good friend.  The rhyming text flows easily and is packed with powerful 'friend' thoughts.  Friendship is a wonderful gift.  One of the many lessons in this story is to SMILE when we greet others!  It is a simple, caring gesture that needs to be modeled and taught.  The 'Lucky' books make excellent gifts as well as important additions to home, classroom, and church libraries.  Thank you, 'Lucky' for being a special friend.
2380633
AMAZING, BEAUTIFUL AND HEARTWARMING. THIS BOOK IS ABOUT LOVE, COMPASSION, OVERCOMING FEAR, PERSONAL GROWTH AND FRIENDSHIP.
3525451
I loved everything about this book. It's a more sophisticated tale of friendship than many other young adults books I've read. It explores the boundaries of true friendship and takes the necessary time to build believable relationships between characters. With its unflinching details of domestic violence it can be difficult to read at times, but I believe that's the author's intent. I devoured this book, anxious to see how the story would end and then I was when it did. The ending leaves you hanging but that's what you'd expect in the first book of a trilogy. I feel the writing is so superb and the plot so important that I'm having my teenagers read it next. I'm looking forward to reading Book 2.
3903921
What a beautiful message this story portrays. A book suited for all ages. The concepts of acceptance, trust and love are evidenced in the friendship of these two most unlikely friends. In our society, we can all learn pertinent lessons from this book. The illustrations are beautiful, too! Blessings on this trio of creators - I can't wait for the next book in their series! I especially love the representation of the butterfly...
3883927
A beautiful book for anyone wanting to feel deeply connected to who they really are.  Thankyou for writing this book!
2105556
If you have friends you love, who mean much to you, this is a book about them and about you. This lovely book is a perfect reflection of the importance of our friendships, of the value they bring to our lives and why we cherish them. I am a big fan of Minx Boren's writing. She always writes eloquently and elegantly regardless of her focus, but this book is special as it mirrors her journey and in that, it captures our own journeys. Buy multiple copies for all those you care about -- you will touch their hearts!
1332221
This is a charming and extremely well written book that I have recommended to all my friends.  You should read it too!  It will brighten your day and bolster your faith in humanity.
4720796
Authors Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant have penned a wonderful novel that weaves a friendship between three unlikely college students, Carmen, Jewell and Regina.  Coming from three totally different backgrounds, the girls' first impression of each other was not enough to make them believe they could be friends, much less roommates through college.

The one thing about family is you cannot pick and choose who is related to you, but when it comes to friendship you can accept a person or leave them alone.  In this beautiful story of friendship, the young ladies prove what friendship is really all about.  Flaws, idiosyncrasies and other things we would not normally put up with, these young ladies go above and beyond the call of friendship, having each other's backs and being there for one another through life's twists and turns, ups and downs and the crazy things that Regina put Carmen and Jewell through.  Men, parties, drugs, foolish decisions, these young ladies remained friends through college and beyond, celebrating life and each other's accomplishments. Unfortunately as life would have it, death is inevitable, and through it all, these friends remained tied together, even when facing this life-altering situation.

I have not read Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant's other books, but I plan to because I found Better Than I Know Myself to be a very good read, one I could not put down until it was finished.

Reviewed By Sharel E. Gordon-Love

APOOO Book Club
1738980
What a wonderful look at the strength and importance of friendship, and the honesty that is needed to maintain it.  This book had me hooked right away.  These characters will live with me for quite some time.
2567994
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters had depth, and you could see their progression towards forgiving themselves, or others, and the development of true friendship and first love.
946521
A delightful tale as a read-to-me story or an easy reader for independent readers. Lilly invites her friends, but is heart broken when no one shows up. She realizes her mistake, overcomes her disappointment, and tries again. This time things work out well for her and her friends. Many lessons about friendship and persistence are learned in this story. The lovely illustrations are filled with action and emotions. A great gift book!
793976
This is definitely one of my all time favorite books...beautiful, charming, funny, sad... It's the story of finding friendship and love with the most unexpected people and at an unexpected time in life. I love the way the chapters go back and forth between the girl and the concierge. The characters are believable and so you feel amotionally attached to them. I do know of people who couldn't get into the book but to me it was SO beautiful! Give it a try!
1934977
In this book and all around you there are friends to be had.  There are young friends, old friends.  In these pages you can see very different kinds of people who are friends.  They are laughing, they are smiling, and they are good friends. There are new friends, best friends, family friends and more.  What kind of friends do you have?  There are two girls hugging and smiling.  I think they are best friends, do you?  If you have a best friend you are a very lucky person!

Perhaps you have friends at school.  You can share a book with them, laugh, or play with them.  Of course, animals can be friends too.  There are furry friends and feathered friends too.  In this book youll get to take a look at all kinds of friends, including friends with different ways to walk and friends with different ways to talk.  What kind of friends do you have?  I bet you have all kinds of friendships, including some of the kinds youll read about in this book.

This is a fabulously fun and engaging book about friends that young children will enjoy.  The layout pops with pictures of all kinds of friendships that children encounter in their lives.  Theres also one interesting two-page spread that briefly shows us that sometimes friends can make you sad or even mad!  I do love the realism and most certainly can appreciate the fact that even best friends don't always get along.  The layout of the book pops with full color photographs of friendship in action.  This is the perfect book to have on hand, one that shows the diversity and joys of friendship.

Nonfiction
Social Studies
Grades K - 2

This book courtesy of the publisher (to library).