Not the Worst Friend in the World

by Anne Rellihan

Overview

Can Lou Bennett keep a secret? She’ll do just about anything to prove herself to her new friend—and the best friend she betrayed—in this debut middle grade mystery with high emotional stakes.

It’s the thirty-fourth day of sixth grade, and eleven-year-old Lou wishes she could rewind time. 

Lou wants to go back to the ninth day of sixth grade—the day before she fought with her best friend Francie and said the terrible, horrible things she can’t unsay. Or better yet, she would go back to fifth grade when Francie was still the Old Francie. 

Then the new girl, Cece Clark-Duncan, passes Lou a mysterious note. It says she was kidnapped. (!) If Lou can help Cece, maybe she can prove she’s not the world’s worst friend. 

But as observant Lou uncovers the complicated truth about Cece’s family, she starts to panic. Can she help Cece without hurting her? Or will Lou end up losing another friend instead?

Anchored by an outstanding voice and a page-turning mystery, this remarkable debut novel honors the powerful middle school friendships that can both break and heal a tender eleven-year-old heart. Perfect for fans of Fish in a Tree and My Jasper June, and pays homage to the great classic Harriet the Spy.

A Booklist Top 10 Mystery & Thriller Book for Youth

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823457663
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	02/06/2024
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	599,468
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Anne Rellihan is a former elementary school teacher and an alumna of Teach for America with a master’s degree in education from Columbia University. She lives in Kansas with her husband and four children. When she’s not writing, Anne volunteers as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. This is her debut novel. Find her online @AnneRellihan and annerellihan.com.

Editorial Reviews

11/13/2023

Eleven-year-old Louise Bennett has been struggling with overwhelming guilt ever since she blurted out “terrible, horrible things” that ended her friendship with Francie Fitzpatrick. Lou is brainstorming ways to win Francie back when new girl Cece Clark-Duncan asks Lou for assistance in unraveling a mystery. Though Lou feels that she’s “not the kind of friend you should trust with your secrets,” she sees helping Cece as a chance to redeem herself. Cece, who believes that she has been kidnapped by her father, is convinced that Lou’s propensity to record observations in her notebook à la Harriet the Spy will help her contact her mother. As the pair investigate, Lou realizes that Cece’s predicament might not be what it seems, and she struggles with the possibility that the truth might hurt her new friend. Occasional flashback chapters depict Francie and Lou’s friendship and provide context to their falling out, which occurs before the book’s start. While the dual mysteries of the friendship breakup and Cece’s possible abduction don’t fully cohere, debut author Rellihan adeptly renders Lou’s pain from her broken friendship. Main characters cue as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Elizabeth Bennett, Transatlantic Literary. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "[A] pitch-perfect middle grade novel. . . . The mystery and plentiful conversation help keep the momentum going all the way to the end."—The Horn Book, Starred Review

★ "Rellihan creates an appealing narrator. . .  An engaging story told from a convincingly tween-age perspective."—Booklist, Starred Review

★ "The mystery will reel readers in, while the emotions and relationships make this a book to savor."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
 
"Debut author Rellihan adeptly renders Lou’s pain from her broken friendship."—Publishers Weekly

"A highly recommended story about friendship, family, and growing pains."—School Library Journal

"Anne Rellihan's Lou is one of the most authentic narrators I've read in years. Anxious, self-aware, and endlessly fumbling, but with such an enormous heart that it's impossible not to love her. Not the Worst Friend in the World is a book about just how complicated friendship and family can be, and how much they both matter in the end." —Laurel Snyder, author of My Jasper June

“Not the Worst Friend in the World has it all: quirky characters, vivid settings, and a mystery guaranteed to keep readers up past bedtime. Anne Rellihan has given us a rich and wonderful story about the tangled threads of friends and family, and the power of love to heal a broken heart.” —Megan E. Freeman, award-winning author of Alone

"This book has all the drama—family secrets, friendship breakups, and the painful consequences of one’s own mistakes. The slow reveal of mysteries kept me turning pages, while the vivid small-town setting reminded me of the best of Kate DiCamillo." —Amy Noelle Parks, author of Kirkus and School Library Journal Best Book Summer of Brave

From the Publisher

03/01/2024

Gr 4–6—Eleven-year old Lou Bennett has been adrift since the 10th day of sixth grade, when a fight with her best friend Francie left her an outcast at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School. That all changes when the new girl, Cece Clark-Duncan, passes Lou a cryptic note asking to meet. Cece is convinced there's something sinister behind her family's sudden arrival in town and her mother's mysterious absence. Noticing that Lou keeps a Harriet the Spy–inspired notebook full of observations, Cece enlists her help tracking down her mother. With Cece, Lou sees a chance to redo her mistakes with Francie and prove that she can be a trustworthy friend. But Lou soon realizes that Cece's situation may be more complicated than anticipated, and their new relationship might not survive the truth. Flashbacks to Lou and Francie's bond are peppered throughout, slowly building up to the terrible fight that torpedoed their friendship. While the two mysteries lean toward the predictable, there's enough tension to keep readers turning the pages. There are no clear heroes and villains here. Just characters who are realistically flawed, their shortcomings lovingly rendered, and the turmoil of sixth grade friendship empathetically depicted. VERDICT A highly recommended story about friendship, family, and growing pains.—Alia Shields

School Library Journal

★ 2023-11-04
Louise Bennett gets a second chance to not be a terrible friend in this debut novel.

Just over three weeks ago, at the start of sixth grade at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a Catholic school in Mayfield, Missouri, Lou said “terrible, horrible things” to Francie Fitzpatrick, her best friend since kindergarten. Now she’s trying to figure out how to get Francie to talk to her again. When new classmate Cece Clark-Duncan passes Lou a note, it sparks a friendship and a big mystery. Cece believes she’s been kidnapped by her dad, and she wants Lou—a Harriet the Spy fan who’s always writing in her notebook—to help find her mom, whom she’s sure must be looking for her. Lou is desperate to be a good friend this time and not spill secrets, but as she pieces together the truth, the right thing to do becomes less clear. Flashbacks are interspersed, highlighting Lou and Francie’s history and leading to the reveal of what tore them apart. This story takes on weighty topics from imperfect parents to faith and belief and presents them with such an empathetic yet light, matter-of-fact touch that they feel completely realistic, while still allowing for the friendships to take center stage. Lou’s first-person narration is pitch-perfect and endearing, and the small-town setting shines with authenticity. The leads are cued white.

The mystery will reel readers in, while the emotions and relationships make this a book to savor. (Mystery. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews