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Goodbye Stranger    by Rebecca Stead Amazon.com order for
Goodbye Stranger
by Rebecca Stead
Order:  USA  Can
Random House, 2015 (2015)
Hardcover, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Lyn Seippel

Bridget returns to school after having spent a year recovering from an accident that almost killed her. She missed her entire sixth grade school year. Her recovery is almost complete except for nightmares, but her survival leaves her with questions. She feels different now. She wants to be called Bridge to reflect the difference.

Now a seventh grader, Bridge has much to be grateful for - including her two best friends, although they are different too. Emily is getting curves and lots of attention and Tabitha is becoming a feminist. Bridge finds another friend in a boy in her English Class, Sherman. Sherman is going through changes of his own.

The story takes place from September to Valentine's Day. A lot happens to the friends in this period. Will their friendships hold? Even Bridge's brother is having friendship problems.

Another voice is added by an unnamed high school character who tells her story in second person. She is facing a crisis of friendship. Her relationship with her best friend has become toxic. Will her new friendship ever be the same after she accidentally betrays her?

Rebecca Stead's bestselling novel When You Reach Me won several awards including the Newbery Medal. Goodbye Stranger won't disappoint either. Humorous and touching, this is a wonderful book.

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