The Worst Best Friend [Hardcover]

Alexis O'Neill (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

The creators of the hugely successful (and rollicking) THE RECESS QUEEN are back with a frank and funny look at the challenges and rewards of friendship.

Mike and Conrad, Conrad and Mike are best, best friends. That is until Victor, a new boy, a big boy, a cool boy, arrives at school. Suddenly, Conrad turns into the WORST best friend and forgets all about his pal, Mike. But when Victor's need to win leaves Conrad crushed, it's Mike who steps up to the plate and shows how to be a real friend, a true-blue friend, a best, BEST friend.

Exuberant illustrations and rhythmic text bounce off the pages in this frank and funny look at the challenges and rewards of friendship. A perfect read-aloud to share with all friends again and again.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Mike and Conrad do everything together—until a new kid arrives in their classroom. Victor, a self-involved braggart who excels at sports, captivates Conrad's attention, leaving Mike feeling left out. At recess, Victor declares himself captain for a kickball game and picks only the biggest kids, cruelly telling Conrad he's too small to help the team win. Mike, the other captain, feels bad and chooses Conrad. Ultimately, Conrad apologizes and the boys make up. This tale about the vagaries of young friendship is predictable and a bit slick, and the characters are too lightly drawn for readers to become fully engaged in the story. The brightly colored illustrations move the action along and provide funny details. The cafeteria menu board advertises delicacies like "Chocolate Glazed Carrots" "Humble Pie," and "Broccoli Ice Cream." Kevin Henkes's A Weekend with Wendell (HarperCollins, 1986), Isabella Hatkoff's Owen & Mzee (Scholastic, 2006), and George Shannon's Rabbit's Gift (Harcourt, 2007) are all stronger titles on the topic.—Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME
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From Booklist

The author and illustrator of The Recess Queen (2002) turn here to boys in another action-packed picture book about power plays in the schoolyard. Mike and Conrad are best friends until big, flashy Victor joins the class, and Conrad abandons Mike to hang onto the bragging newcomer. At first kids may have trouble distinguishing who is who in the bright, lively computer graphics. But once it is clear that the small boy is Conrad, the twists and turns reveal the betrayal drama. Mike cannot decide if he is sad or mad, and the pictures show him seething and alone (“no room for Mike”), while on the next page Victor blathers about “Me Me Me.” But then Victor rejects Conrad for his team because Conrad is too small. Mike comes to his friend’s rescue, Conrad is sorry, and the friends high-five each other. A fun read-aloud that preschoolers will want to talk about. Preschool-Kindergarten. --Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0545010233
• ISBN-13: 978-0545010238
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 9.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,046,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Alexis O'Neill is the author of picture books that deal with friendship in various shapes and sizes. Among those books, THE RECESS QUEEN (Scholastic) has been nominated for eleven state readers' choice awards and has won in two states. This book about a playground bully has also been translated into Chinese (how do you say, "lollapaloosh" in Chinese?), Korean (how do you say, "kitz and kajammer" in Korean?) and French (oo-la-la!).

In addition to earning starred reviews, her first picture book, LOUD EMILY (Simon & Schuster) was included on the list of "Yankee Magazine 100 Classic New England Children's Books." This honor was especially meaningful to her as she was born in Boston & raised in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Now that she lives in California, she is excited that her book, ESTELA'S SWAP (Lee & Low), about an intergenerational friendship at a California swap meet, has struck a chord with dedicated readers.

Alexis has also written for a variety of magazines including Cricket, Spider, Cobblestone, Calliope, Faces, and Writer's Digest. She teaches at the UCLA Extension Writers' Program and organizes SCBWI events for writers & illustrators in Central/Coastal California. She has a B.S. from Skidmore College, an M.S and Ph.D. from Syracuse University and was sent to the University of London on a Rotary International Fellowship. Among her adventures, she was named Miss Kitchen of Swiftcurrent Inn at Glacier National Park, won a spot in the last Girl Scout Roundup in Idaho, and has led multiple theater trips to Ireland. She loves photography, swimming, theater, the Erie Canal, American history, cats and her husband, David.

An expert presenter, Alexis l-o-v-e-s meeting kids all over the country through school visits, showing them how to read and write with their whole body.

She promises that if you learn the Mike & Conrad True-Blue Friendship Handshake from THE WORST BEST FRIEND when you come to meet her, you qualify for the "Peace Begins on the Playground" Club. High-five!

www.alexisoneill.com
www.childrensauthorsnetwork.com
www.SchoolVisitExperts.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stories for Children Magazine 5 Star Review, October 5, 2008

By 

Virginia S. Grenier "Children's Author & Stor... (Ivins, Utah USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Worst Best Friend (Hardcover)

REVIEWED BY: Wayne Walker

It is reported that bullying is one of the big problems in schools today. Not all bullying is necessarily physical. Bullying can be mental and emotional too. Mike and Conrad are best friends. That is, until one day Victor comes along. Victor does not beat up on other kids, but he boasts and brags about how good he is at sports. So Conrad no longer plays with Mike but follows after Victor. Mike feels very hurt. His best friend becomes his worst friend. The next day, Victor and Mike are captains of the kickball teams, so when Victor's desire to win does not leave any room for Conrad, what will Mike do?

In addition to its being a fun read, there are some wonderful lessons in this story for children about the importance of true friendship, the need for showing kindness, and even the fact that winning is not always the most important thing. The lively illustrations will appeal to young readers, and observant students may find what is written on the blackboards in the classroom and cafeteria scenes quite amusing. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and looking at this picture book and recommend it highly. While the target audience is ages 5-8, even my twelve-year-old said that he liked it too.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Student Review, November 10, 2008

By 

Ed Student - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Worst Best Friend (Hardcover)

The Worst Best Friend was a good book. I would recommend it to any child who is in kindergarten or first grade. This book talked about bullying and was an easy read so children would be able to understand easily. This book would be a great tool to teach children about the different concepts and what it means to be a friend.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This story is also a heartwarming tale of the value of true friendship and what it really means! High five, high five ..., October 4, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Worst Best Friend (Hardcover)

Next to Buddy and Walter's cage in the classroom was a "Growth Chart." Of course hamsters are kind of small and rated just above grass on the chart. Conrad just barely made it to "Not so Big" while his BEST best friend (on the Friend O Meter), Mike, was on the "Kind of Big" spot. They did everything together and it was perfectly acceptable for Conrad to grab a French fry right off Mike's tray at lunch time. Can't get much better than that! "High five, high five . . . Knuckle, knuckle . . . Clap . . . Shoulder tap, shoulder tap . . . Stomp, stop . . . Snap!" Then one day the principal brought a new boy, Victor, into the classroom. Now he was a big guy who was really sharp looking, won all kinds of sports medals and was going to be popular. And so, he was invited to sit at the boys' table.

Victor was sort of a "me, me, me" guy and bragged like crazy at recess. Conrad was some impressed and when Mike wanted to play he was shrugged off. "He--is--awesome!" Looked like Mike was losing his BEST best friend. Those French fries were still being grabbed off a tray, but Mike wasn't grabbing them, Victor was. "No room for Mike." Conrad and Mike were now each other's "Worst Best Friend." When the games were being organized on the playground and sides chosen, there was a sudden unexpected change. Victor, the "me, me, me" guy, only wanted winners on his team and he wasn't about to pick Conrad the little squirt. Mike was the other captain. Big kid for one side, big kid for the other and squirts weren't picked. What was going to happen to "Not so Big" Conrad who looked like he was going to lose his new BEST best friend after dumping his old one?

This is a wonderfully rendered story about a social problem that happens all too often in schools. Children are very hurt when their friends change alliances and find new BEST best friends. This story is also a heartwarming tale of the value of true friendship and what it really means. The artwork was peppy, vibrant and complimented the storyline perfectly. This would be an excellent read and discuss book for story or circle time in any classroom setting. High five, high five . . . knuckle, knuckle . . . clap . . . this book is a winner!