I truely enjoyed Friction, and it is a great novel to read. Remembering, telling to truth can save your life; literally.

This book was about the complications of love, truth, and friendship. Alex befriends the new girl, Stacy, who causes nothing but trouble. She really pushes it though when she says stuff about Simon (the coolest teacher at Alternative) and Alex having sexual activities. The whole thing though ends in an horrible tragedy with Stacy up and leaving out of no where, and Alex finds out that Stacy was being sexual abused by her father. Its an excellent novel stating the importance of telling the truth, no matter how much it hurts.

This book would be great for anyone who is curious to know about how a child reacts to being sexually abused or to anyone who wants to enjoy a good book. I would suggest though that a mature person reads this, so 15+. I would also like to say that child abuse and sexual abuse should not be tolerated within any circumstances, and that it is reported even with the slightest suspicion of either occuring.

Simon is the coolest teacher anywhere. Forest Alternative is lucky to have him. When Stacy arrives (a new kid with secrets, gleaming hair, and a tongue ring) she sizes up Simon and agrees, adding: "He is a total babe."True.What Stacy says later about Alex and Simon after the class overnight camp out is not true, butlooksas if it could be. Alex herself begins to wonder what's real, what's not. But she can't confide in her parents. They'd freak. And, after all, she does love Simon.Listening to Stacy though, everyone else is totally suckered (most painfully Alex's best buddy and sort-of boyfriend, Tim. "Why were you hugging him?" Tim wants to know, and it's hard to explain. Simon didnotdo what Stacy claims!Did he? Could he?At age twelve the truth seems hopelessly complicated. And it gets even more so after Alex makes a surprise visit to Stacy's house. There, she finds out the answer to one terrible question, only to discover another, far worse

The titile is Friction and
the auther isE. R. Frank
The main characters in the story are Teddy, Stacy, and Simon
The setting took place in school
The theme of the story is getting to trust and know people
The plot of the story was that the new gurl stacy don't want nobody to know that she is comes from a different religion that has these kinds of rules.
The conflict was that Satcy had finally had done the good thing t tell everyone what kind of religion shecame from for the reason she didn't want her friends to kow cuesa then she might ad been treated different.
I will recommend the story because it will make people realize that noone should be treated different. ( )

E.R. Frank’s young adult novel, entitled Friction, addresses the topics of teen sexuality, peer-pressure, and child abuse through the life and emotions of the narrator and the main character, Alex, a 12-year-old girl. Alex is the average girl with a best friend named Tim. She does attend an alternative school where her teacher, Simon, teaches with unorthodox methods that Alex and her classmates enjoy until a new girl named Stacey enters the scene. She insinuates and begins rumors about Simon and Alex, which throws everyone’s beliefs into confusion. The School Library Journal states that Stacey “starts rumors about Simon’s attraction to Alex, and casts a sticky web of sexual discomfort over the class. Everything Alex sees, feels, and knows becomes laden with ulterior meanings,” which results in the novel’s controversy/problem of child abuse. Tunnell and Jacobs write that a good novel “must tell a satisfying story…presents a conflict or problem that affects human beings and how this obstacle is overcome” (128). Frank hints to issues regarding the problem, when Stacey lies about her father’s death, her outlandish sexual advances and innuendos, her being afraid to be touched, and her comments of Simon liking Alex in a sexual way. This lasts throughout the novel.
Stacey’s actions affect every human being in this novel, some more than others. Alex is confused and begins self-doubting what she knows is true. Simon is charged with molesting a student which is not true; however, it causes him to leave his job, resulting in Alex’s relationship with her parents and best friend, Tim to be affected and changed. False accusations by Stacey result in the novel’s “friction” as it relates to family secrets, lies, boundaries, truths, and abuse. Despite questioning herself, Alex, with the help of her parents, tells the truth; consequently, the reader finally realizes the truth.
Frank understands the minds of young adults as the reader can see in the relationships throughout the novel, whether it is between best friends, enemies, teacher and student, or parent and child. Frank also manages to show and explain to the reader what a child and adult relationship should be. With such a disturbing topic, Frank manages to not color “innocence and guilt in black and white, [but to]…invite readers to explain the large grey area between truth and falsehood.” (Brown) In this novel, words can have a lasting repercussion of being used carelessly.
Frank, E.R. Friction. New York: Atheneum, 2003.

“Friction.” School Library Journal 49, no.6 (2003): 138.

Roback, Diane, Jennifer M. Brown, and Jeff Zaleski. “Friction.” Publishers Weekly 250 (April 2003):68.

Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. 4th ed. Children’s Literature Briefly. New York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2008. ( )

Surprisingly good. The story is about a 12 year girl trying to figure out who and what to believe, about the new girl in school, her teacher, her best friend and herself. The book seems to capture perfectly the confusion that the awkward "tween" years and the change in feelings they produce. I was particularly pleased with the ending, but won't say why to avoid a spoiler.

I really enjoyed this book and will look for others by E. R. Frank. ( )