While reading the flyleaf it starts off by saying, “Anna is lucky to have two best friends-It makes everything twice as fun. She's excited to go with both Sadie and Isabel on their class trip to the zoo.” But when Annas two best friends start choosing opposite sides on everything, Anna feels caught in the middle. How can Anna keep the peace without (join with and out) causing double trouble? Throughout the book it shows pictures of the three girls and illustrations that relate to the book. I think this book is great for ages 10-13 because they are at that age where they have multiple friends and it is probably hard to agree with them all. ( )

"Anna Banana and the Monkey in the Middle" tells the story of Anna and her dog Banana. Anna is caught between her longtime best friend Sadie and her new best friend Isabel. This all comes to a head when they take a field trip to the Zoo. At every turn, Anna is asked to choose between her best friends. By the end of the day, Anna is miserable from trying to balance her friendships. In the end, Anna comes up with a solution that allows her to maintain her friendship with both.

The subject of this book plays out in classrooms all the time. This book could be a powerful read aloud to the class with lively discussion about how students would handle this situation. Teachers could have this book ready to pass to students they see struggling with being pulled between two friends. The book features a good discussion about the difference between equity and equality.

Oh my. Here we go...imagine this: a children’s story in which the main characters have a conflict and they (are you ready?) work. it. out. themselves. Wow. The characters are all quite likable and quite diverse. Write this title down on your Buy List. ( )