Plus One

by John L. Hare

When Agnes decides to host a tea party, she finds it hard to shake a most unlikely guest . . . and his even more unlikely friends.

Agnes is new to town and wants to make friends, so she invites some girls in her class to a fancy tea party. When there is a knock at the door, she expects to see them—not Dave from next door. This isn't what she had in mind at all. . .

"The invitation says plus one.
This means you need to bring a friend.
And since you don't have a friend with you—goodbye."

Agnes is sure that will be the end of that, but Dave is persistent, and before long he's bringing one friend after another as his plus one. Pierre of the North, Esquire, a goose who Agnes deems too loud; Fred, a cactus that's too prickly; Dr. Scalywiggles, a legless lizard she mistakes for a snake; even his mom, who makes great French toast and lets him win at tag. Alas, no grownups are allowed at this tea party.

But as the minutes pass and the other guests don't show up, Agnes is left with nothing but her tea set, watching Dave and his friends play tag. She works up the nerve to ask if she can join in and receives a resounding yes— and when the original guests arrive (late because of soccer practice) everyone heads inside for tea, no species excluded.

In this fun and funny tale, John Hare, author and illustrator of Field Trip to the Moon, Field Trip to the Ocean Deep, and Field Trip to Volcano Island, uses his signature wit and buoyant illustrations to share the timeless message that sometimes new friends turn out to be someone unexpected.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, Animals, Humor

40 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 2, 2024

About the author

John Hare spent his youth in Kansas drawing comic strips about snakes, making spoof yearbooks to entertain his friends, and writing stories about a crime-fighting crocodile. At some point, he decided he better actually do something for a living, so John earned an associate's degree in graphic design and got a job as a production artist at a sportswear company. There he worked his way through a comically bizarre work environment to became art director. Art director tasks included rescuing hummingbirds, fixing broken presses, and playing lots of Unreal and Marathon. Later, he moved to Kansas City and worked as a freelance graphic designer. One day, John picked up a brush and painted a scene for his son's nursery. That's when he realized he still wanted nothing more than to bring stories to life. John now lives in Gladstone, Missouri, where he is fortunate to work from his home studio when he's not corralling his two boys or tending to the biological needs of small animals.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. Agnes is quite mean and I don’t think enough was done in the final moments of the story to salvage her character. It was odd to me that she just moved to town but only invited the soccer team to the tea party and automatically felt comfortable labeling our secondary character as weird. It’s only when she’s left alone that she decides to be friends with him. I understand the intent/purpose of this but I just don’t think I cared for the execution. Solid artwork.

[Elizabeth]

Wow, Agnes is a b$%*&.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 1 out of 5]

While this book is about welcoming and including others, I found the main character an intense brat who never even really apologized. So yeah not a fan.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agnes is the new girl at school, and decides to host a tea party to get to know her classmates. While delivering invitations to girls in her class, one invitation goes astray and ends up in the hands of Dave, the boy next door. As the tea party starts, Agnes waits and waits, but none of the girls show up. Dave, however, rings the bell, hoping to join in. As he wasn’t the intended invitee, Agnes tells him that the invitation read, “plus one,” and turns him away. Dave will not be deterred and rings the bell over and over, each time with a surprising “plus one.” Each time, Agnes finds a reason to turn him away. Finally, when it seems that none of the girls are coming, Agnes goes outside and asks to join Dave, his mom, and an assortment of animal “plus ones” in a game of tag.

It was funny to see a a kid who wants to make friends stick so adamantly to the social constructs of “plus one” and only girls. Readers of this book will have opinions about Agnes’s decision to exclude a kid who is clearly keen to make friends, when the very object of her party is to make friends. There will be some giggling as Agnes invents reasons for disliking Dave’s “plus ones.” I love Hare’s personification of the animals, and the people all have an almost sculptural solidity. I have always enjoyed John Hare’s wordless picture books – his visual storytelling is full of clever details that invite speculation. And the story ends happily when all of the girls arrive and Agnes invites them in for tea, along with Dave and all of his animal friends. Agnes and Dave cue as white; their schoolmates are a racially diverse group.

The concept of “plus one” will be a new concept for kids, along with Agnes’s decision not to let Dave come in. Sure, he wasn’t invited, but readers will wonder: is it because he is a boy, or is something else going on?

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humor abounds in this picture book featuring some unexpected guests. When Dave, the boy next door, finds an invitation to a tea party from Agnes, the new girl, he eagerly shows up at her house ready to have fun. Agnes had printed out several invitations and passed them out at school in hopes of making friends. She clearly didn't expect Dave to show up. At first, she rebuffs him because he doesn't have another guest with him, but Dave is persistent and returns with various animals and even a plant after she rejects his goose for being too loud. None of them meets her expectations, and she finds fault with each one. Finally, she gives up since no one else has shown up and has a blast playing outside with Dave, his mother, and all the animals. What makes this one special, though, is how her original invitees actually arrive, late from soccer practice, and Dave is left behind as the girls troop inside. The look of disappointment on his face is priceless as is the look of delight once Agnes acknowledges him and Pierre, his goose, inviting them and all their friends to join her. Artwork that has been painted with acrylics and digitally accented brings the characters to life and makes the story even more amusing. Readers can only imagine that life is never dull when living next door to someone like Dave. Obviously, this book gives a whole new meaning to the concept of plus one, a phrase I had never heard until fairly recently.

[Matthew · Rating 1 out of 5]

Um, okay, this was an odd picture book. It started off really well. This upright girl invites all these other girls to a tea party at her house, but only this boy shows up and this uptight girl becomes really rude towards him (look if you're new in town and so desperate to make friends, beggars shouldn't be such choosers).

Finally, when none of the girls show up, she is sad and sees the boy playing outside and wants to join him, which he does. He forgives her for her snootiness towards him and they begin to play until the girls finally show up and she invites them over, and only then does the boy get to come along. Yikes! I'd rather play by myself than be around the likes of a that snotty bratty girl. Stick with your animal friends, dude, they're better company. My rating - 1/5

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agnes is new in town and anxious to make friends, so she invites some girls in her class to a fancy tea party -- specifying that everyone should bring a "plus one". When her next door neighbor Dave finds an invitation and shows up with a series of increasingly strange plus ones, Agnes rebuffs his attempts until it seem like he's the only kid who will show up.
In the end, this is a cute story of inclusivity and friendship. The illustrations are sort of charming and realistic and work well for this sweet but silly story.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted more from this book. Agnes is new and invites girls at school over for a tea party. Somehow the boy next door gets an invitation also. He is the only one who arrives and Agnes is incredibly rude, not once but many times. Why he continues to come over is a testament to his compassion. When she finally joins him and his wide variety of friends, they have fun playing tag. Then others arrive and head to her home for the tea party. She does invite him and his friends but it is a hollow ending.

[Heidi Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the cute illustration style! Agnes wants to host a tea party to meet new friends. But her new neighbor, Dave, steals the show in this comical story. Dave is awesome! He's determined and his ability to improvise is impressive. But, can Dave convince Agnes to change her mind about who's allowed at her tea party?

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's a new addition to your "rejected offer of friendship" collection. When an invitation lands in the wrong hands, and the various "plus one" invitees feel just plain wrong, humor and empathy naturally follow.
Both sides of this struggle are depicted with accessible language and also with illustrations that amplify the humor and emotional escalation. Very fun and satisfying.

[Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, quirky picture book about Agnes, whose tea party invitation (for girls only) lands in the hands of a boy and his... unique plus ones. Every page is a delightful surprise. This is a funny storytime read about inclusivity and unlikely friendships.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the new kid on the block, Agnes invites some schoolmates to a tea party. Turns out that she’s not much of a hostess for reasons that aren’t explained in the story. Lackluster illustrations would suggest that absent parenting might be a contributing factor to her lack of likability.

[Abbigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great addition to collections about tea parties (which probably need and update by now) and FRIENDSHIP. That boy was so resilient and should earn a medal. Positive fat mom rep too! A very endearing book with a kind goose-- this is really all I want.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agnes is new in town. She plans a tea party to make new friends. Her next door neighbor shows up without a "plus one" and she won't let him in. Then he tries a variety of "plus one" guests, but Agnes won't let him in. (For a girl who wants to make new friends, she isn't very friendly!)

[Chance Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

John Hare books are better without words.

[Emily Haage · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not love this story....Agnes is pretty unlikeable and doesn't really redeem herself in he end. Pass.

[Christine Barth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story of friendship. Not sure about the re-read potential.

[SamSamSam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agnes was mean it made me sad :(

[Shana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely adorable. The poor kids just wants to be invited and tries his best!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An elementary and up book about a girl who wants to make new friends by throwing a tea party and the one boy who shows up.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really unlikable main character. She should be so lucky to have a friend like “strange” Dave. Dave could do better. Extra star because I liked Dave a lot.

[Danielle Robertson Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore John Hare's artwork. I discovered this book after finding the "Journey to..." books. I thought this story was heart-warming and cute.