Friends for Life: Featuring Amy Wilson

Kids on the Block

by Barbara Aiello, Jeffrey Shulman, Loel Barr (Illustrator)

When the members of the fifth-grade video club find out their club sponsor has AIDS, they have a variety of reactions before learning more about the disease and deciding to stick by her.

48 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1988

About the author

Rabbi Barbara Aiello is founder of the B'nei Anusim movement in Southern Italy and director of the IjCC (The Italian Jewish Cultural Center of Calabria) which helps those with Italian heritage discover and embrace their Jewish roots. Aielllo is rabbi of the Ner Tamid del Sud. the first active synagogue in Calabria in 500 years since inquisition times.

Reviews

[Kristine Kouba · Rating 4 out of 5]

plot Summary - This story features fifth graders who are in a Video Club at their school. The teacher's aid and sponsor/leader of the club is Natalie Gregg and the students overhear a conversation about her having AIDS. Rumors are spread around, some kids become afraid, and other students don't want her to be the sponsor anymore - they didn't want to be around her. Amy, the main character didn't know how to react to hearing about Natalie having AIDS and she didn't like how the other students were reacting. The students made a video that showed an interview with Natalie - the students asked her how she got AIDS and she said by having sex with her husband. Natalie also talked about needles, homosexuals, AIDS being a virus, how her husband got AIDS, etc. They named the video Friends for Life.

Main characters - Amy, 5th grader, shy. In the video club, Natalie has made her feel important, and Amy likes her. Amy is afraid when she hears the news about Natlie having AIDS and some of her friends seem like strangers because when they heard about AIDS, they changed. Amy talks to her parents about AIDS and helps with the Friends For Life tape.

Key issues - AIDS, needles, homosexuals, drugs, fear, virus

Other interesting information: If you liked this book, you might like other books by Barbara Aiello and Jeffery Shulman, such as: Business is Looking Up, Secrets Aren't Aways for Keeps and It's Your Turn at Bat

[Partridge Public]

Aiello, Barbara