Entirely Emmie

Emmie & Friends #9

by Terri Libenson

The ninth book in the New York Times bestselling Emmie & Friends series—told from the alternating POVs of shy Emmie and class-clown Joe as they embark on a school camping trip.

Crushes. Camping.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

These days, Emmie doesn’t feel so invisible. At least not around her best friends and her crush, Tyler.

Class-clown Joe’s jokes aren’t landing the way they used to. Who doesn’t love a good prank? Apparently not his so-called friends, who don’t even seem to care if he’s around.

When their class goes on an end-of-year camping trip, Emmie and Joe find themselves stuck together—and expect the worst. But what happens instead turns out to be entirely unexpected.

New York Times bestseller Terri Libenson is back with a story about finding friendship in the least likely of places.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Friendship, Contemporary

304 pages, Paperback

Published May 6, 2025

About the author

Terri Libenson (pronounced LEE-ben-son) is a New York Times bestselling children’s book author and award-winning cartoonist of the syndicated daily comic strip, The Pajama Diaries, which ran from 2006-2020. She was also an award-winning humorous card writer for American Greetings.

Terri graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BFA in illustration and a minor in art history. Her daily syndicated comic strip, The Pajama Diaries, launched with King Features in 2006 and ran in hundreds of newspapers internationally until its retirement in January, 2020. Pajama Diaries has been nominated four times for the Reuben Award for “Best Newspaper Comic Strip” by the National Cartoonists Society and won in 2016. You can read the Pajama Diaries archives daily on ComicsKingdom.com.

Terri has three Pajama Diaries book collections: Deja To-Do, Having It All–And No Time To Do It, and Bat-Zilla. She is also the New York Times bestselling author of the middle grade series, Emmie & Friends (Balzer + Bray).

Born and raised in Kingston, PA, Terri lives with her husband and two daughters in Cleveland, OH.

Reviews

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve been following the Emmie & Friends series, Entirely Emmie brings Emmie back into the spotlight with her signature blend of heart and hesitation. And she’s not alone. Joe, the mischievous prankster with surprising depth, joins the fun and brings his own perspective to the mix.

What makes this series shine is the dual narration. I love how the story flips between Emmie and Joe, giving us two sides of the same moment—proof that everyone’s version of the truth feels a little different. The book is funny, honest, and full of the little emotional detours that make this middle school series so real.

Perfect for fans of graphic novels, relatable characters, and stories with both humor and heart. – Diana F.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The most consistently true middle grade series continues to be real and true in its latest volume. What can I say? Terri Libenson clearly remembers being a seventh grader and has the skill to write about it in a way that's incredibly relatable but without reviving the trauma.

Oh, and despite being told repeatedly how old Joe's dog is, she doesn't die in this book. Just throwing that out there so that you don't have to skim through the entire book like I did.

[Skye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley and Storytide for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved it!! As a children’s librarian, I often struggle with recommending books to my tween patrons. They are often a little too young for Younger Teen, but have outgrown middle grade books. This series is perfect for them. And I love reading them too! I heard a rumor that this was the last one, I really hope not!! I have enjoyed reading about Emmie and all her friends!

[Hope Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ninth book in the "Emma & Friends" series circles back to the original Emmie who is more confident and secure in her upper middle school years and Tyler, who always seems to be the class clown on the fringes; always the third wheel and the one who begs to be included. Both young teens are somewhat forced into a school-led campout by their parents. Both are left without a mandated buddy, so they are teamed up. Both get to know and understand each other better.

I do love this graphic novel series - it is one of my favorites. The characters are all relatable, so all students can easily find a character they relate or connect to. I do think this title, though, has gravitated to more young adult issues and conversations, so it may not be entirely suitable for an elementary aged library, especially where all shelves are open access for all grade levels. It's a great series addition - but in my professional opinion, more suited for young teens as opposed to tweens.

[Amy Tippett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series and book 9 didn’t disappoint. The story is told through alternating chapters from Emmie’s perspective with text (and charming detailed illustrations) and Joe’s perspective with loud busy traditional graphic novel panels. This book is perfect for kids who feel like they haven’t found their people yet.

[Kelly Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read an eARC of this title.

Once again, Terri Libenson can do no wrong.

I, admittedly, have only read one other Emmie & Friends title ("Invisible Emmie"), but this series is a very popular one with my students. My Emmie & Friends bin is usually empty, and for good reason. Libenson writes about middle school life with flair, understanding, warmth, and joy. I only wish that I had a series like this one to commiserate with as I experienced a lot of what Emmie does in this book.

Emmie is thrilled to be going on a three day school camping trip with her best friend Bri. And to top it off, her big sister Trina gets to be a camp counselor and she'll get to spend lots of time with her crush, Tyler.

But when Bri ends up getting sick and Trina gets caught up with counselor duties, Emmie is forced to endure camp alone...kind of. She finds herself paired up with her worst nightmare; Joe Lungo, the class doofus. Will she be able to handle the isolation of camp and her crush falling for Basketball Girl without her support system?

I cannot wait to add this to my school library, and I will be reading the rest of the Emmie series ASAP.

[Diana Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emmie takes a turn back in the spotlight, along with prankster Joe. Love the dual narrators in this series and how I get to see different views of the same incident. I hope this 9th book isn't the end of the series. 🤞🏻🤞🏻

[Julesy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every book in the Emmie & Friends series focuses on a main character and a secondary character. We are back to Emmie Douglass, aka Invisible Emmie, the shy, quiet and intelligent character who started the series. As a middle school-aged girl, she doesn’t always have a lot of self-confidence. Many of us can relate to those feelings in junior/middle school, right?

It is approaching the end of the school year and there is a sleepover class trip to Camp Blue Lake. Emmie is sad that one of her BFFs Sarah has a family celebration at the same time and cannot attend the trip. However, Emmie is so excited that she is paired up with her other BFF Bri, that is, until Bri falls ill and cannot go on the trip. Good thing Emmie’s college-aged sister Trina will be attending as a chaperone so Emmie won’t be alone as they will spend quality “seester” time. Unfortunately, the campers and counselor monopolize Trina’s time, leaving Emmie feeling deserted without anyone to hang out with.

Joe Lungo, the secondary character, had no intentions of attending the class trip but his BFFs Tyler and Anthony persuade him to attend because they will have lots of fun like the Three Musketeers. Until they don’t. Tyler (also Emmie’s crush) meets an athletic girl at the camp who claims him as her own and Emmie is heartbroken. And Anthony hangs out with his girlfriend, leaving Joe in the dust.

Well, what can Emmie and Joe do but make the best of the situation. They are paired up as partners on the bus travels and activities. Joe is the class clown and Emmie learns how to deal with his off-handed jokes which humiliate her and makes her become even more quiet and isolated. I loved reading how Emmie and Joe navigate through their unintended camp partnership while dealing with being turned away from their friends and family.

As always, there is a lot to learn on how to deal with situations and issues from these series books. The excerpts are always cute and funny without being too overly gross and offensive. The author has quite the imagination with the text and illustrations providing exactly what a middle school reader might be thinking. I hope this is not the end of the series because I always want more!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

[Isaiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got an ARC of this book.

I have read this entire series in the last about week. The books have gotten progressively more complex when it comes to the relationships which I really enjoy. They have also generally had less weird references (Irish Twins and Oops babies sort of references). So seeing those things appear again were disappointing. Add in the weird focus on Indigenous art, despite no openly Indigenous characters. There is still a large running gag at the expense of a character with IBS. I though that would taper off once that character was given a voice, but no. She is still a LITERAL running joke, as she is always running to the bathroom yelling about what she just ate. Things she doesn’t do in her own story.

The good is that this book gave some nuance to the class clown and the mean girl that just didn’t exist in other books. Joe finally is human and is learning that being mean isn’t funny. He is learning to open up and talk, instead of just prank and prod at people. This was amazing. It shows that people are more than just “bad” behaviors. It allows even the mean girl to struggle with things and use her gossiping as a way to control so she can feel safe. It allows for complex characters. No one is all good or all bad.

The best detail comes near the very end of the book, so mildly spoiler. Emmie realizes, despite experiencing crushes, she is not ready for dating. She doesn’t want to kiss anyone yet. She sets that boundary, despite it being hard and she is respected. It was wonderful that she did not have to experience a horrible experience to come to that conclusion and get any form of respect over it. That detail alone made the book interesting. I have never seen that in a middle grade before.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s time for the middle school camping trip, and Emmie and Joe aren’t exactly excited. Shy, artistic Emmie is stuck in a cabin with two Popular Girls™ (as well as her camp counselor older sister, who’s too busy being cool with them to notice her), while her crush, Tyler, seems more interested in someone else. Class clown Joe, meanwhile, feels left out as his friends have fun without him. (His crush didn’t even come on the trip… and that was half the reason he agreed to go in the first place!) Add in the fact that no one seems to find his jokes funny anymore, and he doesn’t know where he fits in. When the two are paired together as reluctant camp buddies, things seem to go from bad to worse—until a rock climbing mishap brings them closer together. Maybe the friend they each need is right in front of them.

A humorous, compassionate look at the complexities of middle school friendships, crushes, and growing up. Knowledge of previous entries in the series is helpful, but not necessary.

Liked: The varied page layouts. The reminder that everyone’s life has problems, that not everyone shows their emotions outwardly, and that you can’t blame other people for not reading your mind—you have to be willing to tell them what’s wrong. I also liked that when Tyler finally asked Emmie out, she decided she wasn’t ready for that yet, and that he accepted her decision with awkward grace.

Nitpicks: More diverse body types, please! Although characters in the book had a solid range of skin colors, all the characters were skinny and presented as able-bodied.

Recommended for purchase for ages 9-13.


Thanks to HarperCollins for the copy via the Southeast Ohio Young Adult Media Group.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this fantastic ninth installment to Terri Libenson’s Emmie & Friends series, two total opposites forced to be partners while on a class camping trip unexpectedly find common ground and learn more about themselves.

I’m glad we get Emmie’s POV again because we’ve only had bite-sized updates about how she’s been since book 1, Invisible Emmie. Emmie’s character, one of the reasons I wanted to continue reading this series, was a great character then and she’s a great character now in Entirely Emmie.

I’d been hoping Joe would get his own book, so that was interesting! Book nine was a real turning point for Joe who up until recently (in books) has mostly been known for being a prankster, jokester, class clown. This story provided insight into Joe that explained a lot, showed what kind of person he really is, and who he wishes to be. This was done very well.

Emmie knows what it’s like to feel invisible. When she stops and takes a chance to actually get to know Joe, they form a genuine connection that is personal rather than annoyance. That definitely was a valuable takeaway to always remember.

And that’s why I loved this book and continue to love this series: the emotional depth of the characters, the relatable and relevant life lessons experienced, the insightful contrasting POVs between the MCs, and the highly expressive and humorous art. It’s what keeps me coming back time and time again. It’s not just the MCs that show growth and change but the secondary characters as well.

This was a binge-worthy book from a series that I highly recommend reading if you love middle grade books and/or graphic novels.

[alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

okay i LOVED this book. like it kinda gave me crippling anxiety for the first half, like emmie being alone, tyler with THAT GIRL -tyler honestly pissed me off this book- and just joe being ignored. it really sucked, BUT i like knew in the end all this stress would pay off. because when joe and emmie started becoming friends, him helping her with rock climbing, opening up to her about who he likes, her defending him after the prank, like i honestly LOVED their friendship so much. i think anthony had a really small role in this book, like yes i want him with jamie but he was a bad friend to joe. tyler, FIRST he’s a bad friend to joe, THEN he’s a bad friend to emmie and in the end, he gets PLAYED and like no offence to him but his choice at the end to suddenly ask her out? I SCREAMED but at the dam time respect her choice because being honest? i would’ve said and had to exact same thoughts as her. being a rebound? not being ready yourself? i loved her AND joes character development throughout this book, still rooting for sarah and joe, bri and dev, emmie and tyler, anthony and jamie. side note- i don’t want to LOVE celia but now that we’ve gotten more from her i kinda wanna know her story…. in the end, i loved this book and CANNOT wait for another one.

[AquaMoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

So....I think this is one of my favorites in the series. I like what the story did with Joe's character and how, by the end of the book, he became well-rounded and, dare I say it, actually likable. It's one thing for an author to add more depth to an already likable character (like Emmie), but to take an annoying or cringe character and have them do a 180 in the eyes of the reader... that's talent! Only one of the many reasons I look forward to the next book. BOOKS, hopefully!

p.s. (Possible?) I wonder if Ceilia will be the next character to be targeted by the author? After all, it was hinted at that there's more to this uber Mean Girl than meets the eye. Could she become sympathetic? Maybe even kind of likable? A stretch, but look what she did for obnoxious Joe's character. Hmmm...

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entirely Emmie was a heartwarming story of belonging, friendship, and navigating new relationships. I can't wait to get this book for my classroom and into the hands of students. I will encourage kids who are feeling left out to read this because it does help give insight to speaking up for yourself and encourages making new friends. Luckily, I can get the book before the end of the current school year, because I have a few that will want to read it! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!!!

[Dara · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have a bit of a collection of the Emmie & Friends books, but Simon has stopped reading them, so I decided to pick this one up myself. It was really cute! It is partially written in typical graphic novel comic type layout and partially in blocks of text with images. This one is about Emmie, who goes on a camping trip with school, but without her two best friends. Meanwhile, Joe, the class clown, feels left out by his friends. I enjoyed seeing how Joe liked to make jokes but realized that he sometimes hurt people with the way his jokes effected them. I liked that Joe and Emmie got to know each other. This was a cute book about friendship!

[Ava Engfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great summer book for kids and teens! I love reading the Emmie and Friends series, and this one was my almost my favorite that I’ve read. I’ve read almost every book from the series, but overall, they are all GREAT to read. There’s drama, and surprises in this book, and you should definitely read this book! A spoiler is that Joe (the nerd) starts becoming friends with Emmie, and Tyler started liking a girl called BG, or Basketball Girl.
P.S.
My cousin doesn’t like books, and one day I accidentally forgot that book at his house, and he had started reading it (is what I heard, which was true), and he was telling me about what had happened so far!

[Kristin DeGarmo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another great addition to the series! I like that this one has Emmie in it again with Joe as a sideshow. It was nice to see into Joe’s life. I’m proud of Emmie for not accepting Tyler’s asking out. That took guts. I hope it turns out okay for her.

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 i really enjoyed this unlikely pairing between Emmie and Joe, getting to see inside of joe's world. I thought was pretty great. He's not all jokes.
He does indeed have a heart. Good addition to the series.

[Jgramley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle school and high school truly are not for the faint of heart. So many moments of how to define myself and who do I want to be. Terri's books capture so many of these issues in a way readers will relate to and not feel alone.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Emmie and Joe feel the pains of adolescence at a weekend camp. They forge a friendship of their own and convince one another to communicate with others in their circle, to clear the air and repair friendships.

[Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

The longer I sit with this the more I like it. Great storylines here.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! It would be great to recommend to students who are struggling with knowing how to communicate their concerns to friends.

[norah melden (death by tbr) · Rating 4 out of 5]

these books just keep getting better!!!

[Eva Faye · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4.8 !! This finished my reading challenge!

[Janelle Callaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars ⭐️
Saw this book as I was putting books into our school library system. It’s a cute book for teens!

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is another series that is super popular in my classroom. Going to camp, making friends, discovering yourself and having fun at camp. Love the dual perspective.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exactly what you expect with this one but a few cute twists and turns with a love story and crushes and friendship drama.

[ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you for solving world hunger emmie

[Willow Macleod · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
As always, Terri Libenson delivers a hilarious, very middle school story. 👍

[Bookish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series just gets better and better with each book, and I love it for that very reason. It has grown so much in both the stories it tells and how it develops its characters. The character development was just particularly peak in this book. Never did I ever think that not only would Joe Lungo get both convincing and endearing development, but that him and Emmie would end up having a really nice friendship would be such a great addition. Joe was never a character I particularly cared about or even liked (largely due to my own disdain and bad memories of the middle school class clown boys) but this book not only made me care for him, but also invested in him and the human side of him. I care about his aspirations, dreams and every other aspect of his character because the buildup of all it here is good. Speaking of character development, I loved Emmie in this book. I liked how the book established how far she’s come since the first book, and I love that she continued to grow here. As someone who was also the shy kid in middle school (and frankly, even moresoe in high school) I’ve always found Emmie to be very relatable, and I like how even as she’s growing bolder, she’s still shy. I like this both because I like how all her character development didn’t happen in one book, but it also shows how being shy isn’t a 100% negative trait. For me, it just makes Emmie such a good character who feels so three-dimensional, real, and relatable. In addition, it was also nice for Trina to play such a big role since she’s only been a presence in the previous books. I really like how the book dove into the struggles Trina and Emmie have in there being such a big age gap between them, and that as well as their connection were so well developed. It’s something that I also related to not as an age gap sibling, but as an age gap cousin because I very much related to the challenges of bonding with a family member that’s in your generation but six years older than you. Plus, generally, it was nice to actually get to know Trina since she was merely a presence in the other books. Something else I want to bring up about this book that really struck me is how much this series has grown. Of course, it’s far from being one of the deepest works of the century, but the way this series has matured over the course of the past nine books needs to be studied. It’s a masterclass in staying with your target demographic while remaining appealing for all ages. I’ve also already mentioned the character development, but my favorite part of this series is how each character has been slowly elevated above their stereotype (i.e. Gossip Girl, class clown) and is now their own person and character. It’s something I don’t see in many middle grade books. My favorite part was definetly the ending, when Emmie decided she wasn’t ready for dating. It’s the perfect ending to this book, and it was necessary. I find it especially great since most other middle grade books would have Emmie and Tyler immediately get together, especially after so many books. It gives that sense of maturity to the series that makes it plenty refreshing and heartfelt, and is the cherry on top for the themes and is the cherry on top for the themes. Just in general too, I love how all the characters actually feel like middle schoolers, successfully maintaining the balance of not making them the annoying, over-the-top caricatures that most adults think they are, but also showing them be awkward, dumb and flawed kids. It makes the book feel more realistic, and it’s again what has drawn me back to the series again and again. To me, there’s a difference between writing a realistic teenager and writing an insufferable character under the guise of them being likeable and a realistic teenager. The latter is what I feel too many YA and middle grade books fall into. While many teenagers are insufferable and that’s not an inherently bad thing to have in books, it’s not fun when they’re the protagonist, badly-written, and meant to be liked. This book doesn’t fall into those traps, as it represents everything great about slice of life middle school graphic novels. Overall, this was such a fantastic addition to this amazing series, and I am looking forward to what’s next, especially given those little hints.