What do you think?
Rate this book
Friends for Keeps #1
My Last Best Friend
As Ida May begins fourth grade, she is determined never to make another best friend--because her last best friend moved away. This is a doable plan at first. Thanks to bratty, bossy Jenna Drews who hates Ida, no one in class has ever really noticed her before. It's when the sparkly Stacey Merriweather comes to her school that her plan goes awry. Ida reaches out despite her fear, but doesn't say hello—instead she writes Stacey anonymous notes. Soon their friendship develops without Ida ever having to reveal her real identity. Until she has no choice. And that's when the true friendship begins.
Debut author Julie Bowe tells a charming story that will win the heart of any girl who's faced her fear sideways.
Debut author Julie Bowe tells a charming story that will win the heart of any girl who's faced her fear sideways.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2007
45 people are currently reading
900 people want to read
About the author
Julie Bowe
26 books46 followersJulie Bowe writes books for young readers including the Friends for Keeps series, the Victoria Torres, Unfortunately Average series, and Big & Little Questions (According to Wren Jo Byrd).
www.juliebowe.com
www.juliebowe.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
Read
November 2, 2015Read this in 3rd Grade
October 28, 2008
I got this at the book fair. I started crying because this is the exact same thing that happened to me. Except I never found another best friend. Same grade and everything. But I didn't wear deoderant in fourth grade! :)
July 2, 2015
i don't know how to us this thing I dint even know where to pree so that I can read it agh
September 2, 2008
I enjoyed My Last Best Friend right from the start:
"I'm Ida May, and there's one thing I know. Fourth grade isn't fourth at all. Fourth means you've done something at least three times before. But fourth grade is nothing like third grade. Or second grade. Or first grade.
In fourth grade there is no more printing There is only cursive. I hate cursive.
In fourth grade you are not allowed to add and subtract. You are only allowed to multiply and divide.
In fourth grade you're a baby if you still want to play with Barbies. Or if the Tooth Fairy still comes to your house. Or if you want your mother to walk you to the bus stop. Third grade is the last grade you can get by with any of that. Trust me." (1)
Our narrator, Ida May, is great. I found her voice to be believable. And I cared for her almost immediately. Ida May's "problems" are authentic ones. Her best friend has moved away. She's starting a new school year, and she doesn't have--make that doesn't want--another best friend. She's a bit intimidated by some of the other kids in her class. Especially by the mean, bully Jenna Drews. And she just wishes it would all go away. Her parents just don't understand. (As an adult, I can see that they just want their child to be "happy." And sometimes to get to that happy place later--further on in the future--you've got to be pushed into doing some things you just don't like in the here and now.) But Ida May feels her parents are always pushing and prodding and picking on her when it comes to the "friends" issue. (They want her to have friends and to be popular and part of the crowd instead of isolated on her own.)
What she finds is a friend through a pen pal. Stacey Merriweather is the new girl. On the surface, she's best pals with the "evil" Jenna Drews. But Ida May feels that maybe just maybe Stacey isn't what she seems. That beneath the surface, there's someone there that would be her friend. Ida knows Stacey is a liar. That she's not telling the truth. That she's keeping secrets. And before Ida risks revealing herself, she wants a few reassurances, promises. Thus a correspondence begins between Anastasia (Stacey) and Cordelia (Ida). She's able to be herself, her true self, on paper and really begins to open up again to the possibility of friendship and happiness.
Life. School. Friendship. Bullies. Family.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
"I'm Ida May, and there's one thing I know. Fourth grade isn't fourth at all. Fourth means you've done something at least three times before. But fourth grade is nothing like third grade. Or second grade. Or first grade.
In fourth grade there is no more printing There is only cursive. I hate cursive.
In fourth grade you are not allowed to add and subtract. You are only allowed to multiply and divide.
In fourth grade you're a baby if you still want to play with Barbies. Or if the Tooth Fairy still comes to your house. Or if you want your mother to walk you to the bus stop. Third grade is the last grade you can get by with any of that. Trust me." (1)
Our narrator, Ida May, is great. I found her voice to be believable. And I cared for her almost immediately. Ida May's "problems" are authentic ones. Her best friend has moved away. She's starting a new school year, and she doesn't have--make that doesn't want--another best friend. She's a bit intimidated by some of the other kids in her class. Especially by the mean, bully Jenna Drews. And she just wishes it would all go away. Her parents just don't understand. (As an adult, I can see that they just want their child to be "happy." And sometimes to get to that happy place later--further on in the future--you've got to be pushed into doing some things you just don't like in the here and now.) But Ida May feels her parents are always pushing and prodding and picking on her when it comes to the "friends" issue. (They want her to have friends and to be popular and part of the crowd instead of isolated on her own.)
What she finds is a friend through a pen pal. Stacey Merriweather is the new girl. On the surface, she's best pals with the "evil" Jenna Drews. But Ida May feels that maybe just maybe Stacey isn't what she seems. That beneath the surface, there's someone there that would be her friend. Ida knows Stacey is a liar. That she's not telling the truth. That she's keeping secrets. And before Ida risks revealing herself, she wants a few reassurances, promises. Thus a correspondence begins between Anastasia (Stacey) and Cordelia (Ida). She's able to be herself, her true self, on paper and really begins to open up again to the possibility of friendship and happiness.
Life. School. Friendship. Bullies. Family.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
November 6, 2012
Reviewed by Julie M. Prince for TeensReadToo.com
Bowe knows the fourth grade.
Julie Bowe's MY LAST BEST FRIEND rings true for anyone who's survived heartbreaking separation.
After Ida's best friend moves away, she's sure she'll never have another friend like Elizabeth. Until the day the new girl, Stacey Merriweather, smiles at her.
The thing I love most about this book is the way Ida thinks:
"She's smiling at you with the kind of smile you don't see on a real person very often. The kind you see a little kid draw with a big fat crayon on a piece of white paper. The kind you have to force yourself not to smile back at.
Trust me, you don't want to get too close to big-crayon smiles. That's because people with big-crayon smiles don't stick around very long. They move away just when you've gotten used to the way their hand feels sticky when you hold it, or the way they hiccup when they talk fast, or the way they whistle by sucking in instead of blowing out, or the way they can touch their nose with the tip of their tongue."
For Ida, entering the fourth grade without Elizabeth is like diving into the deep end of the pool before she's sure she can swim well enough to get back to the edge. She's got no safety devices and feels like no one is rooting for her as she splashes around and tries not to go under.
I don't know about everyone else, but that's exactly how elementary school felt to me sometimes. This is one of those books that comforts its readers with the knowledge that someone gets it. Someone like Julie Bowe.
I can't wait to read the sequel, MY NEW BEST FRIEND!
Bowe knows the fourth grade.
Julie Bowe's MY LAST BEST FRIEND rings true for anyone who's survived heartbreaking separation.
After Ida's best friend moves away, she's sure she'll never have another friend like Elizabeth. Until the day the new girl, Stacey Merriweather, smiles at her.
The thing I love most about this book is the way Ida thinks:
"She's smiling at you with the kind of smile you don't see on a real person very often. The kind you see a little kid draw with a big fat crayon on a piece of white paper. The kind you have to force yourself not to smile back at.
Trust me, you don't want to get too close to big-crayon smiles. That's because people with big-crayon smiles don't stick around very long. They move away just when you've gotten used to the way their hand feels sticky when you hold it, or the way they hiccup when they talk fast, or the way they whistle by sucking in instead of blowing out, or the way they can touch their nose with the tip of their tongue."
For Ida, entering the fourth grade without Elizabeth is like diving into the deep end of the pool before she's sure she can swim well enough to get back to the edge. She's got no safety devices and feels like no one is rooting for her as she splashes around and tries not to go under.
I don't know about everyone else, but that's exactly how elementary school felt to me sometimes. This is one of those books that comforts its readers with the knowledge that someone gets it. Someone like Julie Bowe.
I can't wait to read the sequel, MY NEW BEST FRIEND!
June 26, 2012
I loved the book because it was full of drama and suspense because on page 13 when the new girl Stacy Merriweather
came to her new school she started to tell lies about herself just to fit in with the meaniest girl in the school Jenna Drews because if you don't listen to her she'll do something so mean you'll regret that you didn't listen to her.I think Samantha would like this book because she might like how it has drama and smartness with the mouth because Jenna always has something mean to say.The challenge of this book was how if someone is mean to you why would you want to be their friend? My favorite character is Ida because she is a loving ,caring ,person and doesn't care what other people say about her like on page 126 when Stacy was crying because she was leaving the school Ida cheered her up by giving her a friendship bracelet the next day.
came to her new school she started to tell lies about herself just to fit in with the meaniest girl in the school Jenna Drews because if you don't listen to her she'll do something so mean you'll regret that you didn't listen to her.I think Samantha would like this book because she might like how it has drama and smartness with the mouth because Jenna always has something mean to say.The challenge of this book was how if someone is mean to you why would you want to be their friend? My favorite character is Ida because she is a loving ,caring ,person and doesn't care what other people say about her like on page 126 when Stacy was crying because she was leaving the school Ida cheered her up by giving her a friendship bracelet the next day.
March 9, 2012
Great little book about the agonies of fitting in and finding that one true friend who makes surviving the difficulties of childhood so much easier.
Ida Mays' best friend has moved away, never to be heard from again. Ida vows never to make friends with anyone else so she doesn't have to endure the pain of loss again. With braty, bossy Jenna Drews running fourth grade, that shouldn't be too hard. Ida becomes the the target for all of Jenna's bullying meanness.
When the new girl moves to town, Jenna draws her into her own crowd of friends, but Ida can't help but be drawn in by Stacey's sparkling smile and winning ways. But Stacey's smile hides a troubling secret and only Ida seems aware that there is more to Stacey than meets the eye.
Ida Mays' best friend has moved away, never to be heard from again. Ida vows never to make friends with anyone else so she doesn't have to endure the pain of loss again. With braty, bossy Jenna Drews running fourth grade, that shouldn't be too hard. Ida becomes the the target for all of Jenna's bullying meanness.
When the new girl moves to town, Jenna draws her into her own crowd of friends, but Ida can't help but be drawn in by Stacey's sparkling smile and winning ways. But Stacey's smile hides a troubling secret and only Ida seems aware that there is more to Stacey than meets the eye.
March 16, 2014
Ida May is a normal girl, whose best friend just moved away and Ida thought that friend was the only one she needed. But when a new girl named Stacey transferred to the school, Ida wanted to make friends with her. But bossy, bratty Jenna Drews didn't let Stacey really talk to Ida. But when Ida and Stacey start writing secret notes to each other, a great friendship begins to form.
This is a story about friendship and making new friends.
This is a story about friendship and making new friends.
February 23, 2015
this book was pretty good. I liked the drama in it, it kept the book interesting. The part where Stacy went to her new school and lied about herself just to fit in with the mean girls was one of my favorite parts. My favorite character is Ida. she a loving, caring person and doesn't care what anyone else thinks about her. this book it more for girls, maybe even girls that have moved to a new school. I would recommend this book for girls that have gone through these problems or that like drama.
July 30, 2008
Charming little book about the beginning of Ida May's fourth grade year. Her best friend moved away over the summer and she vows never ever to have a best friend again -- it just hurts too bad when they move away. But then she starts a secret friendship with the new, intriguing girl at school, and everything changes.
October 13, 2011
Ida May had a best friend and look how that turned out - she moved away. So why would she want another best friend? Especially one like Stacey who everyone likes and has a smile like her former best friend. Even queen bee Jenna likes Stacey. And Stacey seems to like Ida May. How can Ida May keep herself from having another best friend?
February 24, 2014
I had to give up this book because it seemed like an excuse for the author to rag on people who eat organic (because, ya know, we're all stuck up assholes instead of people who actually give a shit about other people in the fields having an extraordinarily higher cancer rate picking the veggies and fruit that we eat, as well as ingesting toxic chemicals that are fucking up the environment).
May 15, 2015
Ida May's best friend has moved. She doesn't want anymore best friends because she thinks they will move like her last one did. But when she met Stacey, everything has changed. When Ida May finally wants to be Stacey's best friend, Stacey has to move. What will happen next? How would Ida react? Will they be best friends? I recommend this book to people who struggle on relationship like Ida.
May 15, 2022
I think this is an excellent book, not just because I know the author (my husband's cousin) but because I really enjoyed it even though it took me back to the days when my daughters were in elementary school and there was constant friendship drama!
August 6, 2010
this book was kind of sad in the beginning because ida doesn't have any friends, and gets bullied by that meanie Jenna. Later in the book, Ida does make a friend named Stacey, in a very wierd way... By secret notes. You should definitely read this sad but very spectacular book by Julie Bowe.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2011
My Last Best Friend is a wonderful book about a little girl who's best friend moves away and promised her self she shall never make a new best friend. Will she keep her promise? Don't think I'm going to tell you! Read it and find out. :)
February 20, 2011
I thought this book was great i read it twice.I even did i project on it last year!but the last time i read it i could not relate to it but know my best friend moved and changed schools and i barely see her.you should read this really good book.
June 24, 2011
This book is sort of sad because one of the main character's best friends had to move away. They weren't just best friends, they were like sisters. She is in 4th grade, just like I was when I read this. I liked that even a sad situation could have a happy ending.
July 15, 2012
I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!! I got to e-mail this author and actully she mailed a lot of bookmarks to my school that i passed out with her signarture on them!!! I also got a post card from her,hard written by Julie Bowe!!! How awesome is that?!!!!
June 5, 2013
Part of the Firends for Keeps series, in this book, Ida is starting 4th grade. She deals with the lost of a best friend, a mean classmate, cliques, and a new girl with her own secrets. A perfect chapter book for elementary aged girls.*
*curious if it will hold the interest of boys
*curious if it will hold the interest of boys
August 18, 2014
A simple short and sweet friendship book. Ida is a fourth grader who just had a friend move away. A new girl moves to town and they have a secret friendship. Stacey needs to learn who can be a true friend and that honesty is the best policy.
January 29, 2015
This book was okay but I prefer mystery,horror,and animal books.
But what happens when your best friend moves away?
And you have a promise to always write each other,but she never wrote back.
The only thing you got from her is a birthday card....It was not even from her it was from her mom.
But what happens when your best friend moves away?
And you have a promise to always write each other,but she never wrote back.
The only thing you got from her is a birthday card....It was not even from her it was from her mom.
October 15, 2008
It was really good!!
August 8, 2010
Girls will like this book but I don't think it would make an impact with the boys.
November 6, 2010
I like the reading level, the bullying topic and that the bully apologizes in the end. Limited appeal, as it is really girly.
March 2, 2014
Great book
March 9, 2014
I read this in 4th or 5th grade and really liked it. Can't remember why though. Maybe I'll re-read it. Better review coming soon.
April 22, 2014
I love this book because it's very interesting and the part where they talk about Elizabeth.
Want to read
March 12, 2015Remember to recommend to the kid
Read
March 9, 2009i read this its sooooo good
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews