Kids are under a lot of pressure to fit in. Sometimes bowing to this pressure forces them to betray their own ideas of what is right and wrong. Alexandra and Jenny have been best friends for a long time, but when Alexandra is dazzled by a glamorous new girl at school, she's willing to do almost anything to be the cool girl's friend, including first shunning Jenny and then revealing Jenny's biggest, most important secret. Seeing the hurt she has caused and realizing how bad it feels to lose her best friend, Alexandra then seeks a way to regain the relationship that means far more to her than being invited to sit with the popular girls. Ultimately, she and Jenny write down the rules that will cement their friendship forever. OUR FRIENDSHIP RULES is both a lyrical story of forgiveness and a guidebook on relationships. Author Peggy Moss employs her training as a mediator and communication expert to provide a simple, sweet but instructive tale of how to get along. The evocative collage-paintings of Alissa Imre Geis further illustrate the many layers of personality. Her Alexandra will amaze you with her artistic eye, and her Jenny will make you smile with her practical sensibility as you see these best friends reconnect with the help of their friendship rules. Fountas & Pinnell Level O

Introduces the people and procedures involved in foster care, and the feelings, reactions, and concerns of new foster children. Includes an afterword for caregivers.