Goodbye Stranger

Bridge, Emily, and Tab have been best friends for as long as they can remember, and years ago they made one simple pact: no fighting. Then seventh grade begins, and the rules of friendship start to shift. Emily's changing body is drawing attention she did not ask for. Tab has joined the Human Rights Club and is finding new things to care about. Bridge, meanwhile, has taken to wearing cat ears and is the one of the three who still wants to doodle funny cartoons in the margins of her homework.

Alongside the girls' story runs another thread, following Sherm Russo through his own first weeks of seventh grade. He is puzzling over a question that does not have an easy answer: what does it mean to fall for a girl as a friend? The novel moves between these viewpoints, letting readers see the same school year from several angles.

As Valentine's Day approaches, the girls begin to test how far their friendship can stretch and where it might break. Rebecca Stead, who won the Newbery Medal for When You Reach Me, writes with a light touch about togetherness, loneliness, and loyalty. The question at the center is whether three friends can grow up without growing apart.