The Friendship Experiment by Erin Teagan

My name is Maddie, and I don't have any friends. My "best friend" said I'm sometimes hard to get along with and later showed up with another girl from her new school. I kind of got mad and told her we should forget we were ever friends. Grandpa was a great scientist, and it looks like science is the only thing I'm good at. Why am I so mean when he was so nice? I still can't believe he died, and my parents want to give his things to a thrift store!  I keep a notebook of SOP's (standard operating procedures) like he did, but mine has subjects like how to survive lunch with misfit know-it-alls and how to spot a liar. I accidentally left the notebook at the liar's house, but I don't think she'll read the mean things in it, right? I think my sister's bleeding disorder is getting more serious, but she's lying to our parents. What if she dies like our grandmother?


Much of the plot was kind of depressing, as Maddie struggled with her issues. She wasn't dealing well with no friends at a new school, she was missing her grandfather terribly, and symptoms of the family illness were getting worse for the two girls. Maddie isolated herself for most of the book, and she screwed things up when she finally took a chance on a new friend. The second half of the book was much more compelling, as she finally started to face her problems. Middle grade students often feel a loneliness, as they become very self-conscious,so they may be able to identify with Maddie's struggles in handling the world. While probably not as popular with young readers, I liked Maddie's obsession with science too. Overall, Teagan wrote an engaging story of a young girl battling with the complications of life. The real issues of death, friendship, and illness formed the basis of it. I can recommend this book as a good read!