Five YA Friendships

Here is it again. Valentines, Galentines or Singles Awareness Day – and no I ain’t, now you ask. Whatever name you call it, it is quite probable that by this point you have had enough. Perhaps you need a shoulder to cry on.

This is certainly the case for a lot of YA characters. Without conflict there would be no story.  The poor things endure so much for our entertainment. Thank-goodness for BFF characters. The ones who have been there since childhood and come back no matter what stupid things the main character says in Act 2. This list features some of my favourite YA BFFs, but I would love to know yours. Which friendships did you enjoy reading the most? Who do you secrectly wish was your BFF? Let me know in the comments below.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver – Sam should have died in that car-crash, but she keeps returning to the morning of the accident. Every time she relives her day something changes. Gradually she learns why she has returned, and is forced to challenge the Mean Girl behaviour of her friendship group. Despite their behaviour to other people, I **love** the friendship between Sam and Lindsay. Yes, they are horrible, but they are friends. They love each other and have each other’s backs, and it felt realistic. Popularity is a big issue in schools, and this book told it like it was. Too often fiction tries to turn the reader against popular kids, but Lauren Oliver understood that their friendship could survive without the bullying.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli – She’s elusive, she is strange and she captures Leo’s attention. Star Girl may not strictly be YA, but it is certainly teen interest. I read it over and over throughout my teens, enchanted by Stargirl. The girl who didn’t want to fit in. The girl who wore handmade clothes and played Ukellele in school. Stargirl is not Leo’s friend at the start of the narrative, but their friendship is the most memorable.

Flying Tips For Flightless Birds by Kelly McCaughrean- Since an incident of bullying in his first year, Finch has insisted he and his twin sister Birdie dress differently, act differently. He thinks this makes their unpopularity ironic. Then Birdie has an accident and Hector Hazzard comes into Finch’s life. I love the relationship between Finch and Hector, and how much Finch learns when he opens himself to other people.

Justin Case by Meg Rosoff – David Case reckons he will die if he doesn’t get to date Agnes. He reckons he will probably die anyway. After saving his little brother from an accident, David becomes convinced Fate has it in for him. With Agnes’s help, he styles himself as a new person in a bid to outwit fate. The friendship I love is between David/Justin and Peter. Peter is the ‘B Story’ friend. Ingeniously, they meet on a running track. No matter how fast Justin tries to outrun Peter, eventually he is forced to face the truth only an honest friend can deliver.

Geek Girl – When Harriet Manners is given an opportunity to model, it is too much for her best friend Nat. All Nat has ever wanted since she was tiny is to work in the fashion industry, and now the opportunity has presented itself to Harriet. Her awkward, totally-geeky best-friend. Nat is fantastic. She admits her feelings and helps Harriet confront arch-bully Alexa. Their friendship reminds us that nothing is more important than our BFF.

Louise Nettleton