Chris Makes a Friend
Alex Gino
Scholastic Press
Published November 4, 2025
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
About Chris Makes a Friend
From the award-winning author of MELISSA, a sweet and tart story about unexpected friendship and family reconciliation.
Chris does not want to be spending the summer with their grouchy grandmother and social butterfly sister. But they don’t really have a choice, once their mom leaves them at Grandmother’s house. They can, however, try to escape whenever they want to — into the woods, where they encounter another kid who is the friend they need to survive the summer.
Only… there’s more to this friend than meets the eye…
My Review
I’ve loved every book I’ve read by Alex Gino, so it is no surprise to me at all that I adore this one, too. I’m not even sure where to start singing praises. Ha.
First, I like that this story includes a child whose primary caregiver has a chronic illness, specifically chronic pain. This is something that so many kids deal with, and yet isn’t often represented in literature. Gino presents Chris’s mom’s health in a matter-of-fact, personal way. They share Chris’s understanding of her mom’s pain as well as coping strategies and preferred language and boundaries that are all very personal to Chris’s family experience. All this is phrased as her mom’s preferences, so readers whose experience differs will find no judgment here.
Additionally, one of my favorite things about Gino’s books is how wise the writing is. They relate up-close emotional experiences in a raw, unfiltered way, always making space for the messy, unprocessed feelings that kids experience without judging them as good or bad. Chris has a hard summer, between staying with grandparents whom she loves, but who don’t always do things the same way as she does at home, and worries about her mom’s health, and an unplanned separation/estrangement from her best friend. The story relates her feelings and struggles as she experiences them. I felt her confusion and frustration right along with her.
The story also explores how we check in with our thoughts and emotions, from talking to ourselves to journaling and beyond. Again, this conversation in the hands of a less savvy author could have delved into talking down to the reader, but in Gino’s capable hands, it feels gentle. We experience the wonder of a character discovering these ideas for herself. I love that.
I can’t talk about this book and not mention the amazing reading list drawn from references throughout the book that appears in the backmatter. This is a lovely way to showcase other incredible books and authors. I’ll be adding a few to my own reading list!
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.
Romance/Sexual Content
None.
Spiritual Content
None.
Violent Content
Some squabbling between sisters.
Drug Content
Chris’s mom has surgery and takes heavy painkillers during her recovery.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I borrowed a copy of this book from the library. All opinions are my own.
