In Chinese, peng you means friend. But in any language, all Anna knows for certain is that friendship is complicated.

When Anna needs company, she turns to her books. Whether traveling through A Wrinkle in Time, or peering over My Side of the Mountain, books provide what real life cannot--constant companionship and insight into her changing world.

Books, however, can't tell Anna how to find a true friend. She'll have to discover that on her own. In the tradition of classics like Maud Hart Lovelace's Betsy-Tacy books and Eleanor Estes' One Hundred Dresses, this novel subtly explores what it takes to make friends and what it means to be one.

This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised in the Intermediate category by the Grand Canyon Reader Award. It was recognised by the Bluebonnet Award. It also was recognised in the Grades 3-5 category by the Sunshine State Young Reader's Award. It was recognised in the Intermediate category by the Volunteer State Book Award. Also it was recognised by the Rhode Island Book Awards.

This is volume 1 in Anna Wang Novels .

This book has been graded for interest at 6-9 years.

There are 146 pages in this book. This book was published 2012 by Cengage Learning, Inc .

Uma Krishnaswami is the author of several books for children. She was born in New Delhi, India, and now lives in Aztec, New Mexico. Abigail Halpin is an illustrator/graphic designer living in New England who likes bright colors, all things retro, and sharp pencils. Andrea Cheng is the daughter of Hungarian immigrants, and grew up among extended family -- all Holocaust survivors. She lives in Cincinnati.