Pea's Book of Best Friends
2012 novel by Susie Day
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Pea's Book of Best Friends is a 2012 children's novel written by Susie Day. The novel centres around Pea Llewellyn, who moves to London with her mother and two sisters, Clover and Tinkerbell, and her determination to make a new best friend. The novel was released in July 2012 and was the first in Day's Pea series. Pea's Book of Best Friends also features the Paget-Skidelskys, a family with same-sex parents, and Day wanted to encourage other authors and publishers to be more diverse in children's books. The novel was well-received, with the characters being particularly praised.
| |
| Author | Susie Day |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Nick Sharratt |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Penguin Random House |
| Publication date | 5 July 2012 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | Print (Ebook & paperback) and audiobook |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | 978-0141375328 |
| Followed by | Pea's Book of Big Dreams |
Plot
Pea Llewellyn and her family move from a small house in Tenby to a bigger house in London due to the success of Bree, Pea's single mother who is best-selling children's author of books about mermaids. Pea and her sisters Clover and Tinkerbell like having their own bedrooms but Pea misses her school friend Dot. She tries making friends at her new secondary school but no one wants to sit to her, so she sets out to make a new best friend. She also befriends the Paget-Skidelskys, her neighbours, consisting of a female same-sex couple – a family therapist and an academic – and their children, twins Sam One and Sam Two.
Production
Pea's Book of Best Friends was written by author Susie Day.[1] It is the first book in Day's Pea book series, and was followed by Pea's Book of Big Dreams, Pea's Book of Birthdays and Pea's Book of Holidays.[2][1] Day revealed the cover of Pea's Book of Best Friends on her website in February 2012, when she was writing the second novel in the series; she dubbed the cover "Death by adorableness".[3] It was published by Penguin Random House, [4] and originally released in July 2012.[1] A new edition of the new with a new cover was released on 7 July 2016.[5]
The novel features a family with same-sex parents; Pea's neighbours, the Paget-Skidelskys, consisting of two children both named Sam (Sam One and Sam Two) and their two mothers.[6] Of this, Day wrote in The Guardian, "My Pea's Book series includes a prominent set of same-sex parents, the Paget-Skidelskys next door. They aren't an issue, or a problem; they're a family, as daft and wise and funny as all the rest. This kind of casual inclusion is becoming more common in our post-Section 28 world but we need so much more for this age group: not only 'issue' books about bullying but genre fiction, non-fiction, comics; more books that are diverse in other ways too; more happy books. Same-sex marriage is legal in England, Scotland and Wales. Publishers, authors: we've got catching up to do."[7] Day also that she had a "stupid amount of fun writing" about the family.[6] In July 2013, Day announced that she was writing a spin-off novel from the perspective of Sam One.[6]
Reception
Pea's Book of Best Friends was longlisted for the 2014 UKLA Book Award.[1] LoveReading4Kids chose the book as their July 2012 "Book of the Month" and said, "Unashamedly for girls, this is a great story about friends and friendship" and called Pea a "bright, witty and clever young girl with lots of strategies for success up her sleeve!"[8] Author Stephanie Burgis recommended the novel for readers who loved Ballet Shoes, The Penderwicks or the Casson Family novels.[1] A child reviewer from Chicklish rated the novel 10 out of 10, whilst another child reviewer from BookAngel Booktopia believed that readers would enjoy the "amazing" book regardless of their age.[1] We Love This Book called the novel "beautifully written and fantastically funny".[1] Oxford Owl called the book a "reassuring read for anyone facing a move, whether it's to a new town, or secondary school".[9]
Robert James from The Bookbag praised the characters in the novel for being very "up to date", including the same-sex family and the Brazilian au pair, and the "wonderful portrayal of family life", which he compared to the works of Noel Streatfeild and Edith Nesbit.[10] He added, "As well as these fabulous characters, there's a sweet plot, a lovely message about making friends which is never hammered home too obviously, and a warm, engaging writing style which hooks you in straight away"[10] He also called the book "wonderfully unpredictable" and found it really funny, particularly in the parts where Tinkerbell (who he referred to as sometimes being a "Stinkerbell") was involved in.[10] James also wrote, "Absolutely huge recommendation as one of the best books I've read all year and a definite modern classic in the making. I can't wait for book two!"[10] Anne Faundez from Books for Keeps praised Day's "knack for delving deep into family life and transforming painful upheavals into humorous, everyday situations" in addition to the "memorable" and "vividly depicted" characters that Faundez called "boisterous, colourful and above all credible".[11] She dubbed Pea "warm-hearted", Clover a "drama queen" and Tinkerbell "mischievous".[11] Faundez added, "Incredibly funny and touching, with characters the reader cares about, the book will provide hours of pleasure."[11]