I’ve been a fan of Tehlor Kay Mejia since We Set the Dark on Fire. So I was so excited for this middle grade. But I don’t think I was prepared for how much I’d love this story about (toxic) friendship. Keep reading this book review of It Happened to Anna for my full thoughts.
Summary
Rivera has been haunted all her life by a vengeful ghost—a ghost that doesn’t want her to make any friends. The moment she tries? Cue exploding lightbulbs, chilling gusts of wind, and slamming doors.Last year, Sadie got fed up. Last year, she made a best friend, Anna. So when the ghost caused an accident that killed her best friend, Sadie knew it was all her fault.Which is why she’s not going to make any friends this year at her new school. At least until mysterious cool girl Mal shows up, and the ghost doesn’t bother her for once. But Mal wants Sadie all to herself—and she’ll do anything to make sure it stays that way.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
It Happened to Anna is a story about friendship, loneliness, and alienation. About friends we choose, the power of these choices, and what happens when they disappear. When the person we chose isn’t the right one. Friendships and friend breakups are like earthquakes. And for middle grade readers, nothing is more devastating than when your person, your rock, your best friend, crumbles. But even more so when someone who loves us doesn’t have our best intentions in mind. It Happened to Anna uses a supernatural lens to talk about toxic friendships.
About when someone wants to be our whole world. The entire sunrise to sunset. The kind of relationship which doesn’t leave room to share, to have more friends, and which requires sacrifices. Which demands proof of our devotion. It Happened to Anna takes us through the first stages of becoming friends, of having interests, finding someone who sees us. All the way through navigating a consuming kind of friendship. One that is possession. Being sucked into a black hole, someone’s orbit, who asks us to act against our gut instincts.
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It Happened to Anna is perfect for middle grade readers. It tells an important story about friendship and I would highly recommend it! I had high expectations and they were smashed through! Find It Happened to Anna on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.