Extraordinary

Franklin debuts with a gentle story about two 10-year-old best friends divided by illness. Brave and adventurous Anna was always trying to persuade Pansy to take up ice-skating and donate her hair to Locks for Love. Then they had a falling-out when Pansy backed out of joining Anna at a sleep-away camp; while she was there, Anna contracted meningitis and suffered severe brain damage. With Anna scheduled for surgery that she believes will "cure" her, Pansy attempts to use the months before the surgery to turn herself into the "extraordinary" best friend she knows Anna deserves. Pansy chops off her hair, takes up rollerblading, reads voraciously to win a reading contest, and joins the Girl Scouts; these accomplishments bring her personal satisfaction and give her the strength to stand up to a school bully, but her single-mindedness also hurts her. Most readers will understand long before Pansy does that she is setting herself up for disappointment, but they will also recognize that Pansy's dedication to her friend is plenty extraordinary in itself. Ages 8%E2%80%9312. Agent: Mandy Hubbard, D4EO Literary Agency. (May)