Top Ten Books About Friendship
Hmm…do you know this is actually kind of hard? Books ABOUT friendship, or books that are about other things that have great friendships in them? The former is a little tough for me to choose, but the latter is much easier. I tried to really stick to books that are literally just about friendship at their cores. Maaaybe I wasn’t able to stick with it totally, and I didn’t make it to ten, but these books have some of the most solid, amazing friendships EVARR.
The Fellowship of the Ring | J.R.R. Tolkien
OBVS, a book that has “fellowship” in the title is going to be an ace book about friends. But honestly: Frodo and Sam are legit. Talk about going to the ends of the Earth for your friends. That’s some hardcore friendship there. There’s the classic line about how Frodo couldn’t have done anything without Sam and how Sam is the real hero, but the truth is that Frodo, Sam, and all the hobbits are great friends.
Code Name Verity | Elizabeth Wein
I didn’t love this book as much as other people did, but there’s no way I can deny the power of Maddie and Verity’s friendship. It runs deep and strong, and they make every other instance of friends saying “I would do anything for you” seem small and hollow.
The Lies of Locke Lamora | Scott Lynch
This book has some of the best bromance friendships I’ve ever read. Locke and Jean Tannen have each other’s backs and stick together like glue through their gang’s successes and failures, even when their failures have frankly awful consequences. I love them.
Charlotte’s Web | E.B. White
I can’t think about books about friendship without thinking of Wilbur and Charlotte. They are the EPITOME. I just reread this recently and, sure, it was more juvenile than I remember, but it was still sweet and heart-warming, and I still cried at the end.
Breadcrumbs | Anne Ursu
MGs often have the best stories of friendship going because, being 11 or 12, it’s hard for the story to be overwhelmed by romance. BREADCRUMBS is a lovely story about two young friends, and one of them is kidnapped by the Ice Queen. The other ventures into the woods behind their home–woods full of magical creatures and people–to rescue him. It’s actually kind of bittersweet, but still an excellent story about the changing nature of people, and so the changing nature of friendships, too.
