One True Friend - Hardcover

Hansen, Joyce

3.95

40 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395849837 ISBN 13: 9780395849835

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2002

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Uncomfortable in his new surroundings with his foster parents, the Smiths, and with his little brother who doesn't remember him, Amir begins writing to his friend Doris, who lives in his old Bronx neighborhood, and soon learns that he must come to terms with his family's past and discover the true meaning of home.

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About the Author:

Joyce Hansen grew up in the Bronx, and presently lives in New York City where she teaches school.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 6-8-This novel about a boy recently placed in foster care has much to recommend it, though Hansen crowds a plethora of subjects into 154 pages and portions of the writing are unnaturally stiff. Amir and his siblings were separated after their parents died of AIDS. He has bounced around New York City from relatives to friends to a group home, but when the book opens he has joined his youngest brother in a foster home in Syracuse. Feeling isolated and confused, the 14-year-old initiates a correspondence with Doris, a friend from the Bronx. She offers advice and shares some of her own anxieties. As the oldest child, Amir feels compelled to search for and reunite his family. Once they are found, he must decide whether little Ronald will be better off with the foster parents who want to adopt him or with his brothers, sisters, and aunt and uncle. Amir and Doris explore the ties that bind families, the commitment that may take precedence over blood bonds, when promises to friends or relatives need to be broken, and a host of other topics. Amir comes across as a likable kid, but the burden of so many issues often overwhelms the plot as much as it weighs on the hero.

Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY

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