Publisher's Synopsis
It's the first day of a new Middle School, in a different town and another state, but Jessie is prepared with the perfect plan to find friends and navigate her changed environment. She's wearing the perfect outfit and has made a list of exactly the kind of friend she wants to find. She's figured out that there are four categories of kids: -Category 4: Most kids -Category 3: Kids to eat lunch with -Category 2: Friends to share favorite times -Category 1: BFFs (Best Friends Forever) BFFs were what she wanted most, but they were hard to find, so Category #2 was what she was looking for today: friends to share favorite times. However, her perfect strategy ran into problems the first time she saw Sharleen. Jessie didn't expect to be bullied. She wasn't anticipating mean girls. She wasn't planning on whispers and snickers when she walked down the hall. It's tough to be thirteen and all alone in a new place. It's really hard when someone randomly attacks her for no reason. Jessie can find friends, she can revise her strategies, but there's nothing she can do about Sharleen, who has randomly bullied different kids, especially new ones, ever since her parents divorced last year. Even though there's nothing that Jessie can do about Sharleen's dislike, there are specific strategies she can use to stand up for herself. Jessie starts by fighting back. That would be fine, except she's a Christian and she wants to handle the problem the way Jesus wants. Her next strategy is to ask Jesus to give her lots of stuff so Sharleen will like and respect her, but that plan backfires. Her next step is to pray for Sharleen when embarrassing pictures of Sharleen are texted throughout the school. Step by step, Jessie tries to do walk with Jesus and to live out the ideal of right actions, followed by kindness to those who are hurting, while being trusting and confident in God as she deals with bullies and unfairness.