Dreenie is so intrigued by Bluish, one of her fifth-grade classmates, that she keeps a journal in which she writes down all her observations, thoughts and feelings about her. Called “Bluish” due to a blue tint to her skin caused by chemotherapy, she uses a wheelchair, brings a dog to school, and makes frequent sarcastic comments. Dreenie would like to have her as a friend. Instead, she’s followed around by Tuli, a girl who wants to be Dreenie’s best friend. Tuli’s brash humor and fake Spanish accent irritate most people, except for Dreenie’s little sister, Willie, who finds her fascinating and frequently invites her to come home from school with them, mush to Dreenie’s dismay. The complexities of fifth-grade freindship are deftly handled in a short novel told through third-person narrative and Dreenie’s first person journal entries. (Ages 9-12)

All of the kids at school stay away from “Bluish,” but when Dreenie and Tuli learn to see beyond her differences, they discover a true friend Ten-year-old Natalie is different from the other kids at her New York City magnet school: She is often absent, wears a knit cap, and uses a wheelchair. Her classmates have nicknamed her “Bluish” because her pale skin is tinted blue from chemotherapy. Dreenie is fascinated by and a bit frightened of Bluish—she watches her from afar and writes about her in her journal. As the school year progresses, Dreenie and her friend Tuli learn to see beyond Bluish’s differences and discover a fiercely independent, spirited girl who isn’t so different from them after all. But it’s not easy being friends with someone who’s sick, and Dreenie doesn’t always know how to act. Hamilton delivers a lesson of compassion and demonstrates the power of friendship to overcome even the most trying of situations.