When Friendship Followed Me Home

Ben Coffin has never been one for making friends. As a former foster kid, he knows people can up and leave without so much as a goodbye. Ben prefers to spend his time with the characters in his favorite sci-fi books… until he rescues an abandoned mutt from the alley next door to the Coney Island Library.  

Scruffy little Flip leads Ben to befriend a fellow book-lover named Halley—yes, like the comet—a girl unlike anyone he has ever met. Ben begins thinking of her as “Rainbow Girl” because of her crazy-colored clothes and her laugh, pure magic, the kind that makes you smile away the stormiest day. Rainbow Girl convinces Ben to write a novel with her. But as their story unfolds, Ben’s life begins to unravel, and Ben must discover for himself the truth about friendship and the meaning of home. 

Although Ben has spent most of his childhood in foster care, many of his conflicts are relatable. Ben struggles to make friends and isn’t sure where he fits in. Ben says, “I always felt like a stranger, even to myself sometimes. I just didn’t know where I fit in or what I was supposed to do or be in my life, maybe I was a mistake.” Ben’s feelings of worthlessness are compounded after his adoptive mother dies, and he goes to live with his Aunt Jeanie and her boyfriend, Leo.  

Unfortunately, living with his aunt comes with its own set of problems. After Leo hits Ben, Ben runs away. When Ben realizes how helpless he is, he thinks, “If I didn’t have Flip to take care of, I wouldn’t have cared if I lived or died, and I was sure nobody else would have either, not really, not anymore.” Thankfully, Halley and her parents welcome Ben into their lives and teach Ben the meaning of home. 

When Friendship Followed Me Home explores the topic of death. Ben struggles to understand what happens after someone dies. He thinks his mom “was totally and absolutely nowhere.” The topic of grief is further explored through Halley, who has terminal cancer. Despite Ben’s situation, he never receives help dealing with his swirling emotions, and the book doesn’t give any information about the stages of grieving or how to handle grief. Even though Ben questions what happens when a person dies, he never finds a clear answer to the question. 

When Ben meets Halley, they decide to write a story, which is incorporated into the book. However, the story is confusing and slows the book’s plot. Much of Ben’s story is presented through his thoughts and emotions, further slowing the plot. Aside from Halley, none of the characters are well-developed, making them appear shallow and, at times, uncaring.  

Middle-grade readers may struggle to follow the plot of When Friendship Followed Me Home due to its confusing narrative, lack of action, and underdeveloped characters. Readers will feel empathy for Ben’s situation, but be confused by the adult’s lack of action. The story’s conclusion will leave readers in tears, even though it hints that Ben’s life will change for the better. When Friendship Followed Me Home will appeal to readers who enjoy books that focus on characters’ deep emotions and want to explore the topic of death. Readers seeking a book that showcases the enduring power of love should consider When the Butterflies Came by Kimberley Griffiths Little.  

Sexual Content  

• One of Ben’s friends thinks the school’s principal has “a great butt.” 
• When Chucky meets Halley for the first time, Chucky tells Ben, “Nice butt. Not bad in the chestal area either, Coffin. I mean, they could be bigger, but well done just the same.”  
• Halley tells Chucky to “scram. . . because you need to go rest your eyes after staring at my, ahem, chestal area nonstop for the last two hours.” 
• When Halley is very sick, she tells Ben, “If you’re ever going to kiss me, you might want to do it soon. For instance, now would be a good time.” Ben kisses her, and he “felt her heartbeat in her lips. They were chapped, and then they got slippery. They were just like I’d dreamed, lit with sparks.” Afterward, Ben says it was his first kiss, but it was Halley’s third.

Violence  

• Ben and his friend Chucky were walking down the street when a kid from school, Rayburn, slaps Chucky “on the back of the head.” When Ben refuses to show Rayburn what’s in his pockets, Rayburn “crackled him across the mouth. I shoved Rayburn and then everybody went nuts. Rayburn was belting me and Angelina was kicking Chucky and Ronda was yelling for everyone to stop. . .” Chucky has a fat lip, and Rayburn takes everything that was in Ben’s pockets. 
• Rayburn’s mother kicks him out of the house, and “he’s living at his cousin’s, and the cousin’s in the Mafia, and he’s killed like a thousand people, and he’s been in jail.”  
• After Ben’s adoptive mother dies, Ben goes to live with his Aunt Jeanie and her boyfriend, Leo. Leo gets angry and “he kicked Flip—hard too. Very hard. Hard enough that Flip flew from where Leo kicked him, into the fence. Flip yelped and then staggered and sat and panted and whimpered.” 
• Upset about Flip, Ben calls Leo a “freaking idiot.” “Then, Leo swung out at me with a big, meaty, open hand . . . He slapped me across my face hard enough to make my head whip to the side. My cheek stung and then went numb.” Ben grabs Flip and runs away. 

Drugs and Alcohol  

• Ben uses an inhaler for asthma.  
• When Ben was a few days old, his mom dropped him off at the police station. No one wanted him because “My blood had drugs in it. . . That scares people away.” 
• One night, when Ben gets home, Leo’s “just sitting there. . . his eyes were glassy.” Later, Jeanie and Leo fight because Leo was drunk.  
• When Ben stays the night at a friend’s house, he takes Benadryl because he’s allergic to cats. 
• Halley has terminal cancer and takes “these pills to make her less queasy, [and] the other pills to help with her headaches.” Towards the end of her life, Halley is given “pills to help her hurt less.” 

Language  

• The book occasionally uses language such as holy crud, heck, and frickin’. 
• There is occasional name calling including loser, moron, idiot, and jerk. 
• OMG is used as an exclamation several times. 
• Ben asks, “What the freak?” 
• Leo calls Flip a “stupid dog” and a “stupid little rat!” 

Supernatural 

• None

Spiritual Content  

• Before breakfast, Halley prayed, “God, thank you for this meal. Thank you for us. I hope you get everybody here to see that nobody should stop living the heck out of life the next month or so. Each day is the best day from here on in.”