Goodbye Stranger

I am an eleven year old and I really liked this book. I love how you don't know who the other perspective is, (not Brige, the other one) until the end. When I read that part, I was actualy really surprised. I recommend this book for maybe nine or ten year olds and up. I also recommend this book for adults too, yeah, that's how good it is. I gave it only four stars because it's not my favorite book ever, and I have definitely read much better books, but I still really liked it and really really REALLY recommend it for every single person looking for a good book to read and reading this review and probably laughing at it. Anyway, I couldn't put this book down, I finished it in like, two or three days, maybe? I stayed up until like one in the morning every night until I finished it. Sorry, I am kind of getting off track here.Back to the point, Goodbye Stranger is a great book and I recommend for everyone. All ages over like, nine or ten maybe.Bye!Comment by:A mysterious eleven year old that talks to much and never stays on the point and is funny and doesn't know how a end a SINGLE FRICKIN SENTENCE!!!

I loved this book, some characters were a bit annoying or rude sometimes, like I thought Tab was feminist at first, but then she was a huge jerk later in the story and acted like girls couldn’t do bad things even though she was supposed to be a protagonist. I was also confused by the second person perspective and feel that a similar perspective could’ve been achieved with a first person perspective.

Revoked it for girls 13 or older not really for a age younger that 13. Love the different perspectives. Great

I purchased multiple copies of this book for our multigenerational, multi family COVID-19 book club. Although it facilitated some excellent parenting moments for important teen topic discussions (peer pressure, friendship issues, etc.), it also lost two of our Zoom families and my 13 year old son who simply couldn't engage with the book. It was a tough start, could be confusing even to mature, educated readers and its more advanced middle school subject matter (boy crushes, sexting, etc.) wasn't relatable to the twelve and under crowd in general and/or to the boys. There were some excellent aspects of this book but I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to recommend it to others. The first two books our book club read - on the other hand - were loved by all of us (grandma, mom and kids 10-14 years old). They were: "The War That Saved My Life" by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and "Summerlost" by Ally Condie. I hope reading the sequel to "The War That Saved My Life" ("The War I Finally Won") will be enough to kick start our book club after fizzling our way through "Goodbye Stranger".

GodI love this woman's work. I'm a parent and I read Rebecca's books to my kids as they grew up, and now, that I'm not doing that anymore, I bought this for myself. And read it. And loved it.Her characters feel real, they are compassionate and good people, even when they're good people who make mistakes. The book works as an engaging story, unforced and organic, AND it has a zillion lessons in it for young women growing up in the smart phone age.

Harmless and lightweight, but ultimately unsatisfying. The "mystery-person" thread of 2nd person narratives throughout the novel was the only thing that kept me reading halfway through the book. I kept hoping for some desperately-needed depth to be revealed here. It didn't happen. Goodbye Stranger offers much narrative to-do about "nothing" beyond what a middle schooler considers important. And this, I'm afraid, is the book's primary weakness. Middle school is a messy age when kids need to look beyond themselves to grow, and often only do so reluctantly. The book takes on a false "nostalgic" tone that suggests that this insular world has all the answers. While this may legitimize a middle schooler's experience, it doesn't point them in the right direction. Let's push our young readers to think more deeply. There's nothing wrong with a bit of froth for the avid or even reluctant reader, but give me the punch of classics like A Day No Pigs Would Die, The Light in the Forest, Animal Farm, or many of S.E. Hinton's novels any day.

A good book for young adult readers although it gets a little strange in some parts.

**Contains a few spoilers, but nothing major***I read this book with my daughter, along with one of her best friends and the friend's mother in a book group. Overall, this was a great book. It's not exactly the type of book I could see myself re-reading, but everything felt genuine: the characters, the settings, the visual cues. I felt like I was hanging out with this group of people for a few months, watching their lives go by.Since I didn't have a cell phone when I was in middle school, the whole sending-picture scandal was interesting to me, but the overall theme of different kinds of friendship and how they change over time is a universal one.Some stand-alone things that come to mind:I was genuinely surprised that the nameless girl having trouble with her friend Vinny was Celeste, Tab's sister. Maybe its because I was reading quickly to finish the book, but I didn't see it coming.I really, really wish there had been a resolution to finding out Julie Hopper sent the picture of Em.I liked the friendship of Bridge and Sherm, how they really just liked hanging out together and, even if they felt weird sometimes, they still just went with it and trusted each other.I really liked the friendship of Em, Bridge and Tab. Their communication was good, even if that's not necessarily entirely reflective of real life. But it's a great standard to aspire to.I loved all the visuals and unique character details in the story. Bridge and her brother, with their love of the Rudolph Christmas special; Tab and her parents and their fasting ritual; Sherm's relationship with his grandparents; Em and her brother Evan, who reads tarot cards; the Bean Bar and Adrienne (a boxer with blond dreadlocks!); Bridge's cat ears, Em's sportiness, Tab's emerging feminism; Sherm believing the moon landing was faked, Bridge's mom playing cello; and on, and on...This book, in my opinion, definitely stands as a new classic and I think all kids should read it before entering seventh grade. Cheers to Rebecca Stead!

Goodbye Stranger by the award-winning author, Rebecca Stead is a novel about seventh graders and their families and friends. It is about growing up: Making decisions; Living with those decisions. It is clearly about friendship and deep friendship and especially a friendship between three girls. The plot pulls you toward the ending. The ending, from my point of view, is satisfying. It is a good read for girls and boys and teachers and parents.

I love Rebecca Stead's writing style. Each chapter is a different character's perspective and one remains a mystery til the story comes full circle at the end. Hot topic about "sexting" and the pressure teens and preteen girls go through to get a guy to like them. Great read for 7th graders on up.

I'm just smiling. Loved so much in his book. I have that after book glow. And that epilogue! The characters are dealing with some pretty serious issues. One, that reflected something my son did just today.I always leave Rebecca Stead's books with the feeling I've been hugged.

This story of various friendship traumas will transport you right back to your insecurities and uncertainties of middle school relationships. Stead wraps it all within a ribbon of recovery from a life-changing physical accident that leaves Bridge wondering if life should hold special promise for a survivor. Her friends have their own challenges with friendship and what it means to be a friend. And then how do you bridge the change from friend to crush..? Bullying issues are also addressed. Adults can learn much from this book as well, because we all have scars that can heal with the "aha" moments Stead sets forth.

“Who’s the real you? The person who did something awful, or the one who’s horrified by the awful thing you did? Is one part of you allowed to forgive the other?”Rebecca Stead is an author I’ve been meaning to read for the longest time. Her Newberry Medal winning book, When You Reach Me, was the book that put her on my radar, but it’s her latest book, Goodbye Stranger, that I’ve actually read. After such a positive reading experience, I’ve purchased all of her remaining books, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting through those in no time.If I woke up one day to find myself in my twelve-year-old body and had to go back to middle school, I’d check myself into the psych ward. Middle school was an awkward time for me: maturing physically, the tangle of friendships and betrayal, bullying, grades, peer pressure, and the need to please everyone. High school was even weirder. Stead put me right back into that time and place, compouded with the new issues facing youths today.Told from a variety of perspectives, Bridge and her two best friends face challenges related to change and growth when they enter the seventh grade. The advancement of technology has made what used to be black and white definite gray areas. Subjects like divorce, sexting, bullying and a slew of other issues are used by Stead to skillfully weave in the vulnerability and pain of adolescence in today’s world. A great read. Four-and-a-half stars for sure!

Rebecca Stead explores the ever present who am I question teens (and adults) struggle with as they move beyond grade school and into the hormone driven middle years. Who can you trust, who's your friend, who's your enemy? The multiple voices in this book explore what it means to change and yet remain the same. This would be an excellent book to pair with last year's Newbery award winner "The Crossover".

I bought this for my granddaughter, but read it myself to see if it would be appropriate and enjoyable for her. It seems very realistic and any young girl would love it. At least, that's my opinion, and I'll stick with it.

I can't wait for this to come out in paperback because it will be a great Middle School book club book. I enjoyed it and think it would be perfect to discuss. It will prompt conversations about friendship, sexting, first relationships and bullying.

Rebecca Stead is consistent in her excellent writing and storytelling. I bought this for my daughter's 13th birthday, and she loved it. She said, like When You Reach Me, this book built up a good mystery that has a twist you don't expect. I appreciated the timely topic of sexting and younger kids (middle schoolers). This is a story of community, growing up in a big city, healing, and self-awareness. I expect this book to be on many award lists, Newbery included.

I would give this 6 stars if I could. It is not often I can get my 13 yr old daughter to read something that is good for her to read because I suggested it. Very good message, very good read.

This book was snapped up by my more mature Year 8 students (12-13yr) and devoured. Why? Because it addresses this age group without talking down to them, or moving beyond them. The book is told from multiple perspectives, which seems to be a bit of a 'thing' at the moment, but I like that - and so do my students. The writing is beautiful, and the second person narrative of the teen is superb. It is so rare to see effective second person for this age group, that I can't even think of another example. Essentially, there are three girls who swear to be best friends forever, and never to fight. So of course you know that something happens to stretch that promise to its limits. We also know that middle school is the great unevener. It's when some kids grow, some don't. Some get acne, some don't. Feelings about each other change. Friends have boyfriends or girlfriends when other friends are still saying 'eew!' Which is why it is so clever that the main character is called 'Bridge.' Nice. Bridge was hit by a car when she was eight, and shouldn't have survived. One of her nurses tells her she must have survived for a reason. This niggles at Bridge, but not annoyingly, in a 'what is the meaning of life' way. It just arises, every now and then. She starts wearing cat ears to school. She gets to know Sherm - my favourite character in the book, whose grandfather has just run off with his girlfriend, and Sherm is trying to make sense of that! The main plot revolves around a selfie shared unwisely and distributed mysteriously. But this doesn't rule the book. So many things happen to give pause for thought. Goodbye Stranger beautifully captures Middle School and the mysterious changes that bodies, friendships, and people go through as they find out a little more about who they are really. And, if you are as old as me, you can't help but hear Super Tramp in the background, the whole way through!

I discovered Rebecca Stead quite by accident when I picked up a used copy of When You Reach Me. I brought it to school and set it on my bookshelf, and then was puzzled when none of the students picked it up to read. Eventually, during standardized testing, I decided to give it a try. Wow, I was blown away! Since then, I've read it aloud to several classes, and they all agree it's a fantastic book.I was anxious to read Goodbye Stranger because I was hoping it would be as good. It is. Ms Stead has a way with her characters, they're quirky and unexpected, and I like that. There is always a mystery, in this case another story twists through the main one, and at the end you smack your head and say, "Duh! I should have seen that!" And these mysteries are just as fresh upon subsequent readings, even though you already know what's going to happen.The main thread of Goodbye Stranger focuses on a group of seventh graders, and inappropriate pictures posted on social media. As a teacher, I've seen this kind of thing happen before, and I'm glad I have this resource now to share with students. Why is it a bad idea to post something without another person's knowledge? The message here is not shouted, it just plays out in such a way that it gets the point across very poignantly.Too many times my students want to read supernatural young adult titles. This year, I'll gently push them toward this book instead. Highly recommended.