Best Friends

infobox Book |
name =ASHLEE AND JAMES ARE BEST FRIENDS
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Jacqueline Wilson
illustrator = Nick Sharratt
cover_artist = Nick Sharratt
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series =
genre = Children's novel
publisher = Doubleday (first edition, hardback)
release_date = 4 March, 2004
media_type = Print (hardback & paperback) and audiobook
pages = 228 pp
isbn = ISBN 978-0385606066
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Best Friends" is a children's novel by Jacqueline Wilson, first published in 2004.

Plot summary

The Book about two best friends, Gemma Jackson and Alice Barlow, who love to spend time and play together.Gemma and Alice have known each other all their lives, but when Gemma reads Alice's diary at a sleepover, she discovers that Alice is keeping a secret from her. The next morning, Alice tells Gemma that she is moving to Scotland.

At Alice's moving away party, Alice suggests they run away. They nearly get away, but their parents catch them after a boy in their class they passed by, Billy McVitie [nicknamed Biscuits] , tells his mum that they are running away.

Gemma is heartbroken when Alice is gone,and to make matters worse, Alice's mum, Karen Barlow [who is particually snobby] blames Gemma for making Alice run away [as Gemma is known to be the mischievous one] , and bans Gemma from speaking to Alice. Gemma is then mean to Biscuits as she is convinced it's his fault that she and Alice got caught. This is hard, as she has been paired up with him for a school project.

While she is stubborn with Biscuits about the project, she is also worried about Flora Hamilton, a girl in Alice's new class who is letting Alice use her email to communicate with Gemma. Gemma is convinced that Flora can only be bad news and is trying to steal Alice off her.

Eventually, Gemma lets Biscuits win over the project and agrees to do it on "Fat Larry", a T.V. chef. They do the project together and practise at Biscuits' house. Later, Gemma's Grandad, a retired taxi man whose wife died, meets Biscuits' Granny and really likes her.

Although Gemma is starting to feel a bit better, and making friends with Biscuits, she is still worried about Alice. Her and Alice's birthday is coming up soon [they were born on the same day] , and every year, Gemma and Alice used to cut their birthday cake together, and make a wish for them to be best friends for ever. Now that they are banned from speaking to each other and hundreds of miles apart, Gemma knows that it will be impossible for them to make their wish, but worries that as Alice is getting keen on Flora, they might make the wish with together instead.

Soon after though, Gemma's Grandad has to go up to Scotland, near where Alice's new house is, so he decides to let Gemma come too, as an early birthday party. Biscuits makes a cake and everything looks like it will be going perfectly.

When Gemma gets there, it starts out awkwardly, as Alice's new bedroom is pink and Gemma hates pink, especially the pink dress Melissa, [a china doll that Gemma's granny gave to her which Gemma gave to Alice] , is wearing. However, by lunch everything is going fine.

When Flora arrives, however, things begin to change. Flora appears to be more mature than Gemma, and turns her nose up at some of Gemma's ideas. She also makes Alice laugh at some of Gemma's antics, which are silly to her. When Alice and Gemma go to cut the cake Gemma wants her and Alice to cut it, so that they can make their special birthday wish to be best friends forever. Karen gives the cake knife to Flora, and Gemma is so angry she shoves the cake in Flora's face. She is then told to get out of the house.

When Gemma gets home, everyone starts to plan her birthday party. They invite the McVities and Biscuits makes a cake for Gemma. They have pizzas in the garden and Gemma's dad even makes her a tree house. Gemma is sad though because Alice didn't even send her a card.

The book ends with Gemma opening a package from Alice containing a card and Alice's charm bracelet, with a new charm right next to Gemma's favourite one, Noah's Ark. The new charm has four words on it: "Best Friends For Ever".

Goof

In this book Biscuits' surname is McVitie, but in Cliffhanger his surname is Baker, as Tim wrote a postcard to him with the name as Mr "Biscuits" Baker.