Author Description

Key Selling Points In this funny and feel-good story of friendship, Brianna Ross realizes she doesn't need a special job to make friends—she just needs to be her empathetic, spunky self and find the people who love and accept her for who she is. Readers who have experienced big feelings, social struggles, emotional dysregulation or difficulties with attention will find Brianna a sympathetic and relatable character. Although Brianna doesn't have a diagnosis through which to understand her challenges, her family and school do their best to offer support, guidance and kindness as she navigates the everyday ins and outs of school. Brianna comes from a lower-income family and has recently moved in with her grandmother after her parents separated and her dad moved away. She is grappling with these changes as she navigates her social struggles at school. Her new friend, Rumi, has emigrated from Japan and is adjusting to life in small-town North America. Author Lana Button has a passion for social-emotional literacy and found inspiration for this story from her experiences as an early childhood educator and parent. Illustrator Suharu Ogawa is Japanese Canadian and immigrated as a teenager, when her brother was around Rumi's age. She drew from reflections on her and her brother's experiences while illustrating both Brianna's and Rumi's points of view. Suharu's playful illustrations bring Brianna's unique and humorous voice to life.