MG Review: Quinny & Hopper by Adriana Brad Schanen

Eight year old Quinny has just moved from New York City to Whisper Valley, and she's eager to find a new friend.  Quinny is outgoing, has lots of ideas and is very talkative.  Hopper is just the opposite, but Quinny can't resist his eyes. Hopper thinks that Quinny's teeth and dimples are charming, the two seem to hit it off.  They become even closer while trying to catch Freya, a chicken who has been running loose since its owner moved away.  Summer is looking to be lots of fun for the two of them, that is until they have a misunderstanding when school notices come out and Hopper decides that they aren't friends anymore.  Quinny then runs into Victoria, sparkly, glittery, swishy pink wearing Victoria.   Victoria makes Quinny her new BFF and tries to teach her the rules of third grade. Girls and boys can't be friends, accessories and the right clothes are important.  Quinny slowly realizes that the only one that Victoria thinks about is herself, but will Quinny and Hopper find a way to mend their friendship?




Quinny and Hopper reminded me so much of Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. Alright, so maybe a younger version but still it was really cute.  Juli is the one who initiates the friendship in Flipped and Quinny's personality so reminded me of Juli's.  As in Flipped, the chapter's alternate the voices of Quinny and Hopper. They are very different from one another and this alternating voices allows their thoughts, feelings and views on a situation to shine.  So much so that you come to care about both of these main characters.    How they choose to describe each other is very cute and you really want their friendship to work out. Schanen accurately reflects the relationships that siblings may have.  Especially when Quinny and Hopper are seen bickering, giving "wet willies," teased by or have one of their siblings get them in trouble.  Most of all, I liked that Quinny kept her outgoing, boisterous personality and didn't give up on her friendship with Hopper just because Victoria thought she should.   The illustrations by Greg Swearingen are very well done, especially the facial expressions of the two children and add to the charm of the story.  Quinny and Hopper would appeal to children who enjoy books similar to Clemintine, and the Ramona series.