Friction

True or False: Simon is one of the coolest teachers atForest Alternative:TrueSimon and Alex are friends:TrueTim is jealous of Alex and Simon:False... ...until Stacy walks into class, flashing her tongue ring, swishing her hair, and spreading rumors -- dirty rumors, the kind that make you second guess who your real friends are, and their intentions. Rumors like Stacy's test and sometimes ruin friendships as strong as those among Tim, Alex, and Simon. Rumors are dangerous, but not always as dangerous or ugly as the truths from which they spring....

E. R. Frank's novel America received praise from all the major reviewers and was named a New York Times Notable Book, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and an ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers. Her first novel, Life Is Funny, won the Teen People Book Club Next Award for YA Fiction and was a top-ten 2001 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. A social worker, Frank lives with her husband in Montclair, New Jersey.