Review by Ian Keogh
It’s not easy for Dany having moved to middle school, and before that begins there’s the business of clearing out her mother’s Aunt Elma’s house after her death. The rest of the family are along for that, but Dany’s uncles are a bickering and petty pair, only interested in what they consider may be worth money. The rumours are that Aunt Elma was very rich, and she was interested in the occult. All Dany manages to take from Elma’s possessions is one of her sketchbooks. That, however, proves transformative as it turns out whatever’s sketched comes to life, and Dany soon has the disembodied head of her favourite animation character Prince Neptune for company.
It’s not long before Dany realises if she’s brought one person to life, a bit more sketching and creativity will produce a new friend, something she’s sorely in need of, and Madison arrives, the new kid in school who’s just moved from New York.
Kristen Gudsnuk makes Dany likeable from the start, and young adult readers will be able to identify with her insecurities and lack of confidence, while her drawing reflects the lighthearted nature of her stories. Even when Dany’s upset the illustrations don’t delve into tragedy. The slight downside is Dany being drawn a similar size to everyone around her when she’s insecure about her weight. It’s a fudged issue, Gudsnuk never committing to whether this is actuality or in Dany’s mind.
The young adult readership might not realise it, but the path Gudsnuk takes is the old Spider-Man adage pairing power with responsibility, and she notes being true to yourself is the only way to be happy. Madison proves a cheery companion and even better advisor, but begins wondering why her parents haven’t contacted her, and while Neptune knows how he arrived, Dany has kept the truth from Madison, and when it’s disclosed the book’s crisis point arrives.
A really strong concept to Making Friends will spark the minds of readers, and perhaps even encourage them to draw in their own sketchbooks, but it’s not flogged to death. The emotional heart is Gudsnuk examining consequences of what in the first place is reward without effort. What’s it like to be a person who can’t even remember their parents, parents who never contact her? While the general direction follows a formula, it’s one exploited well enough by Gudsnuk to captivate the intended audience, and the culmination of Prince Neptune’s scheming is wish-fulfilment triumph.
Gudsnuk’s really good at introducing characters with a part to play subtly. They appear, and there’s no reason to think they’re anything more than background, but by the end of this story Dany’s built up quite a circle of friends to take into Back to the Drawing Board.
