Real Friends

Wendy is Shannon’s oldest sister. She is five years older than Shannon and often finds Shannon frustrating and obnoxious. When their mother asks Wendy to apologize for being mean to Shannon, Wendy becomes angry because she believes that Shannon also needs to apologize for her behavior. Though it is not explicitly stated in the text, Shannon is often depicted as outshining her sister. Early in the story, Shannon interrupts an argument between Wendy and their father about Wendy’s incomplete schoolwork to show him her own perfect report card. Shannon’s father compares her to Joseph (Jacob’s son) for her obedient and righteous behavior. When Shannon compares Wendy to Joseph’s cruel brothers, Wendy looks upset. These instances highlight the tension between Wendy and implicitly shed some light on how Wendy is feeling. 

It is revealed later in the book that Wendy, like Shannon, has had trouble making friends throughout her time at school. She has been the target of bullying and often feels alone and misunderstood. Unfortunately, she takes her anger and frustration out on Shannon to the point that Shannon is very afraid of her older sister. She imagines Wendy as a terrifying giant bear that her other family members do not seem to fear. As Shannon learns more about her sister, she begins to see her differently. She realizes that they have a lot in common, and by the end of the story, the sisters reconcile. For Wendy, the solution to a lifetime of loneliness is not to make new friends at home but to leave Salt Lake City for Los Angeles.

Jen, Jenny, and Adrienne are the three most prominent members of The Group. Adrienne is Shannon’s first and best friend. She is blonde and pretty, and Shannon adores her. Though she is incredibly important to Shannon, as the two friends get older, it becomes apparent that Shannon is not the only person that Adrienne wants to be friends with. While Shannon believes that she only needs one good friend, Adrienne wants to be friends with all of the girls in The Group. When Jenny starts bullying Shannon, Adrienne ignores it because Jenny is nice to her. She does not listen to Shannon when Shannon tells her what is happening because she wants to continue being friends with the popular girls. Ultimately, Shannon and Adrienne drift apart when Adrienne transfers to a Gifted and Talented program.

Jen is the leader of The Group. Shannon sees the similarities between her and Adrienne: They are both smart, pretty, and confident, and everyone wants to be friends with them. The other girls in The Group vie for Jen’s love and affection, often fighting over who gets to sit next to her at lunch. Jen encourages this behavior; she has all of them line up in order of how much she likes them and controls their friendships with people outside of The Group. However, as the girls all grow older, Jen changes. When she sees Shannon in her new friend group with Zara and Veronica, she realizes she is sick of letting her friends fight over her. She does not like always having to tell them what to do. Eventually, she disbands The Group and asks to be part of Shannon’s new group, where everyone is nice to each other. 

Jenny is Jen’s best friend and Shannon’s primary bully. She starts bullying Shannon when she hears that Shannon spent time at Jen’s cabin over the summer. She is jealous that Shannon has become better friends with Jen and feels like her position as Jen’s best friend may be threatened. Many of her bullying tactics involve telling lies about Shannon to Jen to ruin their friendship. Shannon eventually decides to leave The Group to avoid Jenny’s bullying. When Shannon tells Jenny that she cannot be part of the new group, she is making an important decision to protect herself and assert her boundaries.

Zara and Veronica are friends that Shannon makes after she leaves The Group. They are both a year older than Shannon, although this does not stop them from befriending her. Shannon is delighted to have new friends, especially friends who are kind to her. Zara and Veronica show Shannon that there is a different way to be popular. Instead of ranking a friend group and excluding people, they try to be nice to everyone. They help Shannon understand that she does not need to worry so much about what other people think; she can just focus on being kind and being happy. 

Being friends with Zara and Veronica helps Shannon with her journey of Coming of Age and Gaining Confidence. Instead of constantly reminding Shannon of how she is lacking, Zara and Veronica compliment her sense of humor, her hair, and her imagination, and their friendship ultimately provides Shannon with a road map for Forming Genuine Friendships. Through them, Shannon learns how to stand up for herself, assert her boundaries, and make friends with people who will treat her the way she deserves to be treated.

Shannon comes from a large Mormon family. She has two older sisters, Wendy and Laura, and two younger siblings, Cynthia and Joseph. Wendy and Laura are close in age, as are Joseph and Cynthia, and Shannon is in the middle of all of them. Wendy is often tasked with taking care of all of her younger siblings when their parents go out. Shannon generally has a good relationship with her parents, but she often feels isolated and left out within the broader family dynamic. She tries to impress her father, who encourages her good behavior and compares her to Joseph Smith. Otherwise, her father is largely absent from the narrative. 

Before Shannon starts school, she is very close to her mother and looks to her for comfort and support. However, as she grows older, Shannon stops getting the support from her mother that she is used to. Her mother tries to encourage her to be independent and make friends, and she eventually stops trying to help with the conflict between Shannon and Wendy. Busy with all her children, she wants Shannon to stand up for herself and work out her issues with her sister on her own. Shannon’s mother is concerned when Shannon begins to exhibit symptoms of anxiety and OCD, but she does not have the necessary tools to fully understand what is happening to her daughter.