Review on "The Friendship Matchmaker GOES UNDERCOVER" by Randa Abdel-Fattah

"The Friendship Matchmaker GOES UNDERCOVER" by Randa  Abdel-Fattah

    "The Friendship Matchmaker GOES UNDERCOVER", the companion to "The Friendship Matchmaker", is about the new, modern days at school after Official Friendship Matchmaker, Lara Zany, quits her job as Official Friendship Matchmaker. She's not the only one that kind of
      Misses it too though. The school has become total chaos! No one knows what to do when facing bullies, how to create OR repair friendships, and the teachers look like they're training
   for the Army just trying to get kids to stop fighting! Nothing has been the same since Lara threw out her book on the art of "Friendship Matchmaking". But the worst thing is that the school bully, Chris, is once again up to his reign of terror. Lara used to hold mediation sessions and talk to other kids on how to avoid him and/or deal with him, but she promised her new best friend,
     Tanya, that she would no longer be up to what Tanya calls "Meddling" again. But the more she sees kids having to deal with "The war zone", she feels she HAS to scratch the itch! She says Quote on Quote;
                            "It's not my fault I have a heart of
                                                              24 carrot Gold."

   So when a new foreign exchange student, Majur, comes into the picture and Chris starts up his games again, she knows what she must do. Become the schools UN-Official Friendship Matchmaker. Even though Lara, Tanya, and their new pal Emily, are best friends, a little time away
    Couldn't hurt right? Well, she regrets the decision later when Tanya and Emily become the best of friends. Each other one and ONLY best friend. Even though she's upset and still a little hurt about the whole situation, knowing that she herself was once a "Total Loner by Choice", she keeps pushing ahead as being Officially UN-Official. She gets pretty far too. The peace on the playground is slowly being restored, friendship are back to the way they used to be
    when they were whole, and everybody as actually having an enjoyable experience going to school. And then there's the new student, Majur. His village back from he had come from had been attacked, he lost friends and family, and he doesn't speak too much English. After trying
   hard to find Majur a friend, or at least someone to play with him on the playground, he seems hopeless. Up until she and the boys in her class see him kick a soccer ball. He was so good he took the spot of best player away the original best player! Chris. And when he finds out that his friends start to barely acknowledge him, he seeks the help of the Official UN-Official Friendship Matchmaker. 

     After trying long and hard, Lara still couldn't find a boy in class he hasn't called names, bullied, or just generally didn't like. Is their any hope for Chris now that he's taken 2nd place in the one thing he truly cares about? And will Tanya and Emily find out about the Official Un-Official business going on and leave Lara in the dust? Find out yourself in "The Friendship Matchmaker GOES UNDERCOVER"!
4 Stars