I do like this book. And I do think it’s a good book to have in any library.  I think it does a good job of handling some sensitive material with compassion.  But I would recommend some degree of caution in choosing the audience you share it with.  It begins with Sophie and Maddi playing together in the park, when hunger sends Sophie running to Maddi’s apartment for a snack, despite Maddi’s protests.  Upon opening Maddi’s fridge to see what she’s got, Sophie finds only some milk, which Maddi says needs to be saved for her baby brother.  After being sworn to secrecy, Sophie goes home to her own full fridge and her mother fixing a healthy fish dinner, which her little brother complains about.  Sophie decides to save some to take to her friend the next day, only to realize that though fish may be good for kids, it’s not good for backpacks.  The next day she discovers eggs don’t keep well in backpacks either. She eventually finds some food she is able to share with her friend without spoilage, but decides she can’t really help her friend alone, so decides to tell her mom, despite her promise.  Throughout the story, as Sophie is looking for ways to help Maddi with food, Maddi is also helping Sophie with her climbing, which helps to keep a sense of balance, with both friends having something to offer the other.  Still, knowing that 93% of my students qualify for free lunch, I hesitate to think how they might feel if they identify too strongly with Maddi.  On the other hand, in my old school with a solidly middle-class population, this would be a great tool for helping students to recognize that not all families have as much as theirs’ might.