Make-Believe Twins: A Best Friends Story
J.D. Newman
Paperback
(Independently published, Aug. 26, 2019)
This novella for younger readers features a first grade boy and girl growing up in Utah in 1972 who share a common birthday and a love of puppetry and Mr. Rogerâs Neighborhood. Glenn is the fastest runner and the fastest reader in the first grade, until the new girl, Janet, bests him at both. When the only person who could be your twin is the new girl in school, that's difficult for Glenn -- because the guys will never let her play on their team! When Janetâs family survives a house fire, Glenn discovers that, in times of need, a rival can become an ally. Glenn and Janet watch Mr. Rogers, make puppets together, and create their own Neighborhood of Make-Believe. But when they argue about their religions, can these âmake-believe twinsâ remain friends if they each insist theyâre right? Set during the Space Race of the early 1970s, Make Believe Twins tells a story of how friendly competitors can sometimes become real friends, growing up through friendship, and finding loyalty. This can be a real message of hope for children in todayâs society, as they see little but division from the adults all around them, as they discover, in true child like fashion, that we are much closer together than we are far apart.