Top Ten Books with Awesome Friendships

Image from The Broke and the Bookish

This week I’m linking up with The Broke and the Bookish’s Top Ten Tuesday meme (thanks Cait for introducing me to this.) The topic for this week’s top ten list is ‘Ten Books about Friendship’. Now of course the moment I get a topic like this, my brain goes blank and I can’t remember even one book I’ve read that is specifically about friendship. So instead, I’ve decided to put my own spin on this topic and list ten books that have awesome friendships in them.

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1. A Little Bush Maid

Mary Grant Bruce

This book, and the whole series, is centred on the friendship between Norah Linton, the ‘little bush maid’, her brother Jim, their comical friend Wally, and the adventures they have in the Australian bush. Their friendship has the fun, the jokes, the pranks and the unquestioning loyalty that every good group of friends should have. Plus they’re Australian. What’s not to like?

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2. Higher Institute of Villainous Education

Mark Walden

When you have a genius, a martial arts expert, a computer whiz and a thief together, they’re bound to make an awesome group of friends. The fact that they’re also training in an academy for villains just makes this group better. Otto Malpense and his friends are some of my favourite villainous heroes, especially when they’re working together to carry out some completely crazy but surprisingly effective plan. I have a soft spot for villains.

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3. Percy Jackson series

Rick Riordan

I’m technically cheating by listing a whole book series here, but the friendship between Percy, Annabeth and Grover just gets better and better throughout the books. They’re my favourite Greek influenced friendship. The fact that they’re two demigods and a satyr certainly makes them a unique group. Plus they also fight monsters, save the world, and sword fight.

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4. Brotherband: Outcasts

John Flanagan

The boys in Brotherband are a bunch of misfits at the start, but when misfits work together and become friends they become something so much better. I love the way that this group eventually turns into a team and won’t leave anyone behind, no matter whether one member’s going to slow them down or not, and in the end it’s this strong friendship that really makes them succeed. Plus they’re the Heron team, which is definitely not a typical name for a group of warriors.

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5. Heist Society

Ally Carter

What is a thief without her friends and family? Kat Bishop is a thief with plenty of both. She and her friends, many of whom are also family, travel the world in a private jet, stealing from some of the most secure museums, art galleries and homes. This group of friends is amazingly imaginative, ever resourceful, good at planning, and hilarious, all at the same time.

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6. The Whisperer

Fiona McIntosh

What I like most about the friends from this book is probably the diversity in the group. There’s Griff, a boy who can hear people’s thoughts, Tess, and her friends who all happen to be magical creatures, including a griffin and a centaur. Despite being chased by a crazy ringmaster, being mistaken for royalty, and falling into the hands of bandits, these friends fight hard to stay together and help each other, refusing to leave any creature behind when the going gets tough.

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7. The Taggerung

Brian Jacques

All the Redwall books are filled with great friendships between varied species of animals. One of my favourites though, is between the Taggerung and his mouse friend. Considering one was trained as a killer and the other had a difficult past, they have a surprisingly light hearted approach to life, sharing plenty of jokes (and food). Brian Jacques always has plenty of food in his books. Do not read when hungry.

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8. Itch: The Explosive Adventures of a Element Hunter
Simon Mayo

Itchingham Loft’s friends make it onto this list because, when you have a group of friends willing to drag around a chunk of highly radioactive metal, run away from mysterious figures who want said chunk of radioactive metal, and risk death to help you get rid of it, you know those friends are keepers. Especially when everyone ends up with radiation poisoning from the adventure.

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9. Wildwood Dancing

Juliet Marillier

This book has a great friendship between five sisters who go night after night to a fairy ball. They’re all so different, but they all stick together so closely. Together they fight off evil fairies, malicious cousins, meddling relatives, and curses while also fighting for true love. Plus the main character carries around an enchanted frog who shares in all these adventures.

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10. The Legend of Holly Claus

Brittney Ryan

My final group of friends make it on the list for sheer lovability. After all, when your heart’s been frozen into ice, you need a strong group of friends around you, and that’s what Holly Claus has. From a penguin, an owl, a wolf, a fox, to a brooding toymaker, her friends are willing to do anything to make sure that she’s safe. Plus the animals shrink down to travel size, which is definitely a plus. Who doesn’t want to be able to carry their friends around wherever they go?

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So there you have it, my top ten books containing awesome friendships. Have you read any of these books? What books would make it onto your top ten list?