Having once been snubbed by a former best friend, Claudia knows what it feels like to be “dumped.” Now she’s faced with having to do the same thing. Only this is someone she still cares about, the precociously memorable Duffy Booth, her much younger neighbor who was featured in the earlier Claudia stories. But she is outgrowing him, wants now to have friends her own age, and he is smothering her with his dependence on her. The surprising solution to this dilemma is not exactly the one Claudia would have chosen. But she knows she must accept the fact that Duffy is growing up. And so, for that important matter, is she!

“Characters, situations, and family dynamics are credible and entertaining.”
—Booklist