Get to know the FriendsWorld Characters!
Dad
Mom
Joanie Piper
The main character is 12 years old, kind, funny, and smart. She likes hanging out with her friends, trying new things, and learning at school.
Joanie’s mom is an editor, who helps people write books. She loves her Husband, Doug, and their four kids. She also likes puzzles!
Joanie’s dad is an engineer. He has a great big beard and loves laughing, making jokes, mathematics, and solving problems.
Grant Piper
Ruby Piper
Ty Piper
This is Joanie’s 16-year-old brother. He’s a lot like his dad, but a little shyer. He and the other siblings sometimes fight, but they do love each other.
Twins with Ty, Ruby is a ball of fun! She likes spending time with Joanie, playing games, eating cinnamon rolls, and riding the Subway!
Twins with Ruby, and younger by only two minutes! Ty likes zipping around the house, playing pranks, and holding his guinea pig, ZoomZoom.
Shelby Robbins
Clare LaRue
Simone Hsu
As another friend and classmate of Joanie’s, Shelby is outgoing and fun. She and Simone are very close and love to laugh.
As Joanie’s best friend and next-door neighbor, Clare is a wonderful, loyal, and sweet companion. She likes singing and being outside.
She attends the same school as Joanie and Shelby. She really enjoys school lessons, especially design, and engineering.
Granny
Amy Kirkpatrick
Jasper Knowlins
She is Joanie’s mom’s mom and occasionally visits from Rhode Island. She is a fantastic artist and enjoys time with her grandkids.
Amy is not only one of Joanie's least favorites classmates, but also her ride to school everyday. Her favorite activities are singing and talking.
He loves joining his best friends, Ty and Ruby, in making trouble, making snowballs, and eating cookies filled with candy.
Fudge
ZoomZoom
Morris
The dog, Fudge, was named after the family’s favorite type of chocolate. He usually just sleeps, snores, and eats.
This tiny energetic guinea pig can cause a lot of trouble, especially when he goes missing! (And he only occasionally bites Ty.)
The neighbor's turtle seems like a peaceful little guy, but when no one's looking he goes on quite the adventure.
Activity: Write your own Story!
In the book, we read many stories about Joanie's life. She writes about her friends, her school, her hobbies, and her adventures. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Write a creative journal entry about something that's interesting to you and send it to Joanie!
Get to know the FriendsWorld Location!
The story is set in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States of America.
It's a large city, with a population of roughly 700,000 people.
You can experience the changing weather of all four seasons there: Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring.
There are seventy-four museums, over 160 monuments and memorials, and 115 public schools in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. President also lives there in the White House.
Game: Guess the Idiom!
FriendsWorld is full of idioms (funny illustrative sayings). Especially Chapter 16! Can you and your friends guess the meanings? Hover to see the correct answers.
"Bun in the Oven"
When a woman is pregnant
"Cat got your tongue"
What you ask when someone is speechless
"Bring home the bacon"
Earn money and achieve success
"Be in a pickle"
To be in a difficult situation
"Full of beans"
Used to describe an energetic person
"Cut the cheese"
Toot
"A piece of cake"
When something
is easy
"Spill the beans"
Reveal a secret
"Dime a dozen"
Common or
ordinary
"Hold your horses"
Wait!
"A stick in the mud"
A person who
is no fun
"Drop the ball"
To make a mistake
Hey, not too shabby!
