The unexpected loss of a dear friendship leads to anxiety and ultimately resilience in television writer and producer Hyman’s first middle-grade novel.

Mango is a thoughtful 12-year-old black girl at Trueheart Middle School when her BFF gets a new cellphone, and suddenly they are on different planes of existence. When Mango accidentally drowns the phone in the bathroom sink, the fallout includes a lost job for her dad, a lost friend, and, above all, a lost sense of self and trust in others. “From then on, I was going to be uber-careful about who I got close to and who I let get close to me.” Fortunately, despite her mounting anxiety, Mango learns that not everyone is as mercurial as her ex–BFF. Izzy, an exuberant Mexican-American classmate and former preschool play date that she had lost touch with, is the first of many to show Mango what a true friendship based on honesty and trust can look like. From cast mates in the school play to mentors and parents, a diverse community surrounds Mango as she learns to believe in herself and others again. Even former enemies can turn out to be friends when one learns to be real. Though this book clearly helps fill the need for minority female leads, the universal themes it addresses give it broad appeal across ages, genders, and cultural backgrounds.

A short and sweet story that will encourage deeper conversations around shame, honesty, and courage.

I really enjoyed this book as well as its message. Mango Delight has the same problems as a lot of middle school girls -- which means she has a ton of stuff she's dealing with. In the end, she just wants to be a good person and friend. I love that she's Black and some of her friends are Black and some are White, and some turn out to be good friends and some don't. She lives with her parents and little brother and while their family has some financial stresses from time to time, this isn't a book where the Black protagonist lives in poverty and violence. The first in a series. ( )

Recommended for grades 4-6 and the "younger" 7th grader. Will soon be dated with its references to Beyoncé and terms like "cray cray" but also gets to the heart of the middle school social strata, even with its over-the-top situations and heavy-handedness. Add to lists for girls who want books on bullying, cliques etc.