By Lois Brandt
Two best friends, one nearly empty fridge, and a secret that's too big to keep.
Sofia and Maddi do everything together after school. One day Sofia opens Maddi's fridge looking for a snack and finds it nearly empty, just a little milk and that's all. Maddi makes her promise not to tell anyone. Now Sofia has a secret sitting heavy in her chest, and a best friend who is hungry.
Here's the first book on the trail where the hard thing is hunger, and it handles it just right for a young child. It doesn't happen to a stranger. It happens to the best friend, and it's Sofia, a child like yours, who has to figure out what to do with what she has seen. The lesson lands without a single wagged finger: you can't fix this by yourself, and telling a grown-up you trust isn't breaking a promise, it's keeping your friend.