Books > With Friends Like These > Reading Group Guide

Activities to Enhance Your Book Club

Lend a helping hand like the Good Girlz! Find community service projects in your area by logging on to sites such as www. dosomething.org and www.handsonnetwork.org.

If you're the host, read quotes from With Friends Like These and see if your friends can guess which characters said them.

Try hosting your own version of Teen Talks. Your fellow book club members can come on the show as one of the characters from the book.

Questions for Discussions

1. When the original Good Girlz -- Camille, Angel, Jasmine, and Alexis -- meet their newest member, Tameka Adams, they are turned off by her negative attitude. Camille says, "I'd just stick to the original Good Girlz, the ones I knew were my true friends. I guess we just had no room for outsiders" (page 5). Why do you think the girls don't like Tameka? Does it have anything to do with the fact that she's their group leader's niece? What is the difference between a close-knit group of friends and a "clique"? What would you consider the Good Girlz?

2. Do you think it's a good decision for Angel not to try out for Teen Talks because she's now a mom? What does this say about her priorities and life goals? Did she have other options she didn't explore?

3. Competition and lying are two of the major themes in With Friends Like These. What is the difference between competition over boys and competition at the television station? When, if ever, is a lie acceptable?

4. Do you think Jasmine has the right to be angry with Alexis for dating Jaquan? Why or why not? Is keeping Jasmine in the dark the same thing as lying to her?

5. Camille and Walter lie to their parents in order to date each other. Is this really necessary? What does this say about their relationship? Are they dating each other simply to rebel, or are they rebelling because they truly care about each other?

6. Why do you think Tameka uses underhanded tactics, such as giving the girls bad advice and stealing Jasmine's research paper? If she had enough confidence in herself would she still cheat? How do the other girls react?

7. When Alexis and Camille are chosen as the finalists, Camille takes Walter up on his offer to help her get the job. Do you consider this cheating? Do you think she would have been more proud of herself knowing she got the job all on her own? How do the other girls react once they find out?

8. At one point in the competition, Rachel says, "God is at the center of everything we do.... We're losing the glue that holds everything together" (page 85). What is Rachel trying to teach the girls about friendship and competition? What are they losing sight of?

9. When the girls believe Alexis had an overdose, they rush to the hospital to be at her side. What does this say about their underlying values and priorities?