When Friendship Followed Me Home

When Friendship Followed Me Home is a novel for middle grade and young adult readers, written by Paul Griffin and published in 2016. Twelve-year-old Ben Coffin faces a lot of hardships in his life, but the love of a small, scruffy dog and the bright friendship of a courageous girl help him to overcome devastating loss, and to open his heart. The book explores powerful themes of grief, family, and love. When Friendship Followed Me Home was a Junior Library Guild selection for fall 2016, and was featured on both Amazon’s Best Children’s Books list and Publisher’s Weekly Best Summer Books list for that year.

Ben narrates the story, and immediately shares that his seventh-grade year is off to a rough start. The second week of school, bully Damon Rayburn steals Ben’s pizza money. Ben’s friend, Star Wars fanatic Chucky Mull (who goes by the nickname Chunky Mold) says Ben should have stood up for himself. Ben disagrees, quoting Yoda: “’A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack.’” Ben is a grade ahead of his age: a sci-fi reading, asthmatic bibliophile. He loves nothing better than hanging out in the local library and reading. He doesn’t carry books around, however, because he knows he would be the target of bullies who would happily damage the books or give him a wedgie. The librarian, Mrs. Lorentz, looks out for Ben, letting him prop the fire escape door open on his bad asthma days, and recommending books for him. She always has a welcoming plate of Chips Ahoy cookies at the library desk.

Ben and his mom, Tess, live on Coney Island, a beachfront neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. Up to the age of 10, Ben was shuffled between foster homes until his speech therapist, Tess, adopted him. Tess is 67, and plans to retire soon and move with Ben to Florida. Tess’s partner, Laura, died of cancer before Ben came to live with Tess. Ben reflects that he has known Tess longer than he’s known anyone. Tess calls Ben “Traveler,” telling him that “Life’s a journey…and we’re all in for one heck of a ride. Hiking up hill is the best part of the trip, never forget.”



One day, Ben hears a commotion in an alley behind the library. He finds a cat attacking what he thinks is another cat, then realizes it is really a tiny, ragged stray dog. Ben slowly befriends the dog and takes it home. Tess immediately agrees to keep the dog, saying to Ben, “he picked you for a reason.” They make a good-faith effort to find the dog’s previous owner. They locate the owner, who is homeless and cannot afford to feed him. Ben gets to keep the dog, and names him Flip. Flip bonds closely with Ben. He follows Ben everywhere and when Ben is at school, Flip makes a pillow in his underpants and watches the front door until he comes home.

Ben enters Flip in Read to Rufus, a program that trains dogs to be reading therapy dogs helping kids who have trouble reading. Flip passes the course and gets his certification. This allows Ben to bring Flip to the library with him.

Ben also meets Halley, Mrs. Lorentz’ daughter. Ben calls her Rainbow Girl, because she wears all the colors of the rainbow. The first time Ben sees Halley, she’s wearing a lime-green beret, a glittery scarf, a red suit jacket with gold buttons, purple gloves, and pink sparkly high-tops. Halley has a vivacious personality, and says she is “like the Comet.” Halley is battling rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft-tissue cancer that affects children. Because she is bald from chemotherapy treatments, Halley wears colorful wigs. She refuses to give in to the disease, saying that she is going to “kick its butt.” She also refuses to talk about the cancer because she believes that talking about it gives it power. Ben thinks she is beautiful, and the two become fast friends. Ben meets Halley’s father, a magician who goes by the stage name Mercurious Raines.



Together, Halley and Ben begin writing a novel they call “The Magic Box.” The main characters are Helen, like Helen of Troy, and Bruce, like Bruce Wayne. The story begins to parallel Halley’s and Ben’s real lives. Halley refuses to tell Ben exactly what is in the story’s magic box, telling him he’ll have to wait until the end.

On the day when Ben finally stands up to the bully Rayburn at school, he comes home to find that Tess has died from a heart attack. Ben and Flip go to live with Tess’s sister, Aunt Jeanie, and her boyfriend Leo. Ben must sell most of his book collection. Ben is unhappy in his new home. Jeanie and Leo are always fighting, and Ben can’t sleep well. Leo drinks too much, and calls Ben “champ.” One day, Leo kicks Flip and strikes Ben. The two run away.

The Lorentz family takes Ben and Flip in to live with them. Halley feels the cancer return. She dies during an emergency surgery. Ben discovers that Halley has left him a real, wooden magic box. He opens it and finds a mirror. Ben tells Halley’s family that he thinks he shouldn’t live with them any longer because he would just be a painful reminder of Halley. They respond that Ben was meant to be with them: reminding them of Halley will keep her alive.