Tempest In A Teapot! Fancy Nancy Tea for Two by Jane O'Connor

BREE SAYS, "CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO THREE!"

"UN, DEUX, TROIS." (I LOVE COUNTING IN French.)

WHEN I OPEN MY EYES, BREE IS HOLDING A TRAY WITH A FANCY TEA SET ON IT.

"OOO LA LA!

Bree's mother has finally decided that Bree is old enough to be trusted with the prized toy tea set that she and her sister played with when they were little girls. It's a very fancy china set and it still has all its pieces--the teapot AND lid, the sugar bowl, cream pitcher, and all the cups and saucers--lovingly played with and saved just for her. Bree is thrilled, and she and her Best Friend Forever, Nancy Clancy, can't wait to have their first elegante tea party.

Their dolls, Marabelle and Chiffon, are to be honored guests, and as soon as the proper hour for afternoon tea rolls around, the two BFFs and their dolls are dressed in their fanciest and the table is laid with that special tea set.

At first all goes well. Bree and Nancy take turns serving daintily, and then it's time for Marabelle and Chiffon to play hostess with the mostest.

"NOW IT'S MARABELLE'S TURN TO POUR!" I SAY.

"NO!" SAYS BREE. "CHIFFON IS STILL HOSTESS!"

"THAT'S NOT FAIR!" I SAY. "MARABELLE DESERVES TO HAVE A TURN."

I REACH TO TAKE THE TEAPOT. THEN SOMETHING HORRIBLE HAPPENS!

THE TEAPOT GOES FLYING, AND WHEN IT LANDS, ITS LID BREAKS INTO TWO PIECES.

"MY TEA SET IS WRECKED!" SHOUTS BREE. "GO HOME!"

Bree's heirloom teapot has been ruined, and it seems that the teapot lid is not the only thing broken in this event. Will the forever part of best friends forever be history? Is this the final "Au Revoir" for besties Bree and Nancy?

Jane O'Connor's Fancy Nancy: Tea for Two (Harper, 2012) deals with the emotional fallout from a feud between the two lifelong friends, as Nancy has to face up to the fact that friendship has its trials. O'Connor has a keen insight into the significant transitions of the primary school years, and a serious dispute between close friends is one of those situations that almost all children must work through in that passage. A great friendship can be repaired, but not so easily as a teapot lid, and fans of Nancy Clancy will want to read how this one turns out.