The Neighborhood Nine, and Other Friendship Stories

Published in 1994 by Highlights for Children, this anthology collects short friendship-themed fiction for elementary readers. The Highlights brand has a genuine decades-long track record of values-affirming, character-building content — cooperation, loyalty, inclusion, working through conflict — and this collection reflects that editorial tradition. For parents already comfortable with the Highlights voice, it's a safe and sensible shelf addition. The honest caveat is that detailed critical information about the individual stories is scarce, which makes it difficult to evaluate the anthology's range or consistency in depth. It is out of print with limited current visibility. What we know points to a clean, purposeful book for ages six to ten; what we can't confirm is how memorable the individual stories are. Approach with appropriate expectations.