and what to do when things get tricky
Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing | 28 July 2026 | Paperback | 208pp | RRP AU$24.99 NZ$27.99
From the best-selling authors of Welcome to Consent and Welcome to Your Period comes this indispensable guide for tweens and teens on navigating the highs and lows of friendship – including making friends, keeping them and what to do when things get difficult.
In this primer on all things friendship, journalist Yumi Stynes and adolescent health expert Dr Melissa Kang demystify the world of friendship with their characteristic warmth, kindness and no-nonsense advice. Welcome to Friendship is the perfect resource for any young person wanting to level up their social skills, whether they’re starting a new school, changing friendship groups or widening their social circles.
With a focus on building self-confidence, self-awareness and respect, Welcome to Friendship breaks down the basics and digs into tough topics, including friendship groups, AI and online friendships, conflict and how to spot when someone is being a bad friend.
Welcome to Friendship is the fifth book in this multi-award-winning series from Stynes and Kang, written for a wide range of genders and identities, including first-person accounts from people with varied experiences of culture, orientation and ability. With plenty of real-life examples, first-person accounts and questions from real teens and tweens, Welcome to Friendship is packed with age-appropriate content from adolescent health experts that matches the experiences of tweens and young teens.
About the authors
Yumi Stynes is a second-gen Japanese-Australian TV and radio presenter. She’s currently the host of Ladies, We Need to Talk, an award-winning podcast that explores all the trickiest topics and taboos about women’s health, including periods, discharge, difficult motherhood, and whether or not your vagina is weird.
Most people know Dr Melissa Kang as the longest-serving expert behind the iconic Dolly Doctor column, but she also practised as a medical doctor for marginalised young people for 30 years. She is now a Professor of Adolescent Health at the University of Sydney. Dr Melissa is fifth-generation Malaysian-Chinese Anglo-Australian, which makes specialising in adolescent sexuality and sexual health all the more interesting. She continues to speak about these topics in the mainstream media.
Together, they are the best-selling authors of Welcome to Your Period, Welcome to Consent, Welcome to Your Boobs and Welcome to Sex.
I would seriously and sincerely love to know your opinion.