Asking for a Friend

Gr 3-7–Eden Jones is trying to make it at a new school after a heartbreaking loss of friendship at their previous one. Their Social Anxiety Disorder, as Eden and their single mom capitalize it, will surely lessen at the new school and a fresh start. Not wanting to disappoint their mother, Eden lies about having friends. When their mother announces that she will host the friends at their upcoming 13th birthday party, Eden is determined to make this happen by becoming actual friends with the students they’ve told their mother about. Eden manages to genuinely connect with most of the friend-targets, and they quickly become an LGBTQIA+ crew. But as their lies pile up and the friends grow closer, Eden must face some tough truths about themself. The insta-friendships that develop with this group of queer junior high kids are both preposterous and believable. At first, when all of the characters immediately come out to each other, it seems too rosy; but once readers understand that each of them lacked queer community, it makes sense that they bond so strongly. All of the characters are well defined and represent various shades of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. The writing is reminiscent of Judy Blume and Alex Gino with its matter-of-fact tone, but at times it feels unrealistically and awkwardly chipper. Yet Eden’s inner voice of anxiety, low self-esteem, and panic attacks are spot-on. The author’s notes include information about the characters’ identities and a glossary of terms.