Asking for a Friend

In Ronnie Riley's "Asking for a Friend," Eden Jones navigates the complexities of social anxiety by inventing three fake friends. This strategy works until their mom plans a birthday party, inviting these imaginary companions. Eden's desperate attempts to turn their "friends" into real people lead to unexpected bonds and a growing web of lies. The book beautifully explores themes of honesty, self-acceptance, and the journey to genuine connection, all while celebrating queer joy. It's a thoughtful read for children aged 8-11, offering relatable insights into social challenges and the courage it takes to be oneself.

Eden Jones has exactly three friends. And they're all fake. From a web of lies and social anxiety to true friendship and queer joy; this is the wonderful second book from the author of the Indie Next List pickJude Saves the World. Why go through the stress of making friends when you can just pretend? It works for Eden and their social anxiety... until their mom announces she's throwing them a birthday party and all their friends are invited. Eden's "friends," Duke, Ramona, and Tabitha, are all real kids from school... but Eden's never actually spoken to them before. Now Eden will do whatever it takes to convince them to be their friends--at least until the party is over. When things start to go better than Eden expects, and the group starts to bond, Eden finds themselves trapped in a lie that gets worse the longer they keep it up. What happens if their now sort-of-real friends discover that Eden hasn't been honest with them from the very beginning? Author Ronnie Riley creates a world full of queer joy and all the ups and downs of true friendship.