Asking For A Friend

Another masterpiece of joy by Ronnie Riley in their newest middle grade story Asking for a Friend.

Eden’s started a new school and has been telling their mom all about their new “friends”. When they actually begin to open up and these “friends” become seemingly true friends, the problems start for Eden as they get so caught up in their lies they begin to panic about what is true and what isn’t.

I really love Ronnie Riley’s stories! As an adult who grew up in the 90s I have a lot of learning to do and I find no better learning opportunity than through Ronnie’s stories. They are filled with compassion and joy while also being real about the conflicts that LGBTQ+ youth face. Their books never pander, never misgender or dead name and always stay as true to reality as possible.

In this story Eden faces a lot of challenges and readers have the opportunity to either learn what it’s like to face panic and anxiety or can feel seen through Eden and their friends. While they do face challenges, this is not a book solely focused on pain and misery. This story is a joyful expression of what it’s like to find people who share commonalities and who support you no matter how many mistakes you make. For any fans of Alice Oseman’s Heartstopper series, this book feels just like that world and readers will feel the warm embrace of being seen and heard through Eden’s story.

Asking for a Friend felt like a warm embrace and it offered me an opportunity to understand experiences that are very different from my own and also offer me the opportunity to learn so that I can be a better ally to the people young and old that I encounter in my day to day.