Zed Moonstein Makes a Friend
Zed Moonstein Makes a Friend by Lance Rubin is a middle grade novel published by HarperCollins Publishers on August 26, 2025. This 336-page book presents a humorous yet unsettling tale about a boy struggling to make friends in middle school. Zed Moonstein, who has always relied on his best friend Rishti, finds himself feeling left out as she forms a new friendship. In a bid to cope, Zed discovers a top-secret app called MonoFriend, leading him to create an A.I. companion named Matt, who seems to understand him better than anyone else.
Readers will find a story that explores themes of friendship, social skills, and the challenges of growing up. As Zed navigates his changing relationship with Rishti and the complexities of his new A.I. friend, the narrative delves into the humorous and sometimes frightening implications of technology in personal connections. This edition offers a unique blend of literature and fiction, making it a relevant read for those interested in the intersection of childhood experiences and modern technology.
Official synopsis Publisher
Acclaimed author Lance Rubin makes his middle grade debut with a hilariously terrifying, terrifyingly hilarious story of a boy who gets more than he bargained for when he creates an A.I. best friend.
Zed Moonstein is terrible at making friends.
For the most part, though, that’s not such a big deal, because Zed has Rishti, his best friend and the only one he needs. They’re into the same stuff, they laugh at the same weird jokes, and they love living in MonoTown, the home of MonoLyth, the raddest tech company in the world. Even better, Zed’s mom works at MonoLyth, which means they get early access to all the newest devices and apps.
But since middle school started, things have been . . . trickier. Rishti and Zed are in all different classes, and worse, she’s made a new, cooler friend that Zed can’t seem to compete with. Zed feels left behind, forgotten in a drawer like last year’s MonoPhone.
That’s when Zed comes across something on his mom’s work computer: a top secret new app called MonoFriend. Soon, Zed is chatting with “Matt.” Matt is funny, he’s smart, and he knows Zed better than anyone else, even Rishti.
Maybe, Zed thinks, an A.I. best friend can be just as “real” as any other.
Unfortunately, he’s about to discover that he’s more right than he knows.
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