Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
Zed Moonstein Makes a Friend
Lance Rubin · 2025
83/100
👍 Worth It
Lance Rubin threads a genuinely tricky needle: the AI-gone-wrong premise lands as funny and unsettling in equal measure without tipping into heavy-handed tech panic. The first-person voice rings true for twelve-year-olds navigating social anxiety and the pull of easy digital connection. A timely middle-grade read that earns its praise.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety90
substance84
craft85
originality76
accuracy80
hype70
age-fit90
human-eye83
Penny’s verdict83
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