A Secret Friend

What happens when the friend you trust online isn't who they say they are?Twelve-year-old Alex and his three best friends-Dylan, Brett, and Nate-thought they'd found the perfect online friend in Charlie. For three months, Charlie has been there for them through everything: late-night gaming sessions, family problems, and middle school drama. Charlie understands them better than anyone. But when Alex starts noticing inconsistencies-broken cameras, constant excuses, questions that feel a little too personal-he begins to suspect something isn't right.
His friends think he's being paranoid. After all, Charlie is always there when they need someone to talk to. Why would he lie?Then they find the book. In a local bookstore, the boys discover a published novel that tells their exact stories-their struggles, their conversations, their deepest secrets. And the author's photo isn't a teenage boy from Lincoln Middle School. It's a seventy-year-old woman named Eleanor who's been posing as "Charlie" to mine their lives for material.
Now the boys must decide: Do they confront Eleanor and demand answers? Do they tell their parents and risk losing their phones forever? Or do they try to move on, knowing they were manipulated by someone they trusted?A SECRET FRIEND is a timely, gripping story about online deception, the importance of questioning what you see on screens, and the real friendships that help us survive betrayal. Perfect for readers who loved WONDER, RESTART, and GHOST BOYS, this emotionally authentic novella teaches critical lessons about internet safety without preaching-showing kids that trusting your instincts and standing up for what's right sometimes means standing alone.