Anna struggles to fit in with the other girls at school. They all lead such busy and exciting lives, but her family can't afford extra activities - she has to make do with trips to the supermarket with her mum at the end of the day to pick up the bargains.

When a new girl joins the class, the teacher asks Anna to sit next to her and be her friend. It's an unusual arrangement because the new girl, Ellie, has a serious illness and can't attend in person. She participates instead through a robot.

Anna and Ellie soon hit it off but because Anna wants to appear interesting to her new friend, she starts making up things she's been doing outside school. Soon these stories get out of hand.

It's a lovely story about friendship, the importance of telling the truth, and how we should have the courage to celebrate our differences. And as the story is inspired by real events when the author visited a school where a robot was sitting in class, it is especially appealing.

This novella is a Barrington Stoke publication with yellow paper, bold text and illustrations to make the reading experience easier for those aged 8-12.