Additional information
by Dalbin A. Osorio (Author)
Leah's best friend Maya just moved to Texas, and recess has become the loneliest part of the day. Her "Friendship Stats" are at zero, and the stars she used to map with her telescope look different when you're the only one looking at them.
Then her mother shows her the Bestie-Blaster, a new school app that promises to use 1,000 data points to find her perfect match. Leah inputs her favorite things-astronomy, soccer, mangoes with chili powder-and the algorithm delivers: 99.8% compatibility with Marcus, a boy who likes everything she likes. But the algorithm also flags someone the math says to avoid. Sam. 0% match. Compatibility too low to bother with.
When Marcus turns out to be exactly what the algorithm promised-and exactly what Leah didn't actually need-she starts to wonder whether the math missed something important. Maybe the people who look nothing like you on paper are the ones who turn your world into something bigger than itself.
Leah and the 0% Match: The Algorithm of Friendship is an early chapter book for readers ages 6 to 9 that introduces young readers to how algorithms work-and to the questions algorithms can't answer for us. Featuring an Afro-Latina protagonist who is both a tech-user and an independent thinker, the book celebrates the friendships our data can't predict and reminds kids that a 0% match might be a 100% friend.
