Maya and the Robot is a novel centered on childhood friendships. Very early on, Maya spends nearly an entire chapter talking about how amazing her friends are and how she is excited to see them again. However, after reuniting with her friends Jada and MJ before the first day of school, she is immediately separated from them when she learns they’ve been placed in different classes for the first time ever. The sense of instability, isolation, and loneliness that stems from this change provides the driving force for the entire novel, and Maya must learn to navigate through new, uncharted territory.

As the novel progresses, Ewing emphasizes the difficulty of childhood friendships in numerous ways. Adolescence, by nature, includes unforeseen changes and obstacles that shake one’s foundation or stability. While friendships are often extremely strong during this time period because of the proximity and structure that comes with a school setting, they are just as fragile. Due to the rapid-fire challenges and changes that affect every individual as they come of age, friendships are often unexpected casualties during an already vulnerable and emotional time.

For Maya, once she’s cut off from the normal ways she typically connects with her friends—class and recess—she becomes emotionally overwhelmed and begins to spiral into self-doubt and isolates herself from everyone.