Cooner, Donna. Worthy.

Cooner, Donna. Worthy. Scholastic Press/Point   2017  272p  $17.99  Hardback  ISBN 978-0-545-90393-6    ms/hs     Realistic fiction  VG      

Everyone at Linden’s high school is obsessed with the new app Worthy. Pictures and comments are posted on Worthy and the question is posed: "Is the girl worthy of the guy?" At first it seems like fun, as any new app is, but eventually Worthy causes turmoil in the relationships in the school. Linden becomes intrigued and begins to question who is behind this app, who’s posting the pictures, and who is doing the voting.

This well-written book will appeal to teenagers, who are all too familiar with social media. The characters are well developed and accurately depict typical high-school students involved with the Internet and activities. Linden’s growth throughout the book is recognizable and admirable, and it sends a good message to readers. It is an exciting story that will entertain and enlighten readers.
     

This book is recommended for any middle- or high-school library and will appeal to teen readers.

Summary: There is a new app that everyone is obsessed with at Linden’s high school, named Worthy, that posts pictures and asks if the girl is worthy of the guy, which results in much turmoil in boy-girl relationships in the school.

Social media-Fiction                                        --Virginia McGarvey

Charbonneau, Joelle. NEED.

Charbonneau, Joelle.  NEED.   Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt Brace     2015  338p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-544-41669-7  jr/sr      Realistic fiction  E-BN

Is there a difference between a wish and a need?  The high-school students in Nottawa, Wisconsin, join the newest, hottest networking site to try to get something for nothing.  Kaylee Dunham has a definite need.  She needs a kidney for her brother.  Her friend, Nate Weakley, had her join the site to find a match for her brother’s kidney.  Kaylee has to depend on Nate because her classmates don’t like her, her mother doesn’t trust her, and she is desperate to get a kidney for her brother.  However, she soon comes to realize that someone knew the students’ secrets and could make her classmates act in outrageous ways.  People are getting hurt, buildings are burning, and Nate is kidnapped.  Kaylee feels it is up to her to find the person or persons behind the site.

This book will provide an insight into the dark side of the social media upsurge.  It will also engage readers as Kaylee fights to win her mother’s trust and to answer the question of what or who is behind the website that is causing her classmates to become killers.

Summary: Is there a difference between a wish and a need?  The high-school students in Nottawa, Wisconsin, join the newest, hottest networking site to try to get something for nothing.  The site demands a task for a request.  The tasks escalate and Kaylee needs answers.  

Social media-Fiction                                        --Linda McNeil

Littman, Sarah Darer. Backlash.

Littman, Sarah Darer.  Backlash.  Scholastic Press    2015  321p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-545-65126-4  ms/hs  Realistic fiction  E-BN      

Bullied continuously for being overweight in middle school, Lara suffers from  low self-esteem.  But things start looking up socially for Lara as she enters high school when she makes the varsity cheerleading team and begins making new friends.  Then she meets a gorgeous boy on social media and adds him to her list of friends.  She is smitten by Christian’s good looks and kind words, and he is hinting at asking her to his school dance.  As Lara begins to search online for dresses, Christian turns on her and posts mean, humiliating comments about her on social media, even telling her that the world would be a better place without her.  Lara tries to commit suicide; however, she is discovered in time for her life to be saved.

What follows are the realistically depicted effects on her family as well as the ripple that extends to the entire community, like a stone thrown in a pond. Sarah Darer Littman has written a fabulous novel reflecting current events that are happening all too frequently for teens today.  The fast-paced plot is well written and describes events realistically and precisely.  The credible reaction of everyone affected by cyber-bullying and attempted suicide is not just socially relevant, but it is also well-written.  Readers won’t want to put this book down and will be astounded by the climax and resolution of the story.

This fabulous depiction of real-life events presented through fiction sends a powerful message to readers.  It is a must-read for any middle- or high-school student, and even for parents, that will hopefully send a “think first” message regarding social media.  It is recommended as an Excellent, Book of Note novel.
     

Summary: When Lara “friends” a boy she doesn’t know on social media, it looks like a romance beginning; however, Christian begins posting nasty things about Lara and she tries to commit suicide, causing consequences that affect not only her family, but the entire community.        

Social media-Fiction, Cyber-bullying-Fiction                --Virginia McGarvey

Baron, Ruth. Defriended.

Baron, Ruth.  Defriended.  Scholastic Press     2013  238p  ISBN 978-0-545-42357-1 hs/adult     Paperback   VG-BN  Horror     

In this creative story, the protagonist, Jason, is gullible -- the perfect choice for Lacey as she uses Facebook to meet a boy who is lonely and willing as well as naive.  In fact, Lacey and Jason have so much in common that Jason begins to question their online relationship.  When he Googles her name, he discovers that the girl to whom he is writing has died.  What should he do?  He finds himself drawn into a dramatic search for the truth about Lacey’s death.  He enlists the help of his best friend, and together they forge ahead.  There are many possibilities: that Lacey never died, that she committed suicide, that she was murdered, that she fell from a balcony by accident, and that she is communicating with Jason via Facebook from some kind of afterlife.  Children do strange and scary things on the computer these days, and that is why this book is a compelling read.  We never really know if our children are safe.  We never really know who is “playing” with us behind the truly faceless technology.  The falling action is complex, the ending is creepy, and the resolution is unpredictable.  All three adjectives combine to make this book by Ruth Baron, a very talented writer, a wonderful choice.             

This book is a Book of Note to be enjoyed by both male and female readers at the high-school level.   It is not easy to bridge the gender gap, but with the right plot and character development, Baron has done so.

Summary: Through Facebook, a teenaged boy is drawn into a mystery involving a new relationship.  Curiosity about Lacey motivates him to learn more, but what he learns is that she is dead.  He teams up with his best friend to try to solve the mystery.         

Social media-Fiction, Mystery-Fiction                       --Martha Squaresky