Reviews and Comments

While I think this book has some good points at times, most of it reads as an unedited mess. The TL;DR at the end may be the most comprehensive part. I read the version updated in 2020 but the updates don’t seem to be relevant other than “who knows what will happen when everyone is out of lockdown”. I think this book struggles to find its audience because a lot of people who are lost with what to do with screens might not pick up a book about it.

I read this because I am an educator and because I have a toddler that will be growing up in a world that favors screen time above all else. Some things are definitely worth considering (like allowing kids to have more unstructured time and responsibilities) but there’s almost no call to reform social media. There’s an explanation about why they are addicting and a push to get kids on it later, even some suggestions for legislation but almost nothing about protecting consumer privacy and the algorithms that highlight information about eating disorders to young users. Social media needs to be regulated. Otherwise banning screens at school will do little when kids are awake at 2am still scrolling. The book also suggests that the increase in people that are transgender is the latest “internet fad” which was an unnecessary paragraph in my opinion.

I love when “kids books” don’t hold back. The theme of empathy is central to this story, from hospital treatment, addiction, and loss. During her summer at a university for her dad’s futurist job, Addie experiences virtual reality for the first time. While initially using it as an escape, she soon begins to see new potential to help others. It was an easy and enjoyable read with good characterization and a positive message of growth.

There are some books that you hit a certain point and you’re hooked and you’re going to finish this book as quickly as possible. Maybe it’s on the first few pages. Maybe it’s halfway through. It never came for me in this book. Overall I felt it kind of slow and the characters mostly meh. Plus the overall premise of a girl who gave up on love after being hurt but changing her mind after a short period of time with a man who’s too good to be true isn’t creative or inspiring. If you need an entertaining airport read or a beach read this book will probably do the trick.

Mysterious strings contain the length of your life. They appear in fancy boxes on your 22nd birthday. Why? Nobody knows. This book has a lot of good conversation potential especially as the people in the story divide into “short-stringers” and “long-stringers” and the potential for discrimination arises. Should a “short-stringer” be allowed to adopt? Work in certain jobs? However, the multiple viewpoints are dizzying to keep up with and there’s not much of a conclusion at the end.

Is there anything better for young adult fantasy than two love triangles of dangerous men? Both Scarlett and Donatella Dragna were swept into the fantasy world of Legend and Caraval where fantasy and reality are blended. But when the dangerous Fates were released they set out to defeat them with lots of magical twists, tricks, and bargains along the way. And, of course, attempt to choose a suitor with so many attempting to win their hearts.

A year after his mom passed away from COVID-19, Reef is living with his mom’s friend and her family when his memories start to get exchanged with another kid who lives across town. As his memories get swapped to the other person’s head, he forgets them. He no longer knows his class schedule, his street address, or the fact that he made plans with the girl he has a crush on. Using the details from someone else’s life the two manage to find each other and devise a plan to get their lives back on track. An enjoyable middle grade fiction, the biggest downfall is the lack of any real explanation for their memory phenomenon.

Clementine is a lab mouse with super intelligence. She was rescued by a junior researcher and placed in the mailbox of a nature tv show host, Pop, and his grandson. The lab is offering rewards for her capture so they devise a plan to have Clementine play chess on the show to save her life. Written in letter format from Clementine to a chimpanzee lab friend, Rosie, Always, Clementine is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once.