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Zuiker Teen Topics
Click: A Story of Cyberbullying
Lexi Philips is a confident, talented girl just entering middle school when a misunderstanding during a volleyball match leads to the loss of her friends, and to them relentlessly bullying her via social media. The torment inflicted on Lexi by these mean girls reduces her to a ghost of herself. She believes the posts saying she is ugly, or fat, or skinny, and unworthy of love . . . until her parents urge her to look to herself for strength and not allow bullies to define her.
Lexi finds the power within herself to overcome cyberbullying. And in a twist of karmic fate, the tables turn on her tormenters on social media.
Lexi finds the power within herself to overcome cyberbullying. And in a twist of karmic fate, the tables turn on her tormenters on social media.
96 pages, Hardcover
Published November 6, 2018
3 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 18, 2020
This is an educational comic that teaches the dangers of cyberbullying through the real-life story of a high school girl who suffered through it. I went in with low expectations, but the artists visualized the story in a way that was creative. For example, when the author describes how she felt after a certain incident of cyberbullying, the artist depicts her as a boneless bag of skin flopping on the ground--not what I was expecting! Since this was good, I think I'll try out some of the other comics in this series.
December 23, 2019
Good book great series
December 13, 2018
Photographs are most often employed as mementos, capturing raw instances of life many hope will anchor us to a time and place that defy forgetting. But so often, photos also serve as maps, capable of weaving an imaginary set of lines that connect us --- sometimes against our will --- to people and events we never knew or never stopped to consider. CLICK, the new novel from Arthur A. Levine Books, offers a stunning reminder of how photos can do more than jog the memory and document an event. They can link lives, inspire action and --- when necessary --- help us define who we are.
Mirroring the idea that photos can join together disparate lives, CLICK is written by not one but 10 young adult novelists --- David Almond, Eoin Colfer, Roddy Doyle, Deborah Ellis, Nick Hornby, Margo Lanagan, Gregory Maguire, Ruth Ozeki, Linda Sue Park and Tim Wynne-Jones --- each contributing their decidedly unique storytelling abilities to this ambitious project. Each writer has crafted a single chapter, all of which mosaic together to form a single snapshot from a multi-generational story.
The novel begins with Maggie and Jason, teenage siblings whose grandfather, world-renowned photographer George "Gee" Keane, has just passed away. To Jason, Gee has bequeathed a cache of photographs, a nearly living library of history that spans Gee's global career. Maggie receives a puzzle box with seven sea shells, one collected from each continent Gee visited, and the message, "Throw them all back." Their inheritances send Maggie and Jason on separate but determined quests that will lead them to discover more of who their grandfather was and who they themselves have yet to become.
The stories of Maggie and Jason are woven around flashes back in time, taking us along with Gee on his journeys across the world, documenting war and injustices with his trusty camera. We meet Annie, a sickly girl in the United Kingdom whose obsession with the sea could hold the key to identifying the father she never knew. We meet Lev, a teenage political prisoner in Russia who creates a symbol for his escapes that proves important to Maggie. Each of the stories, no matter the time period or continent, are linked to Gee and his drive to make his photos capture the humanity in often inhumane situations.
What works best in this patchwork novel is the mastery with which a very complex story is allowed to be laid out so simply. Although we jump around in time and space, beginning with Maggie and Jason as teens and ending with Maggie in a quasi-bleak future, the through-line of the narrative remains strong and engaging. Each author grabs a hold of the reader with their contribution, offering a unique portion of the puzzle that at once deconstructs Gee Keane and sets Maggie and Jason on a course for self-discovery.
Oddly enough, what makes the book unique might also be its greatest flaw. At times, switching writers, and therefore voices, became distracting. Some writers chose first-person narrators (not necessarily a bad thing, but it often created a tonal shift that was occasionally jarring). Some used their natural talents for symbolism in ways not utilized by the other writers. Of course, this is to be expected when drawing from a pool of such talent. But while the narrative keeps the strands of the story tied together, I found myself wishing for more consistency in style. Some chapters could stand alone as short stories, others are inexorably tied to the covers of the book. One has to wonder what each of these authors might have done of their own accord if presented with the synopsis.
Still, this is a book not to be missed because it prominently displays each of the involved authors writing at the top of their forms. The chapters by David Almond, Tim Wynne-Jones and Margo Lanagan were stand-outs, striking at the emotional heart of the novel with unrelenting mastery of technique.
CLICK, to paraphrase an old saying, is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside of an enigma: a book that demands multiple reads because each time through it will reward the reader with another beautiful layer of meaning. It should be noted that all royalties from sales of the book will benefit Amnesty International. Gee would have wanted it that way.
Mirroring the idea that photos can join together disparate lives, CLICK is written by not one but 10 young adult novelists --- David Almond, Eoin Colfer, Roddy Doyle, Deborah Ellis, Nick Hornby, Margo Lanagan, Gregory Maguire, Ruth Ozeki, Linda Sue Park and Tim Wynne-Jones --- each contributing their decidedly unique storytelling abilities to this ambitious project. Each writer has crafted a single chapter, all of which mosaic together to form a single snapshot from a multi-generational story.
The novel begins with Maggie and Jason, teenage siblings whose grandfather, world-renowned photographer George "Gee" Keane, has just passed away. To Jason, Gee has bequeathed a cache of photographs, a nearly living library of history that spans Gee's global career. Maggie receives a puzzle box with seven sea shells, one collected from each continent Gee visited, and the message, "Throw them all back." Their inheritances send Maggie and Jason on separate but determined quests that will lead them to discover more of who their grandfather was and who they themselves have yet to become.
The stories of Maggie and Jason are woven around flashes back in time, taking us along with Gee on his journeys across the world, documenting war and injustices with his trusty camera. We meet Annie, a sickly girl in the United Kingdom whose obsession with the sea could hold the key to identifying the father she never knew. We meet Lev, a teenage political prisoner in Russia who creates a symbol for his escapes that proves important to Maggie. Each of the stories, no matter the time period or continent, are linked to Gee and his drive to make his photos capture the humanity in often inhumane situations.
What works best in this patchwork novel is the mastery with which a very complex story is allowed to be laid out so simply. Although we jump around in time and space, beginning with Maggie and Jason as teens and ending with Maggie in a quasi-bleak future, the through-line of the narrative remains strong and engaging. Each author grabs a hold of the reader with their contribution, offering a unique portion of the puzzle that at once deconstructs Gee Keane and sets Maggie and Jason on a course for self-discovery.
Oddly enough, what makes the book unique might also be its greatest flaw. At times, switching writers, and therefore voices, became distracting. Some writers chose first-person narrators (not necessarily a bad thing, but it often created a tonal shift that was occasionally jarring). Some used their natural talents for symbolism in ways not utilized by the other writers. Of course, this is to be expected when drawing from a pool of such talent. But while the narrative keeps the strands of the story tied together, I found myself wishing for more consistency in style. Some chapters could stand alone as short stories, others are inexorably tied to the covers of the book. One has to wonder what each of these authors might have done of their own accord if presented with the synopsis.
Still, this is a book not to be missed because it prominently displays each of the involved authors writing at the top of their forms. The chapters by David Almond, Tim Wynne-Jones and Margo Lanagan were stand-outs, striking at the emotional heart of the novel with unrelenting mastery of technique.
CLICK, to paraphrase an old saying, is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside of an enigma: a book that demands multiple reads because each time through it will reward the reader with another beautiful layer of meaning. It should be noted that all royalties from sales of the book will benefit Amnesty International. Gee would have wanted it that way.
October 15, 2021
Took like 15 minutes to read but it was a great book. I think everyone should read this book as social media is something unavoidable nowadays and people need to know that what other people say about them shouldn’t bug them. Those people only see one side.
April 30, 2020
Life was going great for Lexi Philips until she and two of her friends got into a conflict during a fiercely-competitive volleyball match. A casual word leads to misunderstanding and threats, and before Lexi knows it, she has become the subject of systematic cyberbullying. An innocent selfie is enhanced to portray Lexi in a negative light, and she becomes the object of ridicule at her school. Even the mother of two of the girls gets involved in the campaign, and Lexi's other friends are too intimidated to stick by her side. Distraught and unable to see herself as she truly was due to all this negativity, Lexi moves to another school to escape the harassment. A reminder from her mother not to let others define her and the support of her father who takes her out for a celebration help her regain her equilibrium. And in an ending that is almost too good to be true, Lexi gets her happy ending and a form of revenge on the three girls who made her life a living hell for a brief time. Teen readers will relate to this story and how the graphic novel also includes several pages of the author, who clearly has moved on from what happened to her when she was younger. But as the introduction shows, that isn't always the case for those who have been bullied through social media. There are tips for parents offered in the back matter.
October 17, 2018
I received this book for free from Follett. They own the library operating system, Destiny, which my school district uses. At first, I though this was an ARC, but after reading, I realized this is a real copy that hasn't officially been released yet. So, with that being said, my review will be somewhat vague.
I really enjoyed the format of this book. A very simple graphic novel with great illustrations and hot-button, interesting topic. I appreciate that it is based on one girl's true story. I think this will be VERY popular with my junior high crowd. I look forward to reading more from this new publisher.
I really enjoyed the format of this book. A very simple graphic novel with great illustrations and hot-button, interesting topic. I appreciate that it is based on one girl's true story. I think this will be VERY popular with my junior high crowd. I look forward to reading more from this new publisher.
November 27, 2018
Everyone should read this book with their tweens and teens.
September 20, 2019
While a bit like a Cinderella story, this is a good middle school age book. High schoolers wont like the happy ending.
November 18, 2019
A quick read on an important topic.
May 21, 2020
Very uplifting
The author shows who she was before the bullying and shows who she became after the bullying. I wish more anti-bullying stories ended this way.
The author shows who she was before the bullying and shows who she became after the bullying. I wish more anti-bullying stories ended this way.
March 16, 2019
As I’m preparing lessons on digital citizenship, I read this book as a possible resource, and I think it will be very compelling for middle school students. The graphic novel format and personal story are engaging, and the story is realistic. I especially appreciate the details about how the victim reclaimed her life and moved on from the cyberbullying environment. Overall I think this is a very good book for addressing this topic with younger teens.
January 18, 2022
The world can be a cruel, cruel place, but when we talk about things like this, I just hope it becomes better. Lexi is a middle schooler who has been bullied by her three ex-best friends. She endured trials and tribulations, but she finally figures out how to overcome it all and move on with the past. This is a great book about how bullying can have its effects on anyone, especially middle schoolers.
January 7, 2020
It is hard to judge this since this was based on a real teen's story but her narrative was done in such a beautiful and creative way that it was hard for me not to feel anything. Teen readers would definitely gravitate to this type of nonfiction because not only it talks about a subject they have interest in but it tells a story by a teen her way. She controls the narrative.
Read
November 15, 2022Loved this book. It reminds you, that you can do anything and it doesn't matter what others think of you.
November 15, 2021
3.5 stars
I read this for the #AntiBullyReads.
It was good, but a bit short.
I read this for the #AntiBullyReads.
It was good, but a bit short.
January 13, 2023
Lexi rebuilds her life after becoming the victim of cyberbullying, exploring the downside of social media.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews