I’ve come across two great books for middle school that illustrate nicely how modern media is changing everything, but at the same time, it isn’t.
Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman. This is a creepy ghost mystery that has me reminiscing about being in High School and seeing the Blair Witch Project. Ryan and Sarah are convinced there’s a secret to e found in the death of an old gold miner, but Ryan is not going anywhere after one of their stunts lands him in the hospital. Sarah continues the search, filming what she finds and posting the videos online for Ryan to follow along with. The two use email, video clips, texting, and a range of other things to keep chasing Old Joe Bush, and to keep Ryan’s parents from finding out.
The really cool part? Kids can go online and watch the videos along with Ryan. The websites and passwords are sprinkled throughout the book, so not only do you get a fun story, you get a secret search and a spooky video too. This would be great for reluctant readers or kids who are struggling (they have to read the book to get the passwords, and the videos give visuals to support comprehension). I realize this is extremely clever marketing and not really an altruistic attempt to support literacy, but it’s a whole lot of fun wither way.
Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi. Maddy is having enough trouble dealing with her parent’s divorce and having to move back in with her Grandma, but when kids at her new school start making fun of her, calling her “Geek Girl,” “Goth,” and “Freak,” she just can’t take it anymore. She retreats into a MMOG (massive multiplayer online game, similar to World of Warcraft). There she finds some safe company, some friends, a major crush, and surprisingly, her father (who cancels weekend visits to play online). As she grows a little braver, she starts a Manga club at school and discovers she’s not the only one the cheerleaders call “Geek Girl.” She finds a plenty of kids who are just like her.
This was an excellent book for two reasons. It has a wonderful character who is going through exactly what every other middle school kid is: she just wants to have people like her for who she is. Maddy is spunky and sassy, but is has very human reactions to some of the things that happen to her. The second reason I like this book is that is completely de-mystifies all this techno-junk, like MMOGs, IMing and a host of other acronym adjectives. The kids are using online social networks, they “Wikipediaed” things and they are texting and tweeting all over the place. The author does a brilliant job of having some character explain all this stuff (usually to some lost grown-up) so no one gets lost. There are great conversations about cyber bullying and avatars vs. IRL friends (that’s “in real life” friends, for those who don’t speak IM, and that’s “Instant Messenger” for . . .this thing could get way out of hand!). I would recommend Gamer Girl as a great introduction to modern adolescent communication; it’s a way for parents and librarians to get and idea of what all this stuff is that kids are talking about, and how it’s become a huge part of their everyday lives.
