Winnie is having a terrible year. Her best friend is pulling away from her and joining the popular kids. Her parents took her phone away; she's the only kid in school who doesn't have a phone. Now there's a list going around rating girls in the class as Hot or Not. Guess which list she made...When rumors start getting posted online - everyone is glued to their screens. It doesn't matter if what they're saying is true, everyone believes the rumors. Winnie and some other disgruntled students decide to start rumors of their own as an experiment. They hope to stop all the online hate and bullying. Can their idea make a difference?
My Thoughts: I felt terrible for all the kids in this book. I wouldn't want to grow up with social media. There's so much here to talk about: the friendship drama, cheating, phone privileges, bullying, gossip, the experiment, and fake news. I really love how the group of non-friends: 1) become friends and 2) create an experiment to play with fake news and rumors. Also, I love that this was based off a news story. I hope this book makes readers think about their social media footprint. I hope it makes readers think about kindness. This subject is so important right now for middle school students and Barbara Dee handles it with perfection. I hope over the years, this becomes required reading.
Cover Thoughts: Love it
Source: Book sent fore review
Library Recommendation: A must have for your school and public library collections - don't sleep on this one.
Hand this book to: middle school students and parents of middle school students.
Release date: October 20, 2026.
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