(2) YA Stone's (Dear Martin, rev. 11/17) latest YA novel opens with a text-message exchange between two apparent strangers, one of whom has accidentally messaged the other during a night of heavy drinking. The third-person narration then alternates focus between the two of them. On her way home, Shelbi, the recipient of the mysterious message, passes a car accident and believes she sees her classmate Andy. The next chapter introduces readers to Andy as he sits in a police vehicle, having crashed his own car while driving drunk. Shelbi and Andy soon realize they were texting each other and begin hanging out. Once they become close friends, Shelbi, who has bipolar disorder, asks Andy to sign a friendship contract in order to protect herself from harmful behavior, which she has experienced in the past. But the complications aren't over, in part due to Andy's drinking. Readers will appreciate Stone's honest discussion of the critical issues of mental illness and substance abuse (a content warning also indicates self-harm). The book provides a starting point for thinking about how to set boundaries in friendships, as well as what it means to support a friend who is in need. Opening and closing notes from the author emphasize the importance of ending the stigma around mental illness.

Reviewer: Nicholl Denice Montgomery | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(1) K-3 What is going on in our brains, on our phones, and in the world when we send or receive a text message? Emberley's skillfully crafted picture book answers this not-so-simple question in a delightful mix of illustrations, diagrams, and captions with a clear through-line narration that makes the complicated science behind our electronic interactions comprehensible. Readers follow along when a late-night text message awakens a child from their sleep, as a series of physiological events ("cells inside the eyes detect the photons, then translate the photon's message into an electronic signal, which travels through soft threads of hollow nerves...straight into the brain") results in a reply that must travel halfway around the world. Emberley illustrates every step in the process as the message travels through the air ("as a unique, invisible, electromagnetic radio wave"), through wires (both copper and glass), underground, and below the ocean before finding its way to the recipient's--as we learn, the child's mom's--screen. Detailed illustrations feature numerous labels, and offset captions further illuminate the scientific and technological explanations, allowing the narrative to focus on the larger actions as the message's digital signal races on. Readers will never again think the same way about the basic act of sending a text message. Back matter provides additional technical details, including an explanation of when and under what conditions satellites become involved in the process. A list of resources for further reading is included.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2021

(2) 4-6 Emmie & Friends series. Libenson continues to explore middle school's "huge bowl of drama soup." This third installment spans the last day of seventh grade for a group of friends. Popular Celia convinces Maya to text friend-since-kindergarten Jaime and dump her from the group for being too immature. Libenson presents characters willing to face and question their motives. Jaime's point of view is told via text and small interspersed drawings; Maya's is in a comics-style format.

Reviewer: Julie Danielson | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(4) YA Eighteen-year-old Maeve thinks about sex...a lot. But with her muscular dystrophy and wheelchair use, she worries about logistics--and possible rejection. Directing handsome Cole in a student film offers opportunities for flirting, dating, and sexting. Subplots involving a suicidal friend and an exploitative charity organizer are somewhat at odds with the romance, but Maeve's self-deprecating, raunchy narration successfully dispels stereotypes about people with disabilities.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(3) YA After eighteen-year-old college freshman Penny Lee helps twenty-one-year-old café manager Sam mid–panic attack, they develop an intimate relationship via text exchanges and become each other's emotional anchor. In this sensitive novel about romance in a digitally obsessed world, chapters alternate between the perspectives of the two deeply flawed protagonists as they bare their souls about their dysfunctional families, crippling anxieties, and aspirational dreams.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 TBH series. Ari and Kaylan (11 Before 12) return for seventh grade with twelve new goals before their thirteenth birthdays. But Ari struggles to balance her new summer-camp friends and BFF Kaylan, and Ari's parents are having financial trouble. This installment isn't the freshest, but Ari's bat mitzvah preparations allow for authentic reflection on her place in her Jewish community and in the larger world.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) 4-6 TBH series. Sixth graders Cecily, Gabby, and Prianka are BFFAE (best friends forever and ever). A new girl forces her way into their group texts, causing damage to their IRL friendship (Awkward); the trio is tested again during spring-fair planning (TMI). Told entirely through emoji-heavy texts, emails, etc., these accessible and appealing (if gimmicky) stories lightly broach social pressure and bullying in tweens' tech-dominated lives. Text-speak glossary appended. Review covers these TBH titles: TBH, This Is SO Awkward and TBH, This May Be TMI.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(2) 4-6 Babymouse: Tales from the Locker series. Illustrated by Matthew Holm. Babymouse has a lot to learn when she gets her first smartphone. Her forays into the quagmire of social media intensify her obsession with popularity and make her vulnerable to the middle schooler's nightmare: public humiliation. Babymouse's phone troubles are LOL funny, but her misguided attempts to reinvent herself will definitely resonate with fans. Black-and-white cartoon illustrations are integral to advancing the story, second in the spinoff series.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(4) YA Illustrated by Zoë Ingram. In Blank, entries from a Tumblr featuring anonymously submitted, unsent letters are organized in categories ("Dear Me," "Love," "Loss," "Thank You," among others); unfortunately, many letters, while relatable, are clichéd. Message is a less-organized compilation of submissions to another Tumblr focusing on people's experiences with "last words." In both browsable novelty books, doodlelike illustrations sometimes compete with the entries' emotional resonance. Review covers these titles: Dear My Blank and The Last Message Received.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(2) 4-6 After cell phones are banned at Branton Middle School, students begin communicating via Post-it notes. As it turns out, Post-its work just as well for insults and anonymous cruelty. Narrator Frost is a perfect guide to this underworld of middle-school hell. Acute observations about social media and school life and a smart, engaging protagonist make this a journey worth taking.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2017

(4) YA Through emails and text messages, best friends Gen and Ava share their freshman-year experiences--including Gen coming out and Ava losing her virginity--while attending colleges on opposite coasts. The epistolary style moves the story along at a brisk pace, but it's heavy on exposition and light on action. This new-adult novel will be most appreciated by fans of the YouTube-comedienne authors.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(4) YA Keeley accidentally swaps phones with Talon, who leaves for football camp before they realize the mistake. The teens--who've never met in person--fall for each other via text; Keeley doesn't know that Talon is actually her popular twin brother's rival. The potential to meaningfully explore how people's behavior differs when texting versus face-to-face is sadly unmet, but the romantic banter is entertaining.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(1) 4-6 Gracie realizes she like-likes AJ Rojanasopondist. AJ like-likes Gracie's best friend, Sienna. Despite nursing a mild heartache, Gracie helps Sienna compose texts to AJ, whose messages feel oddly familiar--kind of like Gracie's close friend Emmett. Gracie's breakneck narration (presented in and out of text messages) folds in an effortlessly diverse cast. Through Gracie's rollicking commentary, Vail captures the anguish and hilarity of middle school.

Reviewer: Anastasia M. Collins | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017

(2) YA Seventeen-year-old Carver believes his text message was to blame for the devastating car wreck that killed his three best friends. Looking for an outlet, Carver shares a "goodbye day" with Blake's grandmother and soon does the same with Eli's and Mars's families as well. Zentner skillfully depicts his protagonist's inner turmoil and the beginnings of his recovery in a frequently raw narrative.

Reviewer: Anastasia M. Collins | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2017

(4) 4-6 Anna (I Text Dead People) just wants to be normal, but dead people keep texting her. Lately, it's former mean girl Harper, who expects Anna's help to rejoin the living. Armed with humor and with help from witchy friend Eden, Anna navigates ghosts, warlocks, and middle school. Alternating Anna's and Harper's viewpoints, Cooper's slim, more-cute-than-scary tale will appeal to fans of Monster High.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(4) YA Issues in Society series. Each volume opens with an introduction explaining the title issue. After presenting facts, current statistics, and research, the authors then delve deeper into issues such as the role of video games in violent or addictive behaviors; each book's final chapter explores possible ways to resolve or mitigate problems. Color photos and occasional "Viewpoint" sections add interest to the dense prose and dull, textbook-like layouts. Reading list, websites. Ind. Review covers the following Issues in Society titles: Do Police Abuse Their Powers?, Are Mobile Devices Harmful?, Are Video Games Harmful?, and Is Social Media Good for Society?.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(4) 4-6 Matters of Opinion series. Each slim volume models persuasive essay writing and broadly introduces an oft-debated school-related social issue. Chapters open with a key question, followed by arguments (first "Yes," then "No") that advance a thesis. Follow-up sections highlight the debate techniques implemented. Relevant stock photos break up the somewhat choppy texts. Essay-writing guidelines are appended. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Matters of Opinion titles: School Violence, Bullying, and Cell Phones.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(4) YA Overachiever Ruth Ann ("Roo") is headed for Yale; younger sister Tilly is "having senior slump, and she's only a freshman." When Roo responds to Tilly's text while driving, there's a terrible accident. Told from both girls' perspectives--guilt- and grief-stricken Tilly's and Roo's, a victim of locked-in syndrome--the emotional story is hampered by preachiness about the dangers of texting while driving.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) 4-6 The problems Anna faces as the new girl in school become significantly more complicated when she starts receiving texts from a ghost. Instead of worrying about where to sit at lunch, now Anna must contend with a dead (and needy) social misfit, troublesome cliques, and her mom's new job as a "corpse cosmetologist." This intentionally silly ghost story is entertaining if overly cutesy.

Reviewer: Lauren Rizzuto

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by J. P. Coovert. Katie--like her bestie, Charlie Joe Jackson, and everyone in their middle-school class--texts constantly. After sending the wrong text and jeopardizing a good friendship, Katie takes a cue from her technology-hating rock-star idol and swears off screens for a week. The story feels purposeful, but Greenwald's meditation on the timely topic of technology use among tweens avoids preachiness.

Reviewer: Sophie Williamson