Emily Posts
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Middle school podcast advice columnist + social media influencer wannabe Emily Laurence takes on the principal at her school to stand up for a climate march, in this fun, school-based drama for ages 10 and up. For fans of Gordon Korman and Susin Nielsen.
Emily is the ringleader for her school podcast, Cedarview Speaks — Sponsored by CoastFresh! But her plans for middle-school fame and social media influence are derailed when Amelie joins her eighth-grade class. The new arrival has a seemingly endless supply of confidence and a gift for leading people. Or leading them astray, as far as Emily's concerned.
Emily puts her old-fashioned sense of etiquette into practice. Rather than confronting Amelie, she focuses her energy on creating a podcast story about an upcoming climate march. But her story is censored by the school principal. When she protests, Emily gets cut from the podcast crew . . . and Amelie takes her place!
Can Emily use her influence to spread the news of the climate march, reclaim her place on the podcast team and expose the flaws of CoastFresh? Can she balance her impeccable manners with twenty-first century activism? And how will she ever manage to work alongside Amelie?
With a light touch and plenty of humor, Emily Posts explores issues of social media, influence, corporate sponsorship . . . and the fraught waters of middle-school friendship.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Light humor and erudite insight meld in this socially conscious novel by Kyi (Me and Banksy) that centers middle school activism. White-cued eighth grader Emily Laurence hopes that leading her school's podcast club "through the lens of environmental change" will secure her future as an eco-minded tastemaker and influencer journalist. Jealousy over a magnetic new classmate and frustrations with her newly blended family and her mother's rigid social media rules prompt Emily to distract herself by scripting a podcast story about an upcoming climate march. But when school administration forces the podcast club to cut the story to protect corporate sponsorships, Emily counters with bold action that jeopardizes her friendships and aspirations. As Emily makes amends, bonds with an autistic-cued classmate, and cares for her stepbrother and his wheelchair-using friend, she finds inspiration to develop her online blog Emily Posts, in which she distills her experiences into punchy, clickbait-y articles ("How my life was ruined by my rabid pseudo-sibling"). Kyi scratches the surface of wide-ranging topics such as capitalistic overreliance and greed, cultural appropriation, environmentalism, Indigenous peoples' rights, social media influence, and veganism via convenient plotting that culminates in a rosy resolution. Relevant themes, comedic family antics, and Emily's witty, intimate first-person narration make this a smart and timely read. Ages 10–up.
