Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson Offer Online Safety Tips

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Gena Finn blog tour banner

Yesterday, I featured a review of Gena/Finn, a books about two girls who become friends online. Today I’m excited to be part of a blog tour for the book. I’ll let the authors tell you more about the story, as well as their tips to help you stay safe when meeting people online. I have one copy of Gena/Finn to give away to a reader in the U.S. Just leave a comment (before midnight PDT, Monday, June 13) saying whether you’ve ever met a friend online. Find out more about the authors at their websites: Hannahmoskowitz.com and Kathelgeson.com.

Hannah Moskowitz photo

Hannah Moskowitz

Gena/Finn tells the story of two girls who meet online writing fanfiction about their favorite TV show and come to develop a close friendship. We live in a time and a culture that enables people from all over the world to communicate and form bonds – but it’s important to do that safely. Here are a few tips Gena and Finn use in the book to make sure they’re being safe online.

  • Verify who you’re talking to. There are so many ways to do this with all the technology we have available. Look for the other person on social media and you’ll probably get a pretty good picture of the landscape of their life. Ask for pictures – Gena and Finn exchange photos of themselves holding signs with each other’s names and pictures they’ve drawn and posted online, to prove they’re real. Video chatting is also a great idea.
  • Kat Helgeson photo

    Kat Helgeson photo by Jeff Gasikowski

    Talk to people who are (roughly) your own age. Finn’s rule for this is that if someone is too young or too old for her to date, they’re not a good age for an online friendship. Gena’s probably a little less rigid about that. It is, however, a good idea to make sure that you’re talking to people over 18 if you’re over 18 and under 18 if you’re under 18. And in general, communicating with young kids online is not a good idea.

  • Look for people with common interests. Gena and Finn meet in a fandom forum, where people come to talk about the TV show Up Below, write fanfiction, and create art. Finn’s boyfriend Charlie has friends he’s met through online gaming. You might also get to know people through Facebook interest groups, online dating sites, or blogging communities. In any of these cases, if someone seems to be hanging around for reasons other than the intended purpose of the online space, be wary.
  • If you’ve been talking to someone online and you decide to meet face to face, do so in public. Gena and Finn come face to face at a convention with hundreds of other people around, and while they quickly become comfortable enough to retreat to Finn’s hotel room to watch TV, it’s very important to have that first meeting in a neutral space with people around.

Meeting people and making friends via the internet is easier and safer than it’s ever been, provided you take steps to protect yourself. Join a community today, and you won’t believe the diversity of the people you’ll end up talking to. Have fun and be safe!

Book Review: Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson

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Tomorrow I’m taking part in a blog tour for Gena/Finn, and authors Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson will give tips about meeting people online safety. Today I’m featuring a review of the book. If you’d like a chance to win a copy, visit the guest post and comment by June 8. You may also be interested in checking out the discussion guide.

Review

Gena Finn cover imageGena and Finn meet online in a fan fiction forum for their favorite show, Up Below. Soon they are texting, emailing, and talking about things they don’t usually share. Gena is apprehensive about graduating high school and entering college. Finn, who is a few years older, is looking for work and unsure about her relationship with her long-time boyfriend. As they meet in person and get to know each other better, they find themselves wondering where their friendship is headed. Then tragedy strikes, exposing their vulnerabilities and dependence on each other.

Readers get to know the main characters in Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson through blog posts, text messages, emails, and journal entries. Each woman’s personality is revealed through her own words as well as through what others say to her. Gena’s parents are unavailable, off on their own adventures and mostly out of contact. Finn has trouble knowing how she really feels about her boyfriend and telling him how she feels. Both feel the lines of reality blur when they talk about the characters and plot lines of Up Below.

The story looks at a time of life that for many people brings a lot of questions: What do I want my life to be? Is this the best place/person for me? Can I be honest about who I am and still find acceptance from the people who are important to me? When the tragedy occurs, all of those questions are heightened, and finding the answers becomes even more crucial.

Gena/Finn is sure to resonate with young adults and new adults trying to figure out how to navigate relationships and make decisions that will affect their futures.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: Klickitat by Peter Rock

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Klickitat cover imageDark and foreboding, Klickitat is told through the eyes of Vivian, a teen whose family is stressed by her older sister’s (Audra) rebellion and Vivian’s unnamed mental malady that causes her to retreat far within herself when she is stressed.

As the action escalates, Audra talks of living in the wilderness on her own, with a boy she met who will show her how. Audra runs away, then comes back to take Vivian with her. The three teens find a clandestine spot to hide until they can strike out on their own, but obstacles crop up that keep them in the city, building to a terrible conclusion.

Klickitat brings up life-questioning issues many teens grapple with — rejection of their parents’ lifestyles and values, and uncertainty about their own looming adulthood and plans for the future — at a time when they are establishing their core personalities and values.

It’s a confusing time, and Vivian’s mental condition adds to the confusion. As her situation falls apart, readers are likely to question her reliability as a narrator. Is her version of reality true or simply true to her? I would have preferred more clues along the way and a bit more revelation at the end. Even so, I believe the story is likely to resonate with readers and stay with them long after they turn the last page.

If the word Klickitat seems familiar, that’s because it’s the name of the street Ramona Quimby grew up on, in the series of books for young readers by Beverly Cleary. Rock’s novel is set in the same neighborhood, but that’s the only similarity between Cleary’s stories and this book, which is geared to readers aged 15 and up.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

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Book Review: Whatever After: Genie in a Bottle by Sarah Mlynowski

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Normally, I don’t review the ninth book in a series without having covered at least the first title and a few others. But I just discovered the Whatever After series with Genie in a Bottle, and I think the whole lineup is appealing to readers aged 8 to 11 and their moms. I also think readers can jump in anywhere and either read from book one or pick any other title that appeals and move from book to book randomly.

Whatever After: Genie in a Bottle cover imageThe series follows Abby and her brother Jonah, as they enter a fairy tale world through a magic mirror in their basement. They never know beforehand which fairy tale they’ll be part of, but each time they feel they are on a mission to solve a problem.

In Genie in a Bottle, they enter Aladdin’s world and know they have to help him meet the princess. But they interfere when they bounce a ball into Aladdin’s nose and send him home, which means he misses meeting the magician who wants him to find the magic lamp.

Abby knows the basics of the fairy tale, so she guides her younger brother to help achieve the expected outcome. But they can’t resist having some fun along the way. And they get to meet two genies, one who is young woman just coming into her magical powers.

Genie in a Bottle is fun for kids to read because it takes a well-known fairy tale and mixes up some of the story in an interesting way. It also weaves in features of the original tale, which differs from Disney’s Aladdin movie. It’s a playful take on a standard that kids are sure to love.

Author Mlynowski has said one of the big points she wants to convey in the series is the idea that girls can control their own destinies instead of waiting for someone to come along and save them. She also hopes to inspire young readers to discover the original tales her stories are based on. Whatever After is the kind of series that can hook young readers and keep them turning pages book after book.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The First Book of Ore: The Foundry’s Edge by Cam Baity and Benny Zelkowicz

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The Foundry's Edge cover imageAs the daughter of one of the Foundry’s top executives, 12-year-old Phoebe Plumm lives a privileged life in her mansion at the top of the hill. Despite the gadgets and baubles that make life easier for her, she is lonely. But her life takes a turn when she and her dad are kidnapped and the two of them are separated. With the help of Micah, a boy who works on her estate, she escapes and avoids recapture as the two of them go on a quest through a strange land to rescue her father, discovering a terrible secret about the Foundry along the way.

The First Book of Ore: The Foundry’s Edge takes readers into a world where machines are alive and humans are the intruders. Before they left home, Phoebe and Micah were enemies, playing mean pranks on each other. Their new environment, however, is harsh, and they need to trust each other if they hope to survive.

The Foundry’s Edge creates an alien world where the evil leaders of a powerful corporation exploit locals. As Phoebe and Micah escape from one danger after another, they are horrified to find out the truth of what happened behind the scenes of their comfortable lives. When the inevitable confrontation occurs, they have to pull on all their strengths, and their budding friendship, to survive.

This first book in the series takes readers on an adventure with a conclusion that will leave them eager to read the next installment. I recommend The Foundry’s Edge for ages 9 to 13.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Book Review: The Nocturnals: The Mysterious Abductions by Tracey Hecht

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The Nocturnals cover imageAnimals are disappearing at night, and it’s up to the nocturnals, creatures who are normally awake at night, to solve the mystery. Banding together are a pangolin, a fox, and a sugar glider. Other animals getting in on the action include a wombat, a group of echo-location challenged bats, a band of coyotes and more.

The Nocturnals: The Mysterious Abductions by Tracey Hecht is the first in a series that aims to introduce readers to Australia’s mammals while leading them on an adventure. The animals have to use their strengths, rely on teamwork, and be a bit daring to solve the mystery. The answer to the disappearances is wholly unexpected, and it adds a new element to the story.

The Nocturnals is appropriate for readers aged 9 to 11 to read on their own, but it also works as a parent-child read aloud for kids as young as six. And while young readers have fun following the action, they’ll also be learning about traits of the animals featured in the book. It makes for a winning combination of facts and fiction that I expect will entice kids to seek out the next books in the series.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Parents Believe Reading Encourages Empathy in Children

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A poll by Amnesty International UK found that more than half of parents participating believe reading books encourages their children to empathize with others. Parents also listed books they believe help their children see things from a different perspective. Topping the list? Two very different books for two age groups (and some of my favorites): The BFG by Roald Dahl and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

I agree that books have the power to encourage empathy in all readers, not just children. When you can understand how a character feels, especially a character who is different than you are, then you are more likely to transmit that understanding to your personal relationships.

Read more about the poll and find out about other books parents chose at TheGuardian.com.

Book Review: Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

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Flora and Ulysses cover imageFlora Belle Buckman knows all is not right in her world. Her parents are divorced, her mom writes romance novels even though there is no romance in her life, and she misses the time she spent reading about a superhero, the Amazing Incandesto. But life for Flora begins to change when she rescues a squirrel accidentally vacuumed up by a neighbor. Suddenly she’s caught up in an adventure with a squirrel superhero, his arch nemesis, a boy in need of a friend, her reliable dad, a philosopher, and a helpful neighbor.

Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo is a tender, sweet story about a girl and the amazing squirrel that helps her sort out the important things in life. Little bits of wisdom come from those all around her, and Flora ponders those as well as observations she reads in the books about Incandesto. She borrows from it all to solve her problems and expand the community of people she cares about.

Young readers aged 9 to 12 will fall in love with Ulysses, a squirrel who types poems and dreams of eating a giant doughnut, who is totally devoted to Flora. A few graphic novel-like sequences help readers feel as though they know all the quirky characters in this lovable story. I highly recommend it for mother-daughter book clubs to talk about issues of friendship, family dynamics, reaching out to others in time of loneliness, and more.

I purchased a copy of this book to review.

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