Virtually Me
Virtually Me
Virtually Me
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Description
Description
Using personalized avatars, a group of kids look for a fresh start in school when a virtual reality academy opens after a pandemic. This school year, Bradley, Edelle, and Hunter will be wearing virtual-reality headsets and attending a three-dimensional, simulated school while interacting as avatars. Having a customized avatar is a bonus as some students want to hide behind a new identity. Bradley is eager for a brand-new identity. A cool avatar will allow him to escape the bullies who have made fun of him for years and gives him a fresh start to make new friends on his own terms. Edelle is forced to attend the virtual school by her mom who says she's too obsessed with being at the top of the "Best-Looking Girls" list circulating at school. Even worse, Edelle's mom insists she chooses a generic avatar. Mortified by how her avatar looks, Edelle registers under a new name so no one can identify her. But will she lose her prized social status if no one can recognize her? Hunter is known for his popularity, charm, and his lustrous mane of hair, except with his recent diagnosis of alopecia, his hair has begun to fall out, even his eyebrows. VR school allows him to maintain his popularity--and the illusion of a full head of hair--even if it means hiding behind an avatar. He tells his friends that once his grades are back up, he'll return to school in person. But he wonders how being isolated will affect his relationships. As Bradley, Edelle, and Hunter get to know each other in their virtual environment, they realize that the school is not all fun and games and the simulated environment just brings different problems than an in-person school. Each student will see themselves and their world through a new lens as they learn about what true friendship means and the difference between fitting in and belonging.
About the Author
About the Author
Chad Morris loves the VR set he got for Christmas and is much better at it than he is at video games, but that's still not saying much. Still, he would love to try to keep his balance in the Skatecoaster, laugh like crazy in the Furriest, and punch light blasts at alien bugs like in the games invented for this book. He occasionally dances in public, and he's pretty terrible at social media. (If you want, you can follow him, but keep your expectations low.) He loves writing books and hanging out with his wife, Shelly Brown, and five kids. Shelly Brown went to junior high in a regular ol' building (boring) and has never transformed into a round fuzzy animal. But she has been listening to K-pop since before BTS's first album and feels deep affection for well-made falafel pitas. She's the mother of five, wife to author Chad Morris, aunt to some incredible young people, substitute teacher, and wannabe Kyoshi Warrior. She's grateful she gets to spend time with students in assemblies across the nation talking about topics from kindness to writing.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Amid a pandemic...Students attend classes via virtual reality and interact with one another by creating avatars...or disguises. When a gaming tournament forces [a] trio to work together they make surprising discoveries about themselves and each other. The protagonists' evolving views of friendship and self-acceptance will resonate with readers who struggle to be--or to find--themselves. Warmly supportive parents are a welcome bonus. A timely, feel-good tale of learning to accept oneself and others."
-- "Kirkus" "A middle school ode to individuality fueled by remote learning options. Their tale follows three students, chronicling why each one enrolls in the fanciest virtual middle school imaginable. Seriously, socializing there is realistic and visceral, even down to a seamless virtual dance. Each narrator has different motivations--hating public school, "embarrassing" medical problems, parental interventions--but through it all, they begin examining what fuels their relationships. Messages about accepting people for who they are on the inside are ideal for the target tween/early teen group. There is a humanizing inclusion of the bully's viewpoint, where a shallow popular kid experiences a middle grade dark night of the soul. A tone perfectly geared towards older elementary and young middle school students. A classic 'be yourself' tale, with enough VR bells and whistles to keep tweens interested."-- "School Library Journal" "Thought-provoking read. This discerning examination of middle school social dynamics provides emotional and insightful throughways to difficult conversations surrounding mental health, friendship, and perception of self via three empathetic protagonists striving to fit in and learning that it's okay to be oneself."-- "Publishers Weekly" "Engaging novel...three adolescents attend an experimental virtual junior high school. The program has fascinating aspects, like team video game tournaments and replicated classrooms and gymnasiums. Concepts of individuality and peer perceptions are handled with humor and compassion. Bradley, Edelle, and Hunter evolve through their virtual interactions, learning emotional and social lessons that resonate in real life. Beyond its wondrous simulations, at the heartfelt core of Virtually Me is the awkward, funny, and incomparable essence of being truly human."-- "Foreword Reviews" Selected as a "recommended title"-- "2023 Kansas National Education Association's Reading Circle Commission" Selected for the 2024 List-- "Lone Star Reading List"
-- "Kirkus" "A middle school ode to individuality fueled by remote learning options. Their tale follows three students, chronicling why each one enrolls in the fanciest virtual middle school imaginable. Seriously, socializing there is realistic and visceral, even down to a seamless virtual dance. Each narrator has different motivations--hating public school, "embarrassing" medical problems, parental interventions--but through it all, they begin examining what fuels their relationships. Messages about accepting people for who they are on the inside are ideal for the target tween/early teen group. There is a humanizing inclusion of the bully's viewpoint, where a shallow popular kid experiences a middle grade dark night of the soul. A tone perfectly geared towards older elementary and young middle school students. A classic 'be yourself' tale, with enough VR bells and whistles to keep tweens interested."-- "School Library Journal" "Thought-provoking read. This discerning examination of middle school social dynamics provides emotional and insightful throughways to difficult conversations surrounding mental health, friendship, and perception of self via three empathetic protagonists striving to fit in and learning that it's okay to be oneself."-- "Publishers Weekly" "Engaging novel...three adolescents attend an experimental virtual junior high school. The program has fascinating aspects, like team video game tournaments and replicated classrooms and gymnasiums. Concepts of individuality and peer perceptions are handled with humor and compassion. Bradley, Edelle, and Hunter evolve through their virtual interactions, learning emotional and social lessons that resonate in real life. Beyond its wondrous simulations, at the heartfelt core of Virtually Me is the awkward, funny, and incomparable essence of being truly human."-- "Foreword Reviews" Selected as a "recommended title"-- "2023 Kansas National Education Association's Reading Circle Commission" Selected for the 2024 List-- "Lone Star Reading List"
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Shadow Mountain
Pub date:
2023-02-07
Length:
256 pages
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