Confessions of a Class Clown

This middle-school class clown's hilarious online videos might get thousands of views . . . but is fame worth the price of friendship? A heartfelt story with multiple perspectives about the challenges of social media.
Meet Jack Reynolds. Making people laugh is his life's work. Jack's wacky MyTube channel is really starting to take off. The only problem is, for the truly epic posts, he needs a collaborator. And, well, he doesn't exactly have any friends. So Jack has to swallow his pride and join the new afterschool club, Speed Friendshipping. But who would make the best partner in comedy?
Brielle, Miss Perfect candidate for student body president? Mario, whose mom won't even let him have a smart phone? Or Tasha, the quiet, mysterious girl with a shaved head and a crocheted hat for every day of the week?
One of these kids could help catapult Jack to internet fame . . . or even become a true friend. But what will it cost him to go viral?
This middle school novel explores themes of friendship, belonging, and the ways social media can put pressure on today's kids.
From School Library Journal
Gr 4-8-An excellent take on the challenges of navigating social media for adolescents. Costner explores a horrible situation (cyberbullying) through four very different perspectives: Jack Reynolds, the class clown; Tasha, the new kid; Mario, aka Mario-Kart; and Brielle, Ms. Goody Two-Shoes. Jack has been entertaining his classmates since first grade, when he realized it was more comfortable to be laughed at for being silly than for messing up. Tasha has just moved to town and nobody really knows her, including that her brother died and her parents split. Nobody has asked why she shaves her head or even about the colorful hats she wears, which she crochets herself. Mario is a typical tween whose parents are not very cool-his mom won't even let him have a cell phone until he gets his driver's license. Brielle is as perfect as she appears, but she is a complex person who genuinely cares about others. Costner has found a way to highlight the innocence of tweens while never underestimating the unique pressures that children face along with puberty, acne, and popularity. She tackles complex, deeply relevant issues, such as feelings of insecurity and arrogance and the difference between how we present ourselves in a media-centric world and the people we are in private. VERDICT Costner offers some thoughtful ways of encouraging readers to reflect on what kind of a person they want to be, and what they want to be known for. An absolute must-purchase for all middle school libraries.-Christina Paolozzi, Bonaire Elem. Sch., GAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.