ReThink the Internet: How to Make the Digital World a Lot Less Sucky

While aimed at middle grade students, this book could easily appeal to a much wider audience. Today's students may know how to use technology, but they don't always exercise good judgement when they do. An introduction explains why the author came to write the book. She describes her experience with cyberbullying, how it affected her, and what pursuits it led her to later in life. She then offers a collection of seven vignettes centered around things people commonly do online and which demonstrate the ramifications of making poor choices. The little stories are entertaining, featuring characters with amusing, descriptive names that help readers keep track of what's going on. Topics discussed include posting someone's picture without permission, texting something unkind, not verifying the accuracy of something posted online, and getting too involved with technology. There are also positive examples, such as using technology to solve a problem and being an upstander when it is called for. All vignettes end on an uplifting note, demonstrating to readers that these problems do have solutions. The author reminds the reader that there are real people on the other end of all forms of communication. The book includes a section for parents and teachers with vignette synopses and discussion questions.