Scratch n' Snitch
Evan Jacobs
eBook
(Saddleback Educational Publishing, Jan. 21, 2016)
Themes: popularity, bullying, mean girls, revenge, social media, crueltyCool girl Mia is perfection. And she knows it. She and her two besties rule the school. They declare what’s hot and what’s not. And the Scabs are definitely not. They are losers. One of the Scabs accidently cracks Mia’s phone. Mia loses her cool. She takes her popularity a step too far and uses her status to bully the girls who ruined her expensive phone. But being queen bee can change in an instant. And it does for Mia when a doctored Instagram post shows her making out with the school dweeb. Mia is floored at how fast she falls. Once the tables are turned, she learns how harsh she’s been.White Lightning Books addresses a wide variety of themes and interests in a narrow range of reading levels, no higher than a 2.5. Middle school is a time of self-discovery, high energy, and hormonal change. It can also be a time of self-assertion and defiance. Students who struggle to read will often not recover from low reading achievement in elementary school if their particular interests are not addressed. Encouragement and finding the theme to “hook” them is key. There is a broad range of interest and abilities in this age group, even with struggling readers. These are not YA or elementary books—a fact younger teens will appreciate.Each book is approximately 100 pages with covers that will appeal to young teen readers. The titles in the White Lightning series are designed in a similar style. Students will know what to expect when they pick up a book: a fast-paced story, mature and age-appropriate topics, short chapters, and achievable reading success.