Middle grade books about social media and its effects are becoming more and popular, probably because more kids are using social media platforms than ever before. Kids are getting smartphones at younger and younger ages and more kids want to be social media influencers and YouTubers than they want to do conventional jobs. The books on this list are not didactic. Instead, they showcase the pros and cons of social media use and highlight healthier options for using these platforms and devices in a healthier way.
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16 Important Middle Grade Books About Social Media Use
Here are 16 tween books about the impact of social media:
A Million Views
Published: October 4, 2022
Brewster Gaines is a loner obsessed with making videos, and his number one goal is to go viral on YouTube. For his latest video idea, he recruits a new kid in his class, Carly. But soon, Carly brings a friend, Rosa, and before Brewster knows it, he has a team of seven kids working on planning, filming, and editing his new project. At the same time, he starts to notice cracks in his family, even as he realizes that people and friendship matter more than lofty goals. This is a quirky, funny book about a niche interest: filmmaking. I much preferred it on audio, and I laughed out loud multiple times during this one. Readers should know that Brewster’s sibling identifies as non-binary (they/them).
Break (Click #6)
Published: January 2, 2024
Break is the 6th book in the Click series (which is one of the few series I’m devoted to), and this time, we’re following Olive and her brother Goober on their visit with their dad, who’s finally back in their lives after living in New Zealand for years. Unfortunately, Olive’s dad gifts her a shiny new smartphone as soon as she arrives, and she spends the whole time sucked into all the device can do, leading to hurtful feelings for her brother and dad. As usual, this is a lighthearted but highly readable installment.
Finally Heard
Published: February 27, 2024
Last year, I loved reading Yang’s Finally Seen and the sequel is out next month! In this book, Lina sees the positive power of social media as her mom’s business takes off on socials. Social media also exposes Lina to too much of other people’s lives leading her to compare and also try to perform on social media, with unwelcome results. Yang is a master, so as usual this one is excellent.
Play the Game #1: The Hoop Con
Published: March 5, 2024
When Raam Patel is schooled by another kid in front of his NBA idol and the video goes viral, he escapes to LA to take a break from basketball, the sport he loves. But there he soon realizes he can;t escape the sport. With his cousin and some new friends, he learns to get better at basketball not just by physical improvement but also by becoming more mentally and emotionally resilient. I’m in the middle of this debut right now and I think sports fans and male readers will enjoy it.
Between Two Brothers
Published: January 23, 2024
Brothers Seth and Isaiah (aka Ice Pic) love each other and live on a farm where Ice does most of the farm work. He loves photography and wants to be a veterinarian. But when a tragic accident results in brain damage for Seth, Ice turns all his focus to helping him recover despite a bleak prognosis. This is a truly heartrending, fast-paced story about a Christian family in crisis (inspired by the author’s experience). There’s lots of great dialogue, warm male relationships, and plenty of information about recovering from a brain injury. While it could have been shorter, I think this is great for sensitive kids (especially boys) who are looking for more male representation, farm kid representation, or small community stories with a cute romance side plot.
Drawing Deena
Published: February 6, 2024
Deena is an anxious artist with two best friends Lucia and Nisha. She’s also close to her cousin Parisa who loves social media, makeup, and being famous. Deena doesn’t know yet but the knot in her stomach and nausea she feels every morning are thanks to anxiety. Throughout the story, she also experiences panic attacks. One of the main sources of her anxiety is her parents’ bickering about financial issues. When Deena has an idea to promote her mom’s business on social media and help them earn more, she hopes it will reduce her parents’ bickering. I loved seeing the behind-the-scenes of Deena’s process as a fellow business owner and watching Deena realize that growth is slow. Khan does a great job of subtly highlighting the benefits and negatives of social media usage without demonizing it. While social media is useful for promoting her mother’s business, Deena also has some disagreements with her friends and cousin about social media usage and I think these will be illuminating and relatable for young readers.
Hidden Truths
Published: October 31, 2023
Dani and Eric have been best friends since Dani moved next door in second grade. They bond over donuts, comic books, and camping on the Cape. But one summer, Eric saves Dani from a fire in his family’s camper. Unfortunately, the accident prevents Dani from doing what she loves the most: playing baseball. It also drives a wedge between the friends as they discover the real reason behind the fire. As a subplot, a girl who befriends Dani eggs her into posting some hurtful content on social media. This is an insightful, realistic, and touching middle grade book about forgiveness and evolving friendships.
Picture Day
Published: June 27, 2023
Middle schooler Viv is tired of being boring and ordinary. She wants to amass social media followers and be a trendsetter like some of her classmates. She also watches a YouTuber who encourages her inclinations. So on Picture Day, she gets the grand idea to chop off her pigtail, creating a strange hairstyle, which a hairstylist eventually refines into something more attention-grabbing. Suddenly, everyone wants Viv’s advice, and she becomes more pushy too, especially towards her friends. It’s not long before everything comes crashing down. This is a funny but thoughtful start to a new graphic novel series for fans of the Click Series.
12 to 22 (POV: You Wake Up in the Future)
Published: August 16, 2022
On her 12th half birthday, her parents surprisingly gift her their approval to post on social networks. Thrilled, Harper starts posting TikTok videos like her idol, Blake Riley. Her first video goes viral and brings her closer to the popular crew in her school who only befriend her so she can teach them her edits. Their interest in her creates a rift between Harper and her best friend Ava. In the midst of the chaos, Harper tries a TikTok filter, which, combined with a wish to be 22, suddenly makes her 22! Unfortunately, her future is much different than she imagined. Her little sister is now a teen (aww!). She’s now working for Blake Riley (yay), and so is popular girl Celia, who she’s now friends with. But she and Ava have lost touch as have she and her childhood friend and crush. Is being 22 as great as she imagined? This is a charming, light, feel-good story about time travel, social media, and treasuring friendships.
Sparkle
Published: October 24, 2023
Sparkle’s mother wants her and her little sister to become social media influencers and even actresses. But all of that comes to a grinding halt when Sparkle starts losing her hair in patches. She has to figure out how to move forward in her life and decide whether to be ashamed about her hair or to be her full self, no matter what her mom or anyone else thinks. This book makes for great alopecia representation, even if I didn’t entirely love its take on kids and social media.
Count Me In
Published: August 27, 2019
Karina Chopra would have never imagined becoming friends with the boy next door–after all, they’ve avoided each other for years and she assumes Chris is just like the boys he hangs out with, who she labels a pack of hyenas. Then Karina’s grandfather starts tutoring Chris, and she discovers he’s actually a nice, funny kid. But one afternoon something unimaginable happens–the three of them are assaulted by a stranger who targets Indian-American Karina and her grandfather because of how they look. Her grandfather is gravely injured and Karina and Chris vow not to let hate win. When Karina posts a few photos related to the attack on social media, they quickly attract attention, and before long her #CountMeIn post–“What does an American look like? #immigrants #WeBelong #IamAmerican #HateHasNoHomeHere”–goes viral and a diverse population begin to add their own photos. Then, when Papa is finally on the road to recovery, Karina uses her newfound social media reach to help celebrate both his homecoming and a community coming together.
The Kate in Between
Published: May 18, 2021
Kate McAllister’s life is in need of a refresh. Her mother has left town chasing the highest tier in an MLM scheme and Kate is living with her cop dad and getting driven to school in his police car. When a bunch of popular kids seems to welcome Kate into their clique, she is torn about ditching her longtime best friend, Haddie. Haddie marches to the beat of her own drum and could care less about being accepted. Things get complicated, however, when Kate is a passive participant in a bullying incident that leads to Haddie sinking on thin ice. Then, Kate is captured on camera saving Haddie, and the video goes viral. While news outlets hail “Kate the Great” as a shining example for tweens who should not be bullying other kids, Kate continues to oscillate between craving acceptance from the popular kids and trying to keep her friendship with Haddie, all the while maintaining her public image by appearing in newspapers and on popular YouTube channels. But how long can she keep up the charade? This is a timely, complex, and engaging middle grade book about identity, popularity, bullying culture, and going viral.
The Renegade Reporters
Published: August 10, 2021
Ash and her friends are reporters. They were ready to lead their school news show, The News at Nine, sponsored by Van Ness Media, when an unfortunate incident involving a dancing teacher, an irresponsibly reported story, and a viral video got them kicked off the crew. So Ash, Maya, and Brielle decide to start their own news show, The Underground News. And soon they stumble on a big lead: Van Ness Media, the educational company that provides their school’s software, has been gathering data from all the kids at school. Their drawings, their journals, even their movements are being recorded and cataloged by Van Ness Media. But why? Ash and her friends are determined to learn the truth and report it. This is a fun, upbeat story for journalism lovers. Readers should know that Ash has two dads.
Crushed
Published: July 16, 2024
I’ve yet to get an ARC of this one, but it’s on my radar. Here’s the publisher’s synopsis: Sophie Valentine would rather be at home, doing school virtually. Instead, she’s waiting in a crowded middle school building for her best friend, Eve, who’s finally back after an extended absence, which only Sophie knows the truth about. But when Eve returns, things aren’t the same. First, Eve stops walking to school with her in the morning. Then, she’s ditching Sophie to hang out with the Crash Crew, a group of popular kids notorious for their social media dares. Eve seems to fit right in, but Sophie is devastated: Did she just lose her best friend? When rumors surface that Eve is hiding a painful secret she didn’t share with Sophie, Sophie is spurred on an investigation to discover what—or who—caused the incident behind Eve’s sudden change…and why all clues lead back to the Crash Crew. Using lessons from her forensics class and the help of a new friend, Sophie will have to uncover the truth before more harm is done.
Priya Puts Herself First (PAWS #3)
Published: October 17, 2023
In this third PAWS book, Gabby’s parents gift her a cell phone for Christmas, but instead of only using it for emergencies, she soon gets swept up in posting about PAWS online. And when one of her cute doggo videos goes viral, she becomes obsessed with becoming internet famous. Distracted, Gabby finds it hard to be there for her friends even when Priya is getting evicted. I think this series gets better with each installment.
Trouble at the Tangerine
Published: April 2, 2024
Simon Hyde and his parents have been moving around the country and creating social media content around their travels for as long as he can remember. Now they’ve moved into the Tangerine Apartments, and Simon is hoping to put down roots for a while. Thanks to a recent accident, his leg is in a cast, so he’s happy when Amaya, a talkative neighbor, actively befriends him with little effort on his part. Just as the two begin to hit it off, a theft in the building puts everyone on edge and even Simon’s parents begin to contemplate moving away again. This moves Simon to agree with Amaya’s proposal that they solve the mystery together. As the kids unravel the mystery, they also learn plenty about each other, what it means to be a good friend, and their eclectic group of neighbors. This is a warm mystery with a great cast of quirky, memorable characters that will appeal to younger middle schoolers.
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There they are: 16 fabulous books to help kids think more about the impact of social media. Which of these books have you read and loved? What did I miss?
More Middle Grade Book Lists
- Tween books set in the winter
- Middle grade books releasing in January 2024
- Middle grade books about kid reporters
Jenna @ Falling Letters says
Great topic for a list! I’ll be adding a lot of these to my TBR – SPARKLE, THE KATE IN BETWEEN, COUNT ME IN, A MILLION VIEWS…