Cyberbully Blues by Rubin Johnson

Cyberbully BluesCyberbully Blues by Rubin Johnson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This sweet, engaging coming-of-age story follows Dakota “Kodi” Hamilton as she enters high school and through the next few years. The setting is 2037 in a world of housebots, commdots, and holos. She suffers many tribulations, including cyber bullying, physical injuries, unfair school discipline, an unrequited first crush, and a lecherous boss. She also has a fear of math and is as insecure as most freshman girls. She is raised by her mother with no knowledge of who her father is. She perseveres in her studies and overcome obstacles along the way.

At the beginning one gets the impression Kodi must have been raised in a closet. She seems unbelievably naive and ignorant about almost everything – boys, social media, and school activities among them. Even though she has had no experience with sports or computers, as soon as she is introduced to an activity, she almost immediately excels at it: running, soccer, computer coding, triathlons. She grows to love them all. Okay, so this unlikely story isn’t meant so much as a drama as an inspiration. The author is a compulsive teacher and coach who wants to explain everything, especially to young girls who are intimidated by sports, math, and computers. He demonstrates how to overcome fear and insecurity through Kodi’s triumphs.

I wouldn’t recommend this for most adults, but it can be a very inspiring book for girls in the 12 – 14 age range. I gauge it as a fun, quick read for someone in that demographic. It also pushed many of my favorite buttons by touching on hobbies I love, too, like geocaching, running, and multirotors (“drones”).

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