All About Middle Grade [Boug Tour] Review: Posted

Hey there! Today, I am lucky enough to be participating in a blog tour (again) for one of my favorite middle grade authors, John David Anderson. I am so excited to be sharing my thoughts on his new book Posted with all of you today!! Keep reading to see why I think you will love it!! I huge thanks to the wonderful people over at Walden Pond Press for the chance to join in!!

Posted by John David Anderson, May 2, 2017. 384 pages. Published by Walden Pond Press. Source: ARC received from publisher.

From John David Anderson, author of the acclaimed Ms. Bixby’s Last Day, comes a humorous, poignant, and original contemporary story about bullying, broken friendships, and the failures of communication between kids.

In middle school, words aren’t just words. They can be weapons. They can be gifts. The right words can win you friends or make you enemies. They can come back to haunt you. Sometimes they can change things forever.

When cell phones are banned at Branton Middle School, Frost and his friends Deedee, Wolf, and Bench come up with a new way to communicate: leaving sticky notes for each other all around the school. It catches on, and soon all the kids in school are leaving notes—though for every kind and friendly one, there is a cutting and cruel one as well.

In the middle of this, a new girl named Rose arrives at school and sits at Frost’s lunch table. Rose is not like anyone else at Branton Middle School, and it’s clear that the close circle of friends Frost has made for himself won’t easily hold another. As the sticky-note war escalates, and the pressure to choose sides mounts, Frost soon realizes that after this year, nothing will ever be the same.

First Sentence

I push my way through the buzzing mob and freeze, heart-struck, dizzy.

My Thoughts

You know you enjoy an author's work when you say "yes" to reading, and participating in a blog tour, without even reading the synopsis! What can I say, John David Anderson's writing is just so good!!

• Given how prevalent social media is with, well, everyone, I thought Posted was a timely book as it looks at how the things we say, and do, can have a ripple effect on not only your own life but also upon those around you. It was interesting to see the theme of the "power of words" used throughout the book; of course, things still spiraled out of control even when the use of cell phones was prohibited. I really enjoy how deftly he dealt with the blowout from the one student's action, that provoked the banning of their phones, and how they adapted. 

• There were so many things to enjoy about this book, outside of the topic of the "power of words". If I had to peg two things that made me such a fan of this book it would be the characters, with how well they were written, and the small town backdrop, with all its quirks. I thought John David Anderson did an incredible job animating the trials that Frost and his friends faced and the slow, sometimes rapid, changes that occur amidst friends. So many things I wish to say about the characters and their story arcs, yet to say all I wish to say would result in spoiling the entire book. Just know this, Frost, Bench, DeeDee, Wolf, and Rose's story-lines are so well done; their voices just fly off the pages. 

• This is one of those books that I believe will resonate with readers (even those above the "recommended" reading age). Why, because I believe that so much of what happened to the characters is something that the majority of readers have been through or themselves (changing friendships, navigating the cafeteria, and being on the receiving end of cruel or nice words). I may have mentioned this already, but he did a really great job with bringing the woes and tribulations of middle school, or if we're all honest just school/life, and how your tribe can help you survive it (because friends are awesome). 

• The short of this review- READ IT!! Posted mixes a serious topic with friendship and hilarity. You do not want to miss out on reading it... trust me!! 

Final Verdict: Posted- Does a great job of showing how even the smallest word (or deed) can ripple out in either a positive or negative way. There are really no good words to summarize why this is such a great book; just that the powerful message contained within blended so well with the writing to create a truly great read.

Be sure to check out Ms Yingling Reads for today's other tour stop; and don't forget to visit the next two hosts, Maria's Mélange & Novel Novice tomorrow for more

About the Author:

John David Anderson is the author of Ms. Bixby’s Last Day, Sidekicked, Minion, and The Dungeoneers. A dedicated root beer connoisseur and chocolate fiend, he lives with his wife, two kids, and perpetually whiny cat in Indianapolis, Indiana. You can visit him online at www.johndavidanderson.org

A advanced copy of this book was received in consideration for review. All thoughts are my own.