Timely tale for middle schoolers. I hate the cameras everywhere society we are living in. Makes one just want to stay in their own home and never go out. Kids don;t get it, teens and young adults don't care, it's just the way of the world. This book may just change some of their opinions. Good story!

I enjoyed reading Me and Banksy by Tanya Lloyd Kyi.
Dominica is a student at a private school. Cameras are everywhere in the school to protect the safety of the students. One day a video is posted for all the students to see. It is an embarrassing video of a student Ana picking her nose. The next video posted is of Dominica. Her shirt was inside out and she had to do a quick change. Dominica realizes the video footage is from Security cameras in the school. Along with her friend Saanvi they approach the principal. They don’t get the support they expected so Dominica and her friends decide to investigate on their own.
I really liked the story. Important topics such as privacy and cyber bullying are presented. The characters are well developed and interesting. The story is well told and gives you pause to think about how invasive technology can be.
I would recommend Me and Banksy to young readers interested in a well written and engaging contemporary story.
Thanks to Penguin Random for allowing me to read an advanced e-copy.

Taken on the whole, I had some problems with this book. The plot was taken to extremes that really challenged my willing suspension of disbelief. Kyi has pushed too many elements to the extreme. I would still recommend middle graders read this book. I liked the example it presents. These kids see an injustice. They try to report it and are dismissed. When the adults in their lives fail to set things straight they have to matters into their own hands. They put together an act of protest intended to get people talking. Kyi is showing the reader the power of the individual and of conversation to effect change.

This book tackles the tough issues of cyber bullying and cyber security in schools.

Dominica and her friends are targeted by a cyber bully, who is posting embarrassing images of them online. They discover that the images were taken from the school’s security cameras. They stage a protest to show how damaging the security cameras are to the students and teachers.

These are important issues for children to be aware of today. Just because the school administration in this book thought the cameras in classrooms and hallways would keep children safe, that doesn’t mean they’re right. The cameras actually posed a threat to students when the embarrassing images were leaked. The cameras also made the teachers and students alter their behavior in class because they knew they were being watched at all times. Though there are some advantages to cyber security, it can be dangerous in the wrong hands.

I really liked this story!

Thank you Penguin Random House for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a strange and interesting way to teach kids about cyberbullying, privacy and standing up for your rights. I think these are all very important topics to teach our young people. Spoiler alert: I think it was a bit overboard and unrealistic that the principal was spying on the kids with their laptop cameras, resulting in her firing.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus



Dominica goes to a fancy private Mitchell Academy with her friends Holden and Saanvi. They generally like school, but are increasingly alarmed by Principal Plante's insistence on having cameras everywhere and school IDs that "ping" parents when students arrive in the building. This concern grows when footage of a student having an embarrassing moment is posted on a school discussion forum, and not long after, footage of Dom turning her shirt right side out in the empty school library, thereby showing her bra, is also posted. Dom gets in trouble for the "flashing", but the principal doesn't call her home; Dom is pretty sure that the principal's nasty son, Josh, is the one behind hacking into the surveillance cameras, since he taunts her about the incident. Dom is embarrassed and devastated, but doesn't want to talk to her mother about it. Her mother has a very busy and successful catering business that keeps her out many nights, and she is also dating Frank, since Dom's father died when she was quite young. The apartment building doorman keeps close tabs on Dom, as does her grandmother, George, but she still could use some more sympathetic adults in her life. She is very interested in art, and George runs a local gallery and gives her lots of books. After reading a book about Banksy's installations addressing the issue of privacy and surveillance, Dom decides to do a project on him for her ethics class. This is scuttled when the teacher (who also has footage posted of her) changes the project, but also because Dom starts thinking about doing a similar project to draw attention to the problems at her school. She finds that boys are getting points for sharing embarassing things when Holden infiltrates their group, and with the help of fellow students Max and Miranda, Dom mounts an impressively involved graffitti campaign to try to make a difference. Knowing she could get expelled for even the small pictures she puts up around the school, will Dom and her friends be able to pull out all the stops and change the culture of privacy at their school?

Strengths: This book had so many things I enjoyed! Dom's active interest in making art and learning the history of it is a rare thing to find in a middle grade book. The issues of privacy and surveillance is even rarer, and very, very timely. Because of increased security in my school, we have a LOT of new cameras that are so clear that the school resource officer can read what people are looking at on their phones in the hallway-- how long will it be before I am caught on tape at 6 a.m. in an empty building adjusting my slip in the hallway? Yikes! I loved how Dom took Banksy's art and adapted it to her own circumstances. There were a lot of smaller plot points about everyday middle school that were nice to see-- Dom's relationship with her grandmother, her mother's dating, her jealousy over Holden and Saanvi's relationship, the school work, and dealing with social media bullying. I especially appreciated the note right at the end of the book that told students that while Dom's approach to solving her problem makes for a great story, if readers experience social media problems, they should immediately tell a trusted adult to get help.
Weaknesses: As a principal's kid, I'm not a fan of the trope of the evil principal who lets her own child get away with things. Even though my dad wasn't at my school, I couldn't get away with ANYTHING. Also, the graffiti was hard to take; while the school deserved a hard time about the surveillance, the custodians were the ones who had to clean up the walls! (Some of it was chocolate and not paint, but still probably hard to clean!)
What I really think: Even though this is a Canadian title, the hardcover IS available from Follett Titlewave, so I'm definitely purchasing. There were a lot of things I really loved about this one, including the black squirrel on the cover. And I love that the black squirrels at Kent State CAME FROM CANADA!

https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2011/01/kent_state_university_celebrat.html

Very engaging and thoughtful middle grade book the explores the ideas of art, privacy, technology, and rebellion. I did find the conspicuous consumption of luxury goods somewhat distracting, particularly given the plot point was never really developed beyond occasional references between the MCs well to do status and the her two extremely wealthy best friends. I'd be interested in another novel featuring this case of characters.

Earc from netgalley.

It was a very interesting topic to cover in a middle grade book, for sure have not seen this much. the cover was a little weird though and not super appealing.

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this story that takes a look at the topics of security and privacy at a private school.

Dominica's school is filled with cameras, and someone hack into them and starts posting embarrassing photos of students on the school forum. When Dominica and her friend approach the administration, they receive little support; the school values security over student privacy. As the situation escalates, Dominica and her friends decide to use art to draw attention to the issue in ways big and small.

I really enjoyed a story set in a private school for gifted students. The issue of violation of privacy becomes more relevant as technology use increases (for example, all of the students have school-issued laptops, and the parents are notified as they scan in and out of school). Young readers will relate to the characters and the plot, while the subject matter could lead to interesting classroom discussions and debates. Although the cover is not one that I feel will greatly appeal to middle grade readers, the story is one I definitely recommend.