This was cute. My kid loved it! We read it together before bed. He liked the characters and the graphics.

A fun story of friendship and super powers and the abuse of them. This was a cute story, nothing stood out, but it was a good read.

This was an enjoyable mystery featuring both school-age heroes and some assisting adults. Miku just knows that something at her school isn't right. Everyone has changed and she is sure the Principal and Class President are up to something, but she can't put her finger on what it is. She enlists the help of Eleanor Amplified to uncover the dastardly plot.

The plot moves along at a good pace, with a few different levels to uncover. Initially, I found Miku's misgivings a bit too vague and nebulous, but it is nicely fleshed out by the end. Eleanor's involvement at the school is highly convenient and requires a strong suspension of belief - even for young readers. The themes of the novel - the twin evils of social media and data driven education - hit the reader over the head a little.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

this was a great easy middle grade read. Had all the elements of a fun story in school setting. with Eleanor undercover in school as a reporter you get to see what happens in this school that could be hidden

This was a fun mix of sci-fi and mystery for middle grade readers. The science fiction isn't too far out there, so it would still appeal to readers that like plot-driven, realistic fiction. I liked that it warned of some of the dangers of social media and technology without being too preachy. The focus is on the journalists and shedding light on the truth.

📚 Book Review 📚

Elanor Amplified and the Trouble with Mind Control
by John Sheehan
Available September 7, 2021

Thoughts: I have listened to the Eleanor Amplified podcast, so I was familiar with the main character. I found the book to be on target for the 10-12 age group. The story hits social media, middle school hierarchy, virtual reality/gaming, and friendship. I wished there had been a little more character development of the leading student, Miku. Also, since I listen to the podcast, I was hoping for the same dialogue rhythm, but I could not find that. The issues of data mining were touched upon and could have been explored a little bit more. Many students are already deep in social media and online gaming in this day and age, where they are bombarded with quizzes and questions to access this or that it is an opportunity missed. In the end, it was a good mystery and an easy read.

Description:
Based on the popular children's podcast, follow Eleanor Amplified as she teams up with middle school reporter Miku to get the scoop and save the day!

Join world-renowned investigative reporter Eleanor Amplified as she goes undercover to help a student reporter and fan, Miku Tangaroa, expose the corruption at her middle school. Together they discover that the new organic lunch program and tech-based learning systems are doing more harm than good and might actually be part of an evil plot that might put all of Union City in danger. Can Eleanor, Miku, and their friends get to the bottom of these suspicious events in time? Just who is behind SmartFüdz and the Mesmerosin Extractor? Will Eleanor survive the hallways—and students—of Brighton Middle School? Find out in the latest adventure of Eleanor Amplified!

With radio-drama like action, outrageous villains, and a tough, intelligent female protagonist to boot, readers follow Eleanor and Miku as they foil devious plots and outwit crafty villains, all in pursuit of the big story. Written by John Sheehan, the creator of the popular podcast Eleanor Amplified, this entertaining and informative book, like the podcast, is intended to spark laughter and conversation while preparing kids to appreciate journalism and make smart media choices in the future. With the help of Eleanor and Miku, readers can use this novel as inspiration to go out and find the next big scoop for themselves only.

ARC FROM NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
Thank you @netgalley and John Sheehan, for the opportunity to read before publication.

This book is centered around a middle school girl named Miku who works at her school newspaper and her journalist idol, the titular Eleanor Amplified.  I should begin by pointing out that while this book is based on a podcast, I am not familiar with it.  The basic premise of the book is solid.  A middle school reporter teaming up with an adult reporter to investigate suspicious activity at her school is great, especially considering the fact that Eleanor is quite supportive of Miku.  Added to that, the story also considers the effect that technology and social media have on students and how social networks can be used to facilitate bullying and social exclusion.

The story itself has some problems.  The pacing is extremely weird.  The first two thirds of the story is focused on investigating the school, but the investigation is abruptly concluded without any real fanfare.  Miku then begins talking about how everyone at school changed.  Mind control is in the title, but it wasn't part of the story before then and there wasn't any real lead-up to it.  Similarly, the connection between Miku and Conrad was also only made clear toward the end of the book, also with little to no build-up.

The portrayal of the characters also leaves something to be desired.  The main characters, Miku and Eleanor, along with the other two 'Newsers', Tessa and Raji, are never really described to the reader.  This makes it more difficult to picture the characters while reading.  It is also strange considering that from the title art and their names, at least a couple of them are nonwhite.  Does it count as inclusive, diverse writing if said diversity is never mentioned in the text?  I'm personally inclined to think that it doesn't.  There are also some inconsistencies in Eleanor's character.  She's portrayed as a strong, intelligent woman with solid experience in journalism and tense, dangerous situations, but she's also shown to become immediately flustered and distracted after meeting a handsome man while undercover and she follows this by being verbally outmaneuvered by an attention-seeking middle schooler.

I know this is a kid's book and that some things may have been lost in the transition from podcast to book, so some of the above can be overlooked, but I think a more rigorous round of editing would have helped immensely.  That said, I do think there is a lot here that kids will like, including the VR games and man-eating cabbage, and especially the relationship between Miku and Eleanor.  Final score: 2.5 stars.