Oh my gosh this book was so cute! I am a therapist and a mom. This book teaches kids about what negative comments could do and to just be kind. It's a good reminder and a way to teach kids what negative comments can do to another person's feelings. This is a simple way to teach younger kids about how their actions affect others!

Sonia Speaks Up is an engaging early chapter book that introduces young readers to the importance responsible internet use. When Sonia and her class get the chance to share their artwork online, Sonia hesitates after seeing unkind comments on others’ posts. This prompts her teacher, Mr. Thompson, to step in and teach the class about being respectful and responsible online. This story teaches children about responsible and respectful online behavior.

A timely tale designed to build civility and thoughtfulness in young people in a digital world. I understood the journey of our main character as exposing yourself publicly is risky and especially unappealing when you are witnessing, in real time, meanness towards others under the guise of humor. I thought the messaging was effective and the resolution was realistic. I personally thought that Sonia's lion was GORG!

Sonia's class is about to start using their digital art gallery [to upload their pictures they made after their zoo trip] and the whole class is very excited. They've reviewed the rules, finished their pictures and start uploading them. But someone is now leaving mean comments and everyone is upset; how will this end??

A good book [with important questions at the end on how to be a good digital citizen - a lesson MANY people should be reviewing, information on how to make your classroom a safe digital space AND a pledge everyone *AHEM, PARENTS* can take/sign] with fantastic illustrations ad a very important lesson[that teaches without being preachy]. Very timely; this i s a book kids and their adults [or teachers and their classes] can reference again and again.

Very well done!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Shannon McClintock Miller, Mel Darmawon - Illustrator, and Capstone/Picture Window Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is an excellent resource now more than ever as we teach our kids to be responsible digital citizens.

What was good and helpful:
-Glossary of Words to Know (extra helpful to have the glossary at the start of the book, like it did in this book, so kids know the words' meaning *before* they begin reading)
-Cute, colorful illustrations
-Helpful discussion questions and action items for children (e.g., Digital Citizenship Guide, student standards)

What could have been improved:
-Story was too short and simple (and also, while Sonia DOES speak up, it's mostly Mr. Thompson that makes the difference. I didn't love that).
-I'm not sure what age group would be the best audience for this book. The story was simple and short--so it felt like for younger kids (4-6) but the aforementioned resources (e.g., ISTE Student Standards) seemed like for older kids (7-9).

Sonia Speaks Up will be published August 1, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley, Capstone, Picture Window Books, Shannon McClintock Miller (Author), and Mel Darmawan (Illustrator) for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how this book can be used in the classroom! It makes it so much easier when books are already formatted and come with standards that can adapted into a lesson. I loved the message of being a good digital citizen and how to also be respectful of others in the classroom. It's a different world these days with technology being a part of children's lives and it is important that these lessons are taught.

I love a story that is purposefully aligned with learning standards! All books CAN be used for instruction, but not all books are easily usable right from the get-go. This book is ready to go -- a great book to use with students in elementary school.

This is a sweet picture book with a great message about kindness and digital citizenship. The illustrations are charming and the layout of the pages is easy to read. I will be recommending this book for our school library. It would be a great read aloud for the beginning of the school year - or any time of year.

A wonderful book teaching children about digital community and presence and how to be a responsible digital citizen. The art is beautiful, expressive and colorful. I really like how the story is paced, not too short, not too long, to deliver it's message. The text is simple to follow too. I'd love to see more books like these to teach kids from a young age.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book resonated more to my 7 yr old than my 4 yr old. She has started using Chromebooks in class and understood the technical terms used. The book introduces the importance of online kindness, to which my 7 yr old also said that its important to be kind offline too.

#SoniaSpeaksUp #NetGalley

The combination of the cover and book’s title are interesting. As a parent of child range 5th to 7th years old, this book is really recommended to read together with them. A lot of lesson learnt from this book such as how to be brave to speak up, speaking and writing etiquette both in real life or in the social media, and how to prevent bullying packed lightly and make it easier to be learnt and understand by child at that range of age.
At last part of the book, there are some recommendation of reflection questions for reflecting together both parents and their child about what they have learnt.
Hope there are more books looks like this.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

Excellent book!!! Creatively introduces ISTE standards with lifelike scenarios. Wonderful combination of digital citizenship and classroom community.

5 out of 5 stars and my respect to the author and illustrator.

What a sweet and timely story! As a technology teacher responsible for introducing digital citizenship to early learners, I found Sonia Speaks Up to be a perfect addition to the curriculum—especially for kindergarten and first-grade students.

Since its release, Sonia’s Digital World has been a favorite read-aloud in my tech classes, so I was thrilled to dive into Sonia’s next digital adventure. I love that the familiar characters return in this early chapter book, and the story continues to highlight real classroom situations in a way that’s both relatable and age-appropriate.

This book gently introduces important topics like online kindness, the power of encouragement, and how to respond when you’re afraid to speak up. I especially appreciate how it models digital citizenship through Sonia’s story—and how it opens the door for meaningful conversations with young readers.

The vibrant illustrations are engaging and colorful, which helps hold attention while reinforcing the emotions and themes in the story. I can see this book being enjoyed both as an independent read and as a class read-aloud.

Highly recommend for any primary classroom, school library, or tech teacher’s shelf. I’m so excited this book (and others in the new ISTE Digital Explorers series) will be available just in time for back-to-school!

Huge thanks to Shannon McClintock Miller, NetGalley, and Capstone for the chance to read this book ahead of its release

As an elementary librarian tasked with teaching digital citizenship lessons to all students, this would be a great read aloud to do prior to starting our district-required lessons. It could help provide real-life examples while also giving the kids an engaging story to listen to. 5 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone for providing me with an ARC of Sonia Speaks Up. This delightful story is a must-read for young readers, especially those in elementary school, as it effectively teaches the importance of kindness online and the lasting impact of our digital footprint.

The book follows Sonia, a young student who learns valuable lessons about how to speak up, be kind, and make responsible choices in the digital world. The story is engaging, with vibrant and captivating illustrations that help bring the message to life in an accessible and relatable way.

Sonia Speaks Up is a perfect resource for teachers and parents looking to introduce concepts of digital citizenship to children.

I love this book for early elementary students about how to comment thoughtfully on their classmates art/projects/words. This is such a good lesson that I think all children and adults should learn.

Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone for the chance to read an ARC of Sonia Speaks Up by Shannon McClintock Miller.

As a teacher of digital citizenship to our youngest learners, I am always looking for ways to make this work engaging and relatable. We have Sonia's Digital World in our collection and it is provides great foundational understanding for these ideas. What I really love about this title, Sonia Speaks Up, is it tackles *one* aspect of digital citizenship (digital footprint/being kind online) and explains it in an extremely kid friendly way. Everyone little could relate to feeling uncomfortable reading mean comments and then being worried and insecure about your own work. I especially love, too, how the author included practical action steps for the reader in their own lives (TAG strategy and creating a digital contract) and the end of the book. A must have for anyone elementary educator responsible for teaching digital citizenship!

Sonia is the perfect example of how to be a great peer and stick up for others. I would recommend this book to parents/guardians that are trying to explain how words can harm people even on the internet.

This is an excellent read on being a good digital citizen and for opening a conversation up with children on staying safe online and what could potentially happen. When you upload a post, there is always a potential for there to be hate or people being unkind, and I do not think this topic gets discussed enough. Usually the topic is on severe online bullying, but not the day-to-day instances that need to be addressed. This book is wonderful and I highly recommend it. The art is also fantastic.

I received this wonderful book for free as an eARC from the publisher. I am leaving this feedback voluntarily.

A quick read on the importance of internet commentary! The illustrations were adorable and I felt this was perfect for a k-2 introduction on being a good digital citizen. Can we please send copies to all the adults who leave these comments on all the various social media platforms as well?!

Thanks #NetGalley for the ARC!