Worthy

Gr 8 Up—Toward the end of her junior year, Linden Wilson feels like her high school experience is coming together. She's in charge of publicity for the senior prom, and she is getting the attention of the attractive rising star baseball player Alex Rivera. Linden is also becoming brave enough to share her writing with others and plans to submit a piece to an important contest. After being in her brother's and her best friend Nikki's shadows for so long, she is finally starting to shine. Meanwhile, the Worthy online app is taking Sam Houston High School by storm, and people get to secretly vote on whether a girl is "worthy" of her boyfriend. Linden votes because she wants to fit in, despite her more independent and reserved nature, but she tries to stay above the cruel comments her peers make about one another. But what happens when the Worthy spotlight turns on Linden? This novel is an enjoyable read with pertinent messages for adolescents about modern dating culture and social media.