Permalink Don't Hit Send Just To Fit In - Review & Giveaway
At a young age, we impart the wisdom to our children to not talk to strangers, look both ways before they cross a street and wear helmets while bicycling or rollerblading, among other things.
We watch them grow, often letting them become more independent as the situation warrants, and when they hit 9 or 10, have some confidence that if they were in a precarious situation they would know what to do.
But in this day and age, we have one more safety concern to battle against, and that is technology and the Internet. According to a 2006 study done by the Zandi Group, 30% of children ages 8-12 have access to the Internet at home. That puts large targets on our children. Everyone from legal corporations (such as Nickelodeon and Disney) to their own peers, have access to them through this media.
What's more, most kids in that age bracket, know more about the technology than their parents do. However, most of them lack the maturity to know how to handle muddy situations that they might encounter using it.
Creating the series together Karen Child Ogden MA. LMFT. and Danielle Tiano, author of Temptation of a Generation: The Series, recognized that this is a growing concern in our society. This is a series of books to help tweens tackle the tough issues that go along with the technology that they are growing up with. Karen, also has a page of great tips in the back pertaining to the subject discussed in the book.
Don't Hit Send Just to Fit In educates tweens and parents about the reality and dangers of cyber-bullying.
A group of four middle school students, decide that in order to be "in" they need to follow the crowd. That comes in the form of posting pictures of themselves on social network sites, and being cyber-bullies themselves. Through the help of their "computer keyboard" and caring adults, they learn some tips on how to be kind and stay safe using their technology.
I thought this book was well thought out. It has colorful graphics (illustrated by Edward Pollick) to hold the attention of the tween, and very neat text. There are some hard words to understand for the younger set that the book is targeted for, but I like that, because it gives more reason for a parent and child to actually read the book together. I'm guessing that if your child has had any exposure to e-mail, message boards, texting, cell phones or instant messaging, one or more parts of this book will be prevalent to them.
Genius also read the book and these were her thoughts:
I thought it was a great book, the plot and pictures are cool, and the characters are believable. There's a rhyming pattern that makes you read it like a poem, that I sort of enjoyed. The theme is awesome, and could really help kids to remember to read what they type before they send it, and that you don't have to fit in.
The bottom line is we need to be informed about what are kids are doing both off and on the computer. These books provide an engaging platform for your tween, to help tackle some of the tough issues you may not know how to approach or discuss. The books are available at Beyond Your Words and cost $9.99 each.
Would you like to win a copy of Don't Hit Send Just To Fit In, for your family? Thanks to Kara at KBPR I have one to giveaway.
Here's how to enter: (By leaving a comment you agree to the Privacy Disclosure and Rules)
- Visit Temptation of a Generation and leave a comment telling me one of the two other books that are in this series. (I will keep from publishing the comments until the contest is over so everyone has a fair chance!)
For additional entries
- Follow my blog publicly (that's the only way I can verify) if you already follow publicly just comment with that and your blogger id.
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- Write a post and link back to this contest on your blog.
- Spread the word to your friends via twitter and leave your username with the link.
US Residents ages 13+ only please.
Contest ends on February 14, 2009 at 10:00 am cst.
Reader Comments (10)
Temptation of a Generation
is another book in the series
Nora SP
neneelynn@yahoo.com
follower
subscriber
A Generation Lost in Translation,
Temptation of a Generation is an informative book for both children and parents about the dangers of Internet pornography
debbiebellows[at]gmail[dot]com
a generation lost in translation
Follower.
ktgonyea at gmail.com
There is a book called "Temptation of a Generation" in the series.
autielady[at]live.com
A Generation Lost in Translation?
luckofdraw777(at)gmail(dot)com
One of the other books in the series is A Generation Lost in Translation.