FAMOUS ANONYMOUS

Seeking fame through social media, four friends end up truthfully examining themselves in this amusing and thoughtful series opener.

While the four Rowan Roadies—neighbors, two sets of siblings, and the children of parents who are best friends—were once inseparable, they drifted apart as they grew up and had other demands on their time. But they reconnect in middle school. Sophie Magee and Luke Gage-Flashman are in seventh grade, and Gus Magee and Harper Gage-Flashman are in sixth grade. Harper’s a theater kid, Gus is a star soccer player (who secretly loves writing), neurodivergent Luke is a tech whiz, and Sophie constantly changes extracurriculars. One night when Luke and Harper’s moms are out with Sophie and Gus’ mom and dad, the friends film a live-action video inspired by a popular video game. The kids were left with a strict list of house rules, but things get “a teeny bit out of control. Just, like, a smidge.” Harper posts the video to the social media platform Cre8, where it quickly goes viral. Their costumes hide their faces, but as they create more videos, they discover the cost of online fame. The novel loses some steam as the kids repeatedly attempt to go viral, but the book raises vital questions about social media and technology. The four leads share the humorous narration, which includes group chats and fan comments and will hold readers’ attention. Luke and Harper read white, and Gus and Sophie are cued Black.

Absorbing and thought-provoking.