A review by michellebuch
Exposed by Susan Vaught

2.0

This story of Chandra, a baton twirler who enters into a dangerous online relationship, is features more issues than the author knows how to address. Chan’s father is morbidly obese and had a heart attack in the past, her mother is overly controlling, her sister seems to be suffering from severe anxiety, her coach constantly is threatening to cut her from the team if she doesn’t make weight, and most importantly, much of the school is slut-shaming her after she contracted herpes from her football player cheating ex. If this maelstrom of teen issues, Chan begins an online relationship with someone she meets in a chat room. From the start, Chan’s relationship sends out warning signs that any middle-schooler today would spot. Her naiveté and quick grooming do not ring true, and teens today will simply mock her readiness to do anything this stranger tells her to. Many tech details are dated, even for the 2008 publication date, such as Chan’s mother being shocked that her laptop has a camera, barely a mention of cell phones, or Chan meeting her stranger in a school-related chat room instead of Facebook. If a collection has need of materials on online safety, it would be better to purchase a nonfiction account of a real teen, instead of this patronizingly didactic sermon.