Identity Crisis

by Melissa Schorr

Overview

Who does she think she is? Annalise's audacious freshman-year hookup with Cooper Franklin has a trio of friends thirsting for revenge. So they catfish Annalise by creating the perfect virtual guy, with Noelle playing along reluctantly only because her lifelong crush, Cooper, is in love with Annalise. As Annalise falls for it, even buying tickets for the concert of the year for her and her mythical new guy, Noelle feels more and more guilty. Then, the whole thing blows up and Annalise faces her betrayers. But when Annalise forgives, the reunited friends learn that adults--even famous adults--can be even more bogus than teenagers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440590146
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	12/04/2015
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
Lexile:	780L (what's this?)
File size:	374 KB
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Melissa Schorr is the author of Identity Crisis, a Simon&Schuster book.

Editorial Reviews

"Catfishing is used as a way to get revenge in this social-media-themed cautionary tale. Each girl's personal discoveries and growth make this a strong choice for libraries and a good discussion starter about social media and bullying." —Booklist

"Annalise...discovers that she's been the victim of a 'catfishing' prank. How this melodrama plays out is unconventional and worth the read. Schorr creates a robust and likable character in Annalise.... The writing and language are fluid and blend seamlessly with the mood of the book. A solid additional purchase for large YA collections."—School Library Journal

"Teenage girls play out a revenge drama online only to discover that there's no hiding one's true identity. A crowd pleaser...for teens looking for love in all the wrong places, this social media fable is dramatized with love triangles, revenge, and rock-'n'-roll." —Kirkus Reviews

"Identity Crisis delves into offline difficulties, too, from job loss, fear of parental divorce, slut-shaming, fandom, body image issues, sibling stress and other issues that compound their virtual lives. Parents, teacher and tweens/teens need to read Identity Crisis. There are many important lessons that can be learned. You will come away with a new sense of empathy—and want to be sure that no one ever does this to someone you love." —Sue Scheff on The Huffington Post

"This breezy novel may appeal to readers who like the melodrama of adolescence." —The Horn Book Magazine

"An addicting storyline that shows the rise of the prank, the discovery, and the reconstruction of the girls' relationship.... An awesome and nail-biting plot, and the conflict is simply irresistible. Noelle is a character most readers can probably empathize with. The story is unique, and it's definitely for those who are looking for something out of the ordinary." —YA Books Central

"Extremely important and beautiful. Couldn't stop reading, really helped me understand peer pressure and the Internet." —Teen Librarian Toolbox/School Library Journal

"Addressing 'mean girl' behaviors, along with Internet safety and the verity of online identities, Schorr's novel delivers a carefully crafted tale.... A fast, fun read for contemporary teen girls interested in friendship, revenge, bullying, regret, light romance, and online safety, this drama-filled novel will encourage less-inclined readers to persevere to the end. This book is recommended for public and school libraries." —VOYA Magazine

From the Publisher

12/01/2015
Gr 9 Up—Annalise is a sophomore at Danville High School in a small town near Boston. She has family, friends, and a love for the rock band Brass Knuckles. When Annalise's mom fails to acquire concert tickets, Annalise turns to her online Brass Knuckles family. As she complains about her plight on the online forum, a newcomer to the page, Declan O'Keefe, engages Annalise directly to commiserate with her. Declan and Annalise begin an online friendship and discover that they have a lot in common. Annalise can hardly believe her luck. As their online relationship matures and Annalise begins to have feelings for Declan, she decides to surprise him at his home. Unfortunately, when Annalise arrives on Declan's doorstep, she discovers that she's been the victim of a "catfishing" prank. Three girls from school, including Noelle, created the fake Declan's online profile and pretended to be him. How this melodrama plays out is unconventional and worth the read. Schorr creates a robust and likable character in Annalise. But as believable as the characters are, the situations through which they struggle are less credible. Many of the scenes seem somewhat contrived. On the other hand, the writing and language are fluid and blend seamlessly with the mood of the book. The chapters are short and switch from the point of view of Annalise and Noelle. VERDICT A solid additional purchase for large YA collections.—Jeni Tahaney, Duncanville High School Library, TX

School Library Journal

2015-11-03
Teenage girls play out a revenge drama online only to discover that there's no hiding one's true identity. The two key characters, Annalise and Noelle, go to the same high school, but they aren't friends. The shallow girls tell a shallow story through first-person chapter swaps. Noelle, at the behest of her grudge-bearing BFF, Eva, creates a bogus virtual romance to woo beautiful Annalise away from Noelle's love interest. The guy bait, Declan, is a home-schooled relative of Eva who isn't on social media and knows nothing of this charade. Disillusioned by guys who ogle her plus-sized boobs, Annalise is seduced by online conversations with Noelle/Declan, who seems ideal: clever, sensitive, and like-minded. Then Annalise decides to meet Declan in person, discovers the deceit, and proceeds to turn the tables on the vendetta. As plans go haywire, the teens begin to realize the darkness of their deeds, and both girls, stripped of anonymity, find their consciences. This tale seeks to authentically depict the current digital age while making a plea for finding depth and accountability in relationships. A story of revenge is often a crowd pleaser, and here this morality tale succeeds, but the intended audience will probably be too busy surfing the Web to read it. For teens looking for love in all the wrong places, this social media fable is dramatized with love triangles, revenge, and rock-'n'-roll. (Fiction. 13-17)

Kirkus Reviews