ARC Review: Mister Teacher Person

Title: Mister Teacher Person

Series: Squirrel Hill High

Author: J.M. Varner

Published by J.M. Varner

Publication Date: August 12, 2014

Source: eARC from Author

Stacy King, star reporter for television news station KPGH, has made it. Successful in high school. Successful in college. Her face is now seen by tens of thousands every day throughout Squirrel Hill and the entire Pittsburgh area. 

But her latest assignment, returning to Squirrel Hill High for a profile piece on English teacher Mr. Payne (who has himself recently disappeared from the halls of the high school) puts her back in touch with a past she thought she’d left behind. 

And on her journey to discover what happened to Mr. Payne, startling revelations about her own past at Squirrel Hill High are brought to light.

My Review

Mister Teacher Person is a great book for teenagers because it's entertaining and it teaches readers a very valuable lesson about Internet safety and etiquette. If you are a parent and you want your kids to learn just how their actions can cause harm to another person, you should have them read this book.

Mister Teacher Person is a Squirrel Hill High novel written by J.M Varner. I have not read the previous book in the set of novels, Digital Me, but that did not leave me confused about anything in this book. To my knowledge, a reader can read this book without having read Varner's first book in the series.

I really enjoyed this book because it's not your typical YA or Middle Grade novel because it's actually narrated by an adult but geared at kids. The storyline is interesting, and I'm sure that any curious kid would want to see how everything in the Mr. Payne story unravels. It is a good way to introduce kids to mystery books if they have not yet read one.

I also really liked the Stacy King story. She is a young reporter who goes back to her high school for a job as a reporter. I connected with her because I recently went back to my own high school for a work opportunity. I felt the same wave of nostalgia going back, so it was really nice to finally see a character who I could really understand. Yes, she had good memories at Squirrel Hill High, but she also had some bad ones, and going back helps her overcome the bad memories and she is able to rediscover herself. I recently felt the same way when I encountered some places in my high school where I had some bad memories, so I'm really glad that I was able to meet and get to know this particular character.

I don't want to spoil anything, but there is definitely plot in here that I'm sure all people will understand; what you post on the Internet is permanent, and it can really hurt a person. In this book, you'll see how the actions of just a few people were able to harm a really great person. I'm glad that people are finally starting to put this message in media and books because it is very important.  I hope that many teens will pick up this book and learn how to be a better person while online.

I would recommend this book for preteens and teens eleven and older.