Web Teacher
★★★ Internet Blackout by Marcelo Marquez is Volume 1 of O’Reilly’s new Hackerteen series. It’s a graphic novel, O’Reilly’s first effort in the young reader market.
The plot of the story involves Yago and his friends and their experiences with victimization and Internet safety. The story line for Internet Blackout includes viruses, identity theft, and ways to protect yourself online.
Hackerteen is a Brazilian educational project that should be a welcome import into the U.S.A. Teens get valuable information about computer security, entrepreneurship on the Internet, hacker ethics, protecting yourself online and other topics.
The graphics are excellent, the story is engaging, and there’s no talking down to the reader. They are assumed to be savvy and engaged in the Internet in ways that exceed their parents. One subplot of Volume 1 involves a teen who helps his clueless dad save the family business, a bakery. There are several plot lines woven through the 100 page book, which is bound like a paperback novel, not like a comic book.
If you have adolescents or work with them in an educational setting, this book is a good resource. And the kids will enjoy it!
Good for teens