Social Media: Like it or Leave it by Rebecca Rowell is intended for 5th or 6th graders. It provides a reasonable argument for both perspectives of social media, embracing it or ignoring it. The publisher uses a unique method for the “Perspective Flip Books” where reading the book one way gives you one argument and then flipping the book around gives you a different argument. Each argument is about 30 pages long, or 60 pages total plus the contents, glossary, and other supporting pages. Each argument is organized into sections which makes following the discussion easier.
I found that both arguments were well-stated and already balanced themselves, it was the bias and objective of the argument that was reversed with the different perspectives. Though not being a 10-14 year old myself, I thought this book would still be appreciated as a core resource to an assignment on social media. Given that audience, the reading level was appropriate and the middle of the book (since there really is no ‘back’ of the book) contains a glossary, sources for further reading, a summary of the arguments in easy to understand pros-cons format, and a few questions to evoke critical thinking from Common Core perspective.
Overall, I would recommend Social Media: Like It or Leave It to a 10-14 year old looking to understand the topics of cyberbullying, online predators, identity theft, or using social media for good with social justice causes and connecting to community.
Social Media: Like it or Leave it is available from Amazon.com or your local library, which is where I found this book.
