In Case You Missed It

by Sarah Darer Littman Narrated by Dara Rosenberg

Overview

Sometimes the only way to find yourself is to lose your privacy.

Sammy Wallach has epic plans for the end of junior year over: Sneak out to the city to see her favorite band. Get crush-worthy Jamie Moss to ask her to prom. Rock all exams (APs and driver's).With a few white lies, some killer flirting, and tons of practice, Sammy's got things covered. That is, until the bank her dad works for is attacked by hacktivists who manage to steal everything in the Wallach family's private cloud, including Sammy's entire digital life. Literally the whole world has access to her emails, texts, photos, and, worst of all, journal.Life. Is. Over.Now Sammy's best friends are furious about things she wrote, Jamie thinks she's desperate, and she can barely show her face at school. Plus, her parents know all the rules she broke. But Sammy's not the only one with secrets -- her family has a few of its own that could change everything. And while the truth might set you free, no one said it was going to be painless. Or in Sammy's case, private.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

08/29/2016
As she did in Backlash and Want to Go Private?, Littman crafts an unnerving cautionary tale about misplaced digital trust and illusions of privacy. Amid Occupy-style protests, 16-year-old Sammy Wallach’s journal becomes collateral damage when hackers target her bank CEO father and gain access to the family’s cloud storage. Sammy is mortified when her classmates learn about her crush, her best friends give her the silent treatment, and her parents ground her for the lies she told to cover up a night out; she also learns that her parents have been keeping secrets of their own. Sammy’s voice, captured in straight narration and journal entries, is authentic and full of wit, whether she’s griping about her parents, aka “the Fossils,” or using slangy portmanteaus like “snarkasm.” The fallout from the hack raises important questions about bigotry, secret selves, and the multifaceted roles people assume in different areas of their lives, but the book’s exploration of these and other topics is quashed by a pressing health matter and Sammy’s overexposure, muddling the book’s takeaway somewhat. Ages 12–up. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

Praise for Sarah Darer LittmanBacklash "Littman pens a raw, frighteningly realistic, and absorbing look at cyberbullying and the damaging effects of airing private trauma in a public forum." —Publishers Weekly"This is a powerful and credible story" —BooklistWant to Go Private?"A bold investigation of a potentially lethal, if common, mixture for teen girls: emotional immaturity, technology and emerging sexuality." —Los Angeles Times"Littman pens a harrowing cautionary tale about the dangers that lurk online." —Publishers Weekly"This book is a compelling, if not disturbing, read." —School Library Journal

School Library Journal

10/01/2016
Gr 7 Up—Sammy Wallach is a goal-oriented teen who has monumental plans for the end of her junior year in high school. Lie to her parents and sneak out to the city to see her favorite band? Check. Finally get the boy of her dreams to ask her to prom? Check. Rock her driver's ed test? Check. Everything is falling into place, until her world comes crashing down right before her eyes. The bank her father runs is attacked by hackers who have an activist agenda and steal everything in her family's private cloud network, including Sammy's journal. As a result, her entire digital life—emails, texts, and photos—is exposed for everyone to see and read. Now Sammy's best friends aren't speaking to her because of things that she wrote. The boy of her dreams thinks she is desperate instead of flirty. As if that weren't bad enough, her parents find out all of the lies that she has been telling to get her way. But Sammy soon learns that she is not the only one in her family who has been keeping secrets, and that realization turns out to be more painful than the lies that she so desperately tried to keep hidden. This work may spark some interesting conversations on Internet safety and the ramifications of anonymous digital posting. VERDICT An easy, fun read for fans of light fiction and of the author's previous novels.—Amy Caldera, Dripping Springs Middle School, TX

Kirkus Reviews

2016-07-20
Uber–good-girl Sammy Wallach did not deserve this. The white, Jewish girl had been the “poster child for responsibility,” getting good grades, practicing driving, prepping for SATs and AP exams. Yet when her father's company, New Territories Bank Corporation, gets hacked and her father’s racist, sexist emailed remarks exposed, all her plans are thrown off course. With her family's scandal flooding the headlines, she cannot bear the thought of walking the halls of Brooklawne High. The prospect of dealing with her worrisome mother, killjoy little brother, and distant father instead propels her to face the awkward moments anyway. At least her dog, Scruffles, doesn't mind the drama. After the hackers release a second round of leaks, Sammy's journal—and her own narrow-minded remarks—is uploaded for the entire world to read. Abandoned by her best friends and ridiculed by classmates, Sammy struggles to find something to look forward to. Littman ably develops Sammy through her confrontations with her family's secrets. The revelations of her and her dad's prejudices are handled in a way that could be considered either underwhelming or disappointingly realistic: Sammy’s confrontation with her father is uncomfortable, and it doesn’t end in a rallying cry for justice. But the Wallachs are moving in the right direction, though many readers may think at too slow a pace. An unexpectedly layered story of slow awakening and redemption. (Fiction. 12-16)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170537143
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	09/27/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

Read an Excerpt

“I know you lied about it and I also know you went to that concert your father and I specifically told you was a no go without an adult chaperone,” my mom says. I grip the door handle, trying to prevent full on panic. “What do you mean, you know?” Mom slams on the brakes at the red light so hard that my head almost hits the dash even though I'm wearing my seatbelt. “I mean that thanks to the hackers, I've had the opportunity to peruse your diary. And let me tell you, it made eye-opening reading.” I feel sick to my stomach. “They posted my diary online?” “Don't try to change the subject.” “I'm not trying to change the subject, Mom, I'm trying to find out if I'm ever going to be able to face going back to school in this lifetime. How could you do it? You had no right to read it! I can't believe they actually posted my diary. So like, anyone can read it?” Please say no. Please say this is all just a really bad prank you and Dad are playing on me for some reality show and the host is about pop out from the backseat and say, “AHAHAHAHA, just kidding! Aren't your parents such jokesters?” No such luck. “Not just your diary. Our entire private life is an open book,” Mom says.

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