Praise for Speak for Yourself
"Brimming with sharp banter and heartfelt confession in equal measure, Speak for Yourself is a love letter to everyone who's ever held their goals so tight, they nearly missed what life had to offer. Skylar Collins is a delight, and Lana Wood Johnson is a modern Jane Austen for the iPhone crowd." —Adib Khorram, author of Darius the Great Is Not Okay and Darius the Great Deserves Better
"A love story like no other, filled with teen angst, drama, academic decathlons, high school crushes, and characters you'll love." —Mason Deaver, author of The Ghosts We Keep
"Speak for Yourself is relatable, witty, and delivers the perfect twist on a classic romance trope. Johnson captures the messy awkwardness of teen life with refreshing honesty. This geektastic book had me grinning until the very last page!" —Julian Winters, award-winning author of Running with Lions
"One part an homage to nerdiness, one part love story with a dash of rom-com goodness, Speak for Yourself will appeal to anyone who's a go-getter, a ride-or-die friend, or most importantly, a dreamer." —Kosoko Jackson, author of Yesterday Is History
"Speak for Yourself perfectly interweaves crucial facets of the high school experience into a nerd-perfect soufflé of banter, chat threads, and lunchroom dynamics." —Sarah Henning, author of Throw Like a Girl
"A warm and witty rom-com about coding, missed connections, and letting yourself want more than you think you deserve." —Amanda Sellet, By the Book
"A unique romance choice where coding and STEM are popular topics." —School Library Journal"
"Johnson successfully conveys the pitfalls of following too narrow a path in a novel whose wit and relatable crises keep pages turning." —Publishers Weekly
Praise for Technically, You Started It
"A quick and compulsive read." —Washington Post
"Johnson's clever debut speaks to Generation Z's cyberculture by validating online friendships." —Kirkus Reviews
"Debut author Lana Wood Johnson serves up a summer sweet, emotionally fraught-slash-hilarious teen romcom plot line perfect for fans of Netflix movies like To All the Boys I've Loved Before." —BookRiot.com
"Inventive. . . . The all-text format could be a gimmick in less talented hands, but here the dialogue sparkles as it lets readers inside these teens' heads. It's a surprisingly powerful way to illustrate the true value of connection." —Austin American-Statesman
"Told entirely through texts between the two main characters, Johnson takes a risk with her unconventional format-and it more than pays off." —Columbus Dispatch
"An accessible format for reluctant readers." —Booklist
06/01/2021
Gr 7 Up—High school junior Skylar has been making apps and staying in her lane for as long as she can remember. Her best friend Mads handles the graphic design but is in a new relationship with Kaden, which means the friends are spending less time together. They're all in Scholastic Exposition together, though, and this year Skylar, the captain, has big plans for the team to win ScholEx Nationals. But she has friction with teammate Zane, who recruits his debate partner, Joey, to the team. Ensue love triangle: Because Joey likes Zane, Skylar makes a matchmaking app called Requite so they can connect, but readers know that Zane is really interested in Skylar, who is clueless. Skylar's well-crafted plans for ScholEx get muddied when Requite takes off, things with Zane and Joey fizzle out, and Skylar can't take a hint that Zane actually likes her. Group chats, goal lists, press releases, and emails replete with coding and app-creating language give this charming romance a modern feel. Readers will enjoy the authenticity of the friendships and the crush drama as they read between the lines. A thread of Skylar's serious migraine headaches gives some depth to her character but doesn't meaningfully impact the plot. One protagonist is Black, and all others are cued white; Kaden uses they/them pronouns, and there is a queer relationship. VERDICT A unique romance choice where coding and STEM are popular topics.—Jamie Winchell, Percy Julian M.S., IL
2021-03-25
Teen coder Skylar gets distracted by romance in her bid to win an academic competition.
Sixteen-year-old Skylar has her future all planned out: Her Study Buddy flashcard app will help her team win the national Scholastic Exposition, which will in turn help her get into Stanford. And her debilitating migraines are mostly under control with new medication—as long as she avoids stress. But her school’s competition team still needs one more member, and supersmart Joey will only agree if Skylar helps her find out whether her charismatic debate team partner, Zane, likes her. Ruling out more traditional methods, Skylar quickly builds Requite, an app that matches teens if they upload one another’s pictures. Thinking Study Buddy would be her ticket to success, Skylar grows frustrated as Requite instead grows in popularity. And does Zane think she built the app to match with him? The writing overall fails to engage; the ambitious narrative includes countless text messages, emails, and chat transcripts that often feel awkward and forced. With an overly complicated setup, including an underdeveloped side plot about a guy who led Skylar on, the story gets so bogged down in details that the pacing drags. Main characters are White, in keeping with the lack of diversity in Skylar’s school.
A much-needed but disappointing depiction of a female coder. (Fiction. 12-18)
