Don’t Call Me Baby by Gwendolyn Heasley (review)

Since before she was born, Imogene’s entire life, from first steps to first period, has been recorded on her mom’s popular blog; in fact, her name was even decided through a reader poll. Now Imogene is fifteen, and she’s had enough. Imogene’s best friend, Sage, is also a victim of a blogging mom, and the two decide to turn an English assignment requiring them to blog into a mommy-daughter blog war. They are immediately grounded (as per advice from their mothers’ readers), which causes Sage to dig in and Imogene to rethink her strategy. She sees value in unplugging completely, but Sage is still going for a frontal assault, which causes a rift in their friendship. The conflict is peacefully resolved with the adults remaining firmly in control while the onus of understanding and compromise falls on the girls; a strong, explanatory voice overlays the first-person narration, intrusively glossing various terms and metaphors whenever they come up, which is often. The portrayal of a plugged-in mom and a technology-resistant teen makes a nice reversal, though, and Imogene’s exploration of the value of balance and privacy is one that may elicit reflection from young readers. Despite (or because of?) a bit of heavy-handedness in terms of understanding and valuing the needs and foibles of your elders, this could be a match for mother-daughter reading groups.