The Renegade Reporters is unyieldingly charming and makes very real and difficult topics accessible for a younger audience. As someone whose worked in some form journalism for the past eight years, I really appreciated this books premise before I even started. And then once I got into the meet of the story and learned more about the three main characters, I was even more entranced. This would be great for any fans of Cub by Cynthia L. Copeland!

The Renegade Reporters by Elissa Brent Weissman; Dial Books for Young Readers, 226 pages ($16.99) Ages 8 to 12.

Sixth grade journalists uncover a big story – an educational software developer profiting from data gathered from schoolchildren – in this entertaining, thought-provoking novel for middle grade readers from the author of "The Length of a String."

Aspiring TV news anchor Ashley and her camera operator, Maya, are both kicked off their Baltimore elementary school's "News at Nine" show after broadcasting embarrassing live video of their gym teacher dancing in her office in shorts and a sports bra, a video that goes viral.

So Ashley, Maya and their TV editor friend Brielle decide to go underground, researching stories on their own and broadcasting them from Ashley's basement on YouTube as "The Underground News," using the same TV editing program Van Ness Media provides their school. Ashley is determined to scoop the News at Nine team and its new anchor, Harry Levine, with a story about a bike theft from the local park and she is furious when Harry beats her on her own story.

But then her team stumbles onto a much bigger story: Van Ness Media is gathering data on all the kids at John Dos Passos Elementary School. But at a time when companies are tracking users and collecting data on everybody, will anyone care about the story? Is it really a big deal?

Brent Weissman's lively narrative (and an author's note at the end) offers the target age group much to think about when it comes to issues of online privacy.

We will be ordering "The Renegade Reporters" for the library to have in our collection! A fun read for this age group.

This is such a fun concept! Kids/young teens who are interested in journalism will really enjoy this. The main character is relatable in her type-A-ness. The sort of cringey humor style will also be really popular with tweens (they'll love the teacher dancing set-up at the beginning).

When sixth grader Ash accidentally posts an inappropriate video of a teacher, she’s removed from her school’s morning news show. Ash and her friends Brielle and Maya decide to start their own news channel online, using their school software from Van Ness Media. Soon after starting their show, they discover that Van Ness Media has been selling data from students, despite claiming that they make ad-free software. Ash and her friends didn’t expect to stumble upon such an important new story, but they have to find a way to get it out in the world.

This story had an important message about digital fingerprints. Companies are constantly collecting and sharing data that we put out on the internet. Sometimes it is helpful, such as when you get a coupon for a store you were just in. But sometimes it’s creepy, when they can track where you live and work.

There were some details of the way companies gather and track our data that I wasn’t familiar with before reading this book. This is such an important story because it teaches kids the dangerous implications of using the internet. It also shows that kids can make a difference in the world, since Ash and her friends are the ones that discovered and reported on the story.

The Renegade Reporters is a great middle grade story!

Thank you Penguin for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After Ash finds herself kicked off her school’s news show due to a viral video that violated a teacher’s privacy, she forms the “Renegade Reporters” with her two best buddies to create their own news broadcast to share on YouTube. She and her pals Maya and Brielle plan to report, shoot, and edit the content all from Ash’s basement. While looking for news to report, the girls stumble upon some interesting information about the local educational software company that is behind their school’s news broadcast. Their serious investigating and intrepid reporting lead the news team to a shocking discovery that has an impact on all the students at their school. Middle grade readers will be engaged in unraveling the mystery along with the reporters, while also learning an important lesson about digital privacy.

Thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Renegade Reporters follows 3 kids who are determined to become professional reporters. They form their own investigative reporting team and discover something strange is afoot with the company that provides free digital programs to their school.

Honestly, it was a really enjoyable read. I thought how they explained data was really clear cut and understandable, even though it's a complicated topic.

The only problem I had was that the girls weren't distinctive enough in their personalities for the POVs to be interesting. This book focuses more on the process of investigative reporting moreso than the personal aspect of life, if that makes sense. It's fine, but the girls just didn't have individual personalities so I couldn't really tell them apart all that well.

A great story and an informative look into the process of investigative reporting.

There is definite character growth in the novel and an important lesson about online safety and privacy is shared with our young readers.

I received an electronic ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group through NetGalley.
Ash and her friend Maya were removed as an anchor and cameraperson on their school news show for recording something that should have stayed private. They both quit the news program and decided to create their own news show - The Underground News. The third in the friends group stayed with both broadcasts. This is an interesting take on school news shows and commitment to reporting. When Ash and Maya stumble into the wrong room at a local educational software company, they discover something they should not have seen. From this, they do some well thought out research and investigation to break a major story about the company and its founder.
Weissman has created three unique friends who share a passion for journalism. Their personalities continue to develop as the story progresses. Readers see them respond, learn and change as they take on a far more serious topic than they've done before. The topic of internet privacy is pertinent for middle grade readers as so much of their time is spent online. This book should open discussions as families navigate constantly changing technology.