Ezra Exposed by Amy E. Feldman
2 Stars / Middle-Grade Contemporary / ARC

Ezra Exposed follows ten-year-old Ezra who has just been bought his first cell phone and allowed an Instagram account. Ezra finds some popularity at school by posting photos of things that resembles butts (chicken nuggets, cherries, etc) but when he takes a photo of his actual butt to prove it’s not as hairy as some other kids are claiming, he gets into a whole world of trouble with school, his parents, and even the police. While this book does contain an important message, to me it came across as far too preachy and heavy-handed. It’s like an internet folk story thinly disguised as a book and I imagine most middle-grade readers would likely laugh off the message it’s trying to share. That and a terrible moment involving an adult male teacher discussing periods that is never corrected make this a book I’d struggle to recommend.

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Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this middle grade title.

This title should 100% be in every classroom library from third or fourth grade up. With students getting phones and social media accounts at earlier ages, this does a great job demonstrating how easily something seemingly innocuous can get out of control quickly. I hope we add this to our school's collections next year!.

Good story for younger readers on internet and phone safety and learning to think before posting anything. Also a good way for parents to talk to their pre teens on proper phone usage. Highly recommend this title.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to review.

This story hits a lot of important notes for kids, which I appreciate as a 5th grade teacher! While the topic was important, the delivery was full of innocence and humor, which I think kids will both relate to and learn from.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Loved the theme and the message the story sends out. Internet safety and importance of being private on the internet is expressed prudently in this book, a must read for everyone!

Ezra Exposed is a wonderful and candid tale about a regular kid who makes a big mistake. The humor dotted throughout makes it refreshingly real while not dancing around the seriousness of the oh so common matter of pre-teenagers and cellphones and how easily it can be abused and misused. I also loved how Ezra's parents were supportive yet stern and they themselves were not well versed in the dangers of lewd photos. Truly a good read.

It's hard to find good middle grade books for the younger middle grade readers. They might find many of the books readable, but elementary age students struggle to connect with middle school aged characters since their lives change so much in those few short years. I've added this book to my collection for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students, who will relate to Ezra's world.

Hopefully, although Ezra learns the hard way about what should and should not be shared online, our readers can learn from his mistakes. And for anyone worried that the content of the photo might be too inappropriate for their students, it's not.

Universal themes of fitting in alongside messages of online safety feel natural, not preachy. This book would make a wonderful conversation starter as part of a book club, guided reading group, or read aloud.

Thanks to netgalley, the author, and publisher for sharing an ARC of this very relevant story.

Ezra Exposed is a well paced middle grade book that touches on timely and relevant issues in an age appropriate way. Ezra’s first foray into the work of personal tech & social media is a good starting point for a discussion with kids on how an innocent action can grow into something more serious. The characters act and sound like middle school kids and are relatable. For older, or more mature students, this book would be a fun read aloud that could springboard into good discussion of how social media can rule or ruin people. Thank you for the eARC.

This book just makes me glad that we didn't have mobile phones in my childhood. It addresses many relevant modern issues , I discussed the book and issues with my older teen grandchildren who then went on to read the book and thought it 'really true'. They enjoyed it .

For his tenth birthday, Ezra finally gets a cell phone, since all of his friends have one. He is even allowed an Instagram account because his friend with the most involved mother has let him have one. So, of course, when Ezra's sister's chicken nugget at his birthday dinner looks like a butt, he takes a picture of it and posts it to his account. The other fifth graders think this is funny, and soon Ezra is seeing butts everywhere: a peach someone wants to trade at lunch, the skin between his thumb and fingers, a cherry. He's gotten a few followers, and one of the most popular boys at school seems to know who he is now. When a friend makes a comment about beavers and says that maybe Ezra has a beaver butt, Ezra pulls down his pants slightly and snaps a photo of the top of his butt. At first, he just shows his friend, but the friend wants Ezra to send him the picture. Ezra does, not thinking much of it. He has other problems, like having to go to the mall to buy pants for graduation and forgetting a major science fair project until the night before it is due. With the end of the school year approaching, and the class trip to an amusement park looming large, Ezra is enjoying having his phone, and gets to enjoy a little of the dopamine rush we all get when people "like" our social media posts. When he is called to the office, he's a bit surprised. He'd said something about "my cherry-red butt", and gotten several in person comments about it, but was that enough to get him in trouble? Not only are his parents called in, but there's a police officer. Because he sent a picture of his naked butt, even part of it, it is consider a criminal act of sending a lewd picture of a minor, even though he is the minor. The police want to confiscate the phone and check to see if there are other pictures on it, and 15 of his classmates also had to hand over their phones. The student who got the picture and told a trusted adult it not punished, but the others have to go through training, and several are not allowed to go to the end of year trip. This includes Ezra, who has to take the training and isn't allowed to go to the amusement park, although he is allowed to attend graduation. His parents take the phone away until after he has taken the training, and wish they had thought to give more instructions to Ezra about the use of his phone. While he will have to live with comments about his butt obsessed past, hopefully most of the interest will blow over before he starts middle school in the fall.
Strengths: Wow. This was a fine line to walk, but it was really perfectly done. Ezra isn't that interested in his phone or Instagram (and I was glad it wasn't a made up app name, like Instapic or Snapgram), and he's not purposefully sending naked pictures. When I give the internet safety talk that the state mandates, my students always say "Oh, I'd never do something like that,"but this makes Ezra's actions seem perfectly reasonable. Setting the book during the final few weeks of school, when everyone is distracted, worked well. The parents are fun and engaged with Ezra, and take appropriate actions when there is a problem. The use of butts is inspired. Really. I can completely see a fifth grader sending that picture. There is a note at the end on Feldman's research into the legal implications, and I think the interview with the policewoman was perfectly done. I'm definitely buying a copy for the school library, and if I knew any eight year olds, I would get this for a birthday gift BEFORE they got a cell phone. I'm looking forward to what Feldman might write next.
Weaknesses: The cover isn't my favorite and may take some hand selling. There were a few things that seemed anachronistic: going to the mall, the gym teacher smoking, the principal always wearing a brown suit, wearing pajamas, and sanitary pads in cardboard boxes being handed out after "the talk" in gym class. I was also surprised that that the gym teacher was not taken to task by the female teacher who overhears him telling the boys that they don't want to learn about menstruation; all they needed to know was to appease future girlfriends and wives during that time. I think now boys are taught about this.
What I really think: For my own purposes, I wanted Ezra to be older, but this is such a great book for elementary students to read. My 6th graders will pick it up, but it will be a hard sell for 7th and 8th graders. I'm surprised there aren't more books dealing with children who get in trouble with cell phones. I would buy them all, since it is such an easy way for children to get into trouble. I would never buy a smart phone for anyone under 15. If security is a concern, a flip phone is all they need.

I received an electronic ARC from Blackstone Publishing through NetGalley.
This is a much needed book and a difficult one too. Kudos to Feldman for writing this and offering upper elementary readers insight into what happens when one foolish decision explodes through social media. Ezra finally has a phone like all of his friends. Yes, they are all fifth graders, and the timing of receiving cell phones and ignoring age limits on social media platforms is a discussion for families. While out to dinner, Ezra sees two of his sister's chicken nuggets look like they've fused into butt shape. He takes a picture and shares it. This leads to more pictures and him looking for items that look like butts to build his base. Readers see how easy it is to get caught up in the world of likes and followers and ignore warnings and concerns. Eventually, he posts an inappropriate picture and his world crashes. I appreciate Feldman emphasizing that this is based on a bad choice and that life will get better again. She handles the police and school involvement with sensitivity and facts. She also makes sure readers realize there are consequences even when a decision was not through through.
The writing style will appeal though the content may be difficult to process for some middle grade readers. This would be an excellent family read when preparing to enter the cell phone and social media world.

Wonderful middle reader book.
As mom and librarian I was happy to read a book based on actions that could truly happen - - real world stuff with real world consequences.
Ezra, our central character, is a typical fifth grader who's focus is on friends and phones. Ezra makes an innocent mistake by sharing a photo with a boy to impress him. Unfortunately, this innocent mistake results into some real consequences for Ezra and friends.
Handled nicely for it's targeted group, this book discusses the responsibility that comes along with cell phone usage as well as the fact that good people-all people- make mistakes that are only momentary in the grand story of life."This too shall pass", is quoted in the book which is wonderful advice for us all.

Ezra Exposed is a funny, easy-to-read book that provides readers with an essential message about smartphones and social media safety. Ezra is on top of the world when he receives a smartphone for his birthday. This funny fifth grader quickly discovers the consequences that can, and often do, come with social media and smartphones.

I really enjoyed the characters in the book! They were relatable and as a former middle school teacher, I found myself right back amongst them and their shenanigan's (especially chicken nugget butt)! I even found myself relating to Ezra. I too was one of the last in the friend group to get a cellphone and I was over-the-moon excited about it!

Aside from feeling like the book had a bit more "filler" than needed, I did think it was a good book - one that I can see youth relating to and laughing with but also learning from. I think it would circulate well in our library!

Ezra, coming out of fifth grade is feeling neglected and out of the loop because he has no cell phone. He finally receives one so he can text and post pictures to his social media accounts. He has no time for anything else besides his phone. Very quickly, one of his funny posts turns out to be not quite so funny and gets Ezra into trouble with the school and the law.

A good read for upper elementary and this book should be read by their parents as well. Children do not realize the breadth and depth of social media posts, and that once out there, they may stay out there, leading to unpleasant consequences. Parents need to realize how quickly things can get out of hand (maybe looking at their own cell phone usage as well). Being a good citizen today necessitates more than being polite and courteous in person. It also means being polite, courteous and practicing discretion while online. Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should do something.

10yo Ezra finally got a cell phone! He's gone all of 5th grade without one and feels left out of a lot of the fun his friends have had - texting, chatting, sending pictures to each other. One of the first things Ezra does with his phone is send his friends a funny picture of a couple of chicken nuggets breaded together that look like a butt. The picture gets shared and before long, other kids are following Ezra's account. He keeps finding things that look like a butt, but before long Ezra takes a photo that turns his world upside down. He's in real trouble and so are the kids who received it.

Feldman's debut is a great story. 10-year-olds learning about sexting seemed super young to me, but, unfortunately, they aren't. Ezra Exposed presents the topic in an age-appropriate, kid-relatable way. It's funny, engaging, a great read, and a perfect conversation starter.

This is a timely book with an important message for kids.

Ezra is getting ready to graduate from elementary school. His parents just got him a phone, and he loves playing games and sharing pictures with his friends. When a picture of two chicken nuggets that look like a butt get him attention, he starts talking more pictures of objects that look like butts. But when he takes an actual picture of his butt, he gets in more trouble than he can imagine.

Ezra is a typical kid with a phone - making bad decisions, taking silly pictures, and not thinking about the consequences of his actions. He also starts neglecting his homework and his family to spend time on his phone.

While the message is good, kids might feel the book is too preachy and heavy-handed. I also found it difficult to keep up with who was who in his friend group. There were too many kids to keep up with.

This is a good book, but not a great one. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

This was a great book for upper elementary and middle school kids. It is a quick read that kids can really relate to. It also teaches a great message in a way that I think will hit home. I hope to read this as a read aloud with my class and help them understand how important it is to be careful what you post online.

This book was extremely relevant and important for kids who are getting smartphones for the first time! My older daughter is starting middle school in the fall, and several of her classmates already have phones. But she herself was worried about the distractions and has no desire to have a phone yet, so we compromised by getting her a watch that she could call and text from. I'm proud of her for choosing to be phone free for a little bit longer!

But the truth is, there are lots of young kids with phones, and many of them are on social media as well. Even I, as a 42 year old mom, am addicted to my phone and the Instagram app in particular. So I could relate to what Ezra was feeling, and also it caused a bit of a panic attack in me as I worry that I'm not setting the best example for my own kids.

The story starts when 10 year old Ezra gets a phone for his birthday. All of his friends already have phones, so he's excited to be getting one. He can now text with them, and also share posts on Instagram! But what starts as a joke on Instagram quickly escalates into something more serious, and Ezra must learn to deal with the consequences of his decisions.

I like that the parents were flawed in this book as well. That it wasn't just Ezra who had a judgement lapse and had to deal with the consequences. There is a responsibility that parents have when they get their children smartphones. Technology these days is amazing but also frightening. I think the lesson in this book was very valuable.

I plan on sharing this book with my own children, especially as they dabble more in technology and social media. I think above all else, it's important to share with our children the importance of phone safety. I plan on doing a lot more research before we get my daughter a smartphone of her own!

Thanks to the author for writing such a relevant and important story, and for netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read a digital arc in exchange for a review.

Ezra is a very relatable middle school kid. He is the last one in his social group to get a cell phone and is quick to create a social media presence for himself and gain the attention of the “cool” kids with his ”butt” posts. Unfortunately, Ezra has some tough lessons to learn about internet safety. This story is entertaining and educational at the same time. I couldn’t put it down! It is on the top of my Must Buy list for my middle school students. Thank you Amy Feldman and Blackstone Publishing!

This book is for the kids who don't have parents supervising their reading choices. It took a long time (at least 3/4 of the book) to get to the conflict.--until then, the reader suffers through very long, detailed, immature talk about butts, complete with name-calling, inappropriate acts, insults, and juvenile dares.

I have a 7th grader, and my child would never act like any of the children in this book, and she never did. The way Amy Feldman portrays the youth of that age is inaccurate and demeaning. To enhance the immaturity to make it appear "cool" is not an appropriate act for an author who is supposed to be an example for youth and not an immaturity enforcer.

In all reviews, I always balance good with bad.

The only good thing I can find about this book is the end. Not only because it was over, but because they actually showed a consequence through all the bad behaviors. Good lesson, but painful read.

I do not recommend for any child or their parent, as it promotes immaturity and rudeness.