Virtually Me

Morris, Chad & Brown, Shelly

Hardcover, 256 pages

Using personalized avatars, a group of kids look for a fresh start in school when a virtual reality academy opens after a pandemic. This school year, Bradley, Edelle, and Hunter will be wearing virtual-reality headsets and attending a three-dimensional, simulated school while interacting as avatars. Having a customized avatar is a bonus as some students want to hide behind a new identity. Bradley is eager for a brand-new identity. A cool avatar will allow him to escape the bullies who have made fun of him for years and gives him a fresh start to make new friends on his own terms. Edelle is forced to attend the virtual school by her mom who says she's too obsessed with being at the top of the "Best-Looking Girls" list circulating at school. Even worse, Edelle's mom insists she chooses a generic avatar. Mortified by how her avatar looks, Edelle registers under a new name so no one can identify her. But will she lose her prized social status if no one can recognize her? Hunter is known for his popularity, charm, and his lustrous mane of hair, except with his recent diagnosis of alopecia, his hair has begun to fall out, even his eyebrows. VR school allows him to maintain his popularity--and the illusion of a full head of hair--even if it means hiding behind an avatar. He tells his friends that once his grades are back up, he'll return to school in person. But he wonders how being isolated will affect his relationships. As Bradley, Edelle, and Hunter get to know each other in their virtual environment, they realize that the school is not all fun and games and the simulated environment just brings different problems than an in-person school. Each student will see themselves and their world through a new lens as they learn about what true friendship means and the difference between fitting in and belonging.