ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

Unplugged and Unpopular is a fun, sci-fi comic that follows the story of a teenager named Erin Song. She's your average girl - she loves the Internet and wants to be popular and all that jazz. Things take a turn however, when Erin gets grounded for some shit she pulls at school and her parents take away her gadgets from her. She begins noticing these tiny aliens around town and that leads to her discovering this whole conspiracy where the aliens are abducting people and are mind-controlling humans through technology and all that. It all eventually comes down to Erin and a bunch of old people to save the world from this invasion.

I thought this graphic novel was a really fun and quick read. I think there was some commentary that the authors wanted to include with respect to how we "let the glowing screens rule us", but I think it didn't come through as it was intended. I wasn't particularly moved or impacted by anything that happened in the novel. It was just something that I read, and it was fun, and then it was over. And that's that.

I gave it a three stars because, like I said, fun, but not special. I would totally recommend it if you're just passing time and would love a light read for an hour or two!

I was given this free review copy graphic novel at my request and have voluntarily left this review. I loved this so much! I loved Erin. She was a fun and lovable character. The artwork was fabulous. I would definitely read something else by Mat Heagerty! The story was different and unique. I loved the concept. When you first meet Erin she is just like every young teen, but she grows so much in this graphic novel!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2946550999

This book is about Erin Song and the technology dependent world that she lives in. After she gets in trouble at school, Erin's parents take away all of her technology! She must travel to the local library in order to do research for a school paper. Outside of the library she sees a weird pink creature capture a human and make him disappear. She goes inside and is stunned to learn that the librarians know what's going on! It's an alien invasion! Now Erin and some new friends will have to try and thwart the alien invasion before it's to late.

This was an adorable book. I think this will fit into the juvenile graphic novel section of any library. The story moved along nicely and I liked the message that the book is sending. The artwork is really cute too.

Digital Arc copy provided by netgalley.

Unplugged and unpopular is a cute hilarious graphic novel with a deep underlying message. It tells a story from a preteens p.o.v where technology literally took over the world, thanks to aliens. Everyone around her is so stuck on their phones/tv screens to actually notice the real world around them. The world that's now infested with little purple aliens trying to splice their genes together and create one giant super army. Luckily enough the preteen Erin gets in trouble which gives her time away from the screens in time breaking their hold on her and giving her a chance to really see what's going on around her. Essential she has to team up with the most unlikely and underappreciated group, the elders. Because in a world full of technology no one wants to listen to elders speak anymore and elders want nothing to do with this fast pace technological world this gives Erin a chance a glimpse of hope at making things right. Erin ends up saving the world with a group of retired senior citizens and a handful of everyday objects transformed by the genius minds of her grandma's boyfriend and his twin. In the end Erin realizes how much cooler her life really was before she became obsessed with the technology & others opinions. She finds the happiness in her life she thought she was missing. However it ended a bit open and I would love to see where else it would go with a spliced human/alien army.

4.5 stars Great read for middle schoolers! Beautiful color scheme and I loved the style very entertaining read.

e-ARC received from NetGalley

Unplugged and Unpopular is a children's graphic novel about a young girl in the near future dealing with popularity, social media, and aliens. I picked it up mostly out of interest at how the topic of social media is being handled in fiction for young children today - being a young millennial, I just missed out on being part of the generation that was born into the social media era, and the differences between Gen Y and Z fascinate me. Interestingly this read just like a book or comic I might have read when I was younger, though with the focus being on social media instead of television or video games. It was just on the right side of being preachy, but I do think that even for middle grade the overall message of the story could have been a little more nuanced. Like television and video games, social media is here to stay and can indeed be used for good. I think it would have been worth exploring healthy ways in which young people can utilise it. Also, as a library assistant I would like to point out that libraries are very much so embracing technology - we have an entire ebook department at the academic library where I work, and public libraries provide many people (especially poorer people) with vital internet access for job-hunting and the like. The idea of libraries as a technophobic space as presented in this book feels a little outdated to me.

My favourite part of the story was the relationship between the main character and her grandmother. Having lost a few loved ones myself, and finding myself wishing I spent more time with them, recording their stories, I do appreciate the gentle way in which this story reminds its young readers of the value of listening to the stories of older relatives.

This graphic novel is very much for children aged 6-12, with little cross-over appeal, but to my surprise (because I disliked the cover) I did enjoy the art style a lot!

Erin Song lives in Culver City, California, with her parents. She hasn’t managed to crack the popularity code yet.

While her best friend Cody doesn’t care about popularity, Erin does. This results in her going against her better judgement and helping the most popular girl in school cheat off her during an exam. When they get caught Erin’s parents ground her. Her punishment? No access to anything with a screen, so basically her entire existence.

When she’s no longer attached to her phone Erin begins to notice things she never has before, like aliens! It quickly becomes clear that the aliens haven’t come in peace and it’s up to Erin, her grandmother and twin librarians, Joe and Charlie, to save the world.

I enjoyed the illustrations and use of colour in this graphic novel. I particularly liked it when a noise was mentioned and words to describe it lined up with what was happening, for example, “breaking glass” was spelled with shards of broken glass.

This story takes place in the near future; Erin’s grandmother is pictured as a young woman in the 1980’s and her parents grew up sans internet. While I love that the majority of the heroes live in retirement homes, this story also perpetuates the myth that older people and technology don’t mix. Besides Erin, who’s not using technology because she’s grounded, the only other people in the story who aren’t glued to their devices are elderly.

I don’t think librarians will particularly like the comment about how the internet has resulted in libraries no longer being used. This is certainly not my experience as a frequent library user. All of the librarians I know are very tech savvy and I see people of all ages in my local library.

There are clues early on in the story about what’s really happening if you pay attention to what’s being said and details in the pictures. I loved that the president in this near future version of America is female and I had fun picking up on the background details, like the movie poster advertising ‘Jaws 26’. This naturally reminded me of when Doc’s Delorean arrived in 2015 and Marty McFly encountered the hologram shark from ‘Jaws 19’.

I really liked the points this story makes about popularity and how invaluable grandparents are in kids’ lives. This graphic novel also includes not so subtle commentary about the overuse of technology, with people so focused on the screen in front of them that they miss out on the reality that’s happening all around them. Considering that this story’s target audience are growing up surrounded by the glow of screens, it makes a good point.

My childhood would have been vastly different if I’d had access to the technology kids have on hand today and while I know I would have loved the internet as a kid I’m consistently grateful that social media didn’t exist back in the Dark Ages of my childhood.

While the majority of the story flowed well for me, I couldn’t figure out how Erin’s grandmother’s retirement home suddenly became an electronics store. Was this somehow part of the mind control? I reread this story to try to make sense of this but I’m still not clear about it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Oni Press for the opportunity to read this graphic novel.

When Erin gets caught cheating on a quiz in her quest to be popular, she gets grounded from her phone. She soon discovers the world isn't as it seems and that aliens are using technology to mind control people so they can abduct humans. When no one will believe her, she has to rely on her grandma and an army of anti-technology retirees to defeat the aliens and save the abducted humans.

This was a cute story that deals with popular topics like wanting to be popular and how much time people spend on their electronic devices. It is zany at times in ways I can see appealing to kids as well as the way Erin helps save the world. This book is basically a "quit spending so much time looking at screens" message wrapped up in a sci-fi veneer.

Erin gets in trouble and is grounded from all technology. This is when she learns that aliens are taking over the planet and using tech to mind control the population of LA and hide the abductions.

The story is geared towards middle grade readers, but it was fun and as an adult I still enjoyed it. I can see this being a big hit with my students.

The art is great I love the little touches that are added. If you are paying attention to the backgrounds small hints of what is going to happen are there. Which I absolutely love.

It's a fast paced, fun, and silly story that I will definitely be adding to both my personal and classroom library.

Really cute and fun book to read. I kind of wish the book to be a bit longer for more character development. It is a very brief story and plot but I enjoyed reading it.

3.5 Stars

This definitely had a unique premise. It sends a good message about how much we rely on our devices and how disconnected from people we are. I didn't like the representation of the Library in this town but I suppose it helps push the message even more regarding phones and television. There were some moments with the drawings that pulled me out of the story, such as duplicate panels (which given that this was an ARC will likely be fixed for the final product). The ending also seemed very simplistic. I do think that kids will enjoy this overall though.

I received an eARC via Netgalley; all opinions are my own.

When her parents ground her from electronics for a month, Erin Song realizes how much she’s missing. Soon she starts seeing purple, fuzzy aliens, but everyone with screens thinks she’s crazy. In addition, no one with screens seems to remember who has been abducted. Can Erin and an unlikely group of heroes save Los Angeles from a group of fuzzy invaders? The plot is quirky, humorous, and engaging. The illustrations are colorful and harmonize with the text. The characters are unique and charming. This humorous science fiction graphic novel will appeal to fans of Bone and Doug TenNapel.

This graphic novel tells the story of a young girl who gets in trouble at school and is grounded from all electronics and the internet for a month. She begins seeing strange things, like an alien outside the library. She learns that aliens have been controlling people using technology, which a lot of humans just haven't noticed. She and her grandmother, and an army of off-line inventors, must save the world from the alien invasion.

This book was not what I thought it was going to be, but it was a fun story, and I would definitely recommend it to middle grade readers.

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this graphic novel. Erin Song isn't exactly unpopular, but she'd not in the popular group at school either. She has the chance to level up when popular girl Wendy asks her to help her cheat on an exam. However, they get caught and Erin's parents ban her from all electronic devices for a month - no smart phone, no lap top, no internet. This is Erin's worst nightmare until she makes a startling discovery. In her now 'unplugged' world she can see that aliens are abducting humans in a plan to take over the world. They're controlling everyone through their devices. No one believes her except for some similarly 'unplugged' seniors. Can Erin and the oldies save the human race?

This was a great story. Most teenagers would share Erin's angst at being separated from social media and the internet, but the sci-fi element gives it an interesting twist. The writing and illustrations are engaging and there's a lot of humour in addition to deeper themes (e.g. the advantage of turning off the devices every now and then and actually talking to people and noticing what's around you; and also the fact that seniors still have a lot to offer and shouldn't be written off because of their age). The message isn't heavy-handed, but comes across in an interesting way.

I got a little confused at one point as to why Erin and her parents had different views about what had happened to Grandma even before Erin was 'unplugged'. That didn't make sense to me, though I may have missed something. However, apart from a couple of slightly confusing bits, the overall story was good.

It would probably best suit age groups of around 10-14, though there's also a lot for older teens and adults to enjoy. If you're looking for something fun, but with some depth, this graphic novel fits the bill.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Okay, so <i>Unplugged and Unpopular</i> by Mat Heagerty, illustrated by Tintin Pantoja and Mike Amante, was a hilarious and adorable, if slightly exaggerated, story about a young girl who loses access to all her technology when she is grounded for helping a popular girl cheat on a test. While Erin quickly sees this punishment as the fastest path to making her exceedingly unpopular, she's not quite prepared for what the break from her screens opens her eyes to. All of a sudden she can see the aliens who have been brainwashing everyone with technology.

One of the funnier aspects of this story is the fact that those who don't spend a lot of time with technology--e.g. the elderly--can see the aliens and Erin's grandmother happens to be one of them. But of course she and her parents, who are constantly looking at phones and computers, just think grandma is a bit crazy when she goes on about the aliens that live among them and are slowly abducting people.

As Erin becomes more aware about the truths of the world, she visits a library where two older men have been preparing to fight against the aliens for quite a while now, one of which happens to be her grandmother's boyfriend. And thus begins their quest to save everyone who has been abducted and to get rid of the aliens once and for all. With Erin at the front and everyone else from the retirement home behind her, surely they can manage to fend of the creatures and save their family and friends.

It's a fun and intriguing story with a decent commentary about the obsessive need people have developed for their phones and computers. I would definitely agree that it's nice to step away from it all every once in a while. Of course, there are a few inaccuracies and stereotypes presented, mainly with libraries and the elderly, but overall nothing too problematic as far as I was able to tell. I enjoyed this graphic novel overall, though I did certainly find it to be somewhat silly.

I think it's definitely a fun read for any middle school kid and would definitely recommend it.

<i>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

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I expected this graphic novel to be contemporary, but there were aliens, which surprised me! But it was fun. It is about this alien species that are brainwashing humans through their electronic devices, in this way they hope to take over the world. Of course our main character finds out, and she has to save the world, together with three elderly people. It was fun, the drawings were nice, but the story was quite simple.

This was such a cute novel that I finished in one sitting. The illustrations fit perfectly with the story and I love the underlying message of sometimes people should put their phones down and listen to what people are saying! This is a message that anyone can relate to and should hear- especially tweens/teens- get the message in them early! Loved the graphics throughout. Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Aw, how cute was this? I loved the plot and the underlying messages. The artwork was super cute and the writing was just funny enough. Solid read.

So this graphic novel was so much fun to read and I ended up finishing it in one sitting because of how cute the art was and how entertaining the story was.
I highly recommend it if you are looking for a light and fluffy read that still has a message.

I thought this book was great the way it talked about the importance of getting away from technology, but the book done this in a humorous way. I felt that this book is a great read for people of all ages, because we need to unplug sometimes so we don't miss the world around us! I thought the book was colorful and attracted its readers well.

*thank you to Netgalley, Oni Press and Mike Amante for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

I really enjoyed this! I thought it sounded like a really good idea for a story and I was right. It's about a girl named Erin who ends up getting banned of using her technology such as her Phone, Tablet and Laptop. Now, I grew up as one of those where these items weren't as they are now, until I was a teenager. (I'm 34) And even then it was a big deal for an older teen to have her own phone. Now, I'm seeing toddlers with devices! It's nuts. Anyway, Erin didn't grow up like me, she probably had Instagram the day she was born. (Ok, so a slight exaggeration....but only slight) For Erin, this would have felt like losing a body part. But really what it did was open her eyes to what's really going on in her hometown (and apparently the rest of the world). 

There were a couple of surprises along the way and I really liked how they showed that technology is like a drug. Now I'm not anti-technology but I do think people spend more than needed time on their devices. 

I think Middle Grade readers will enjoy this the most but it's really for any age group. It's was fun, witty and I really liked the illustrations. The book has an overall good feel to it and I would definitely recommend it.