Just like her friends at high school, Esther Levin cannot image being without her phone. It is essential to everyday life. Finding her way to a party (GPS), time – to meet one of her friends, her torch at night, or the essential things like how to do stuff (YouTube), and what everyone is doing, wearing, buying or liking.

When a tech billionaire visits their school offering one thousand pounds to anyone who can be without their smart phone for six weeks, Esther is tempted. It is for a study about social media addiction.

When her friends agree to do it too, she hands in her phone along with dozens of others students. They are all given a simple text/call phone in its place. All Esther can think of is the money. Not for clothes and shoes like her friends, but for air tickets to New York to see her dad and her big sister and tiny nephew. She misses them like crazy.

It’s not long before Esther notices the changes in herself, her ‘friends’ and others around her. Not having a smart phone within reach 24/7 is liberating in some ways and confusing in others. Other students are dropping out of the challenge, but Esther really needs that money.

The Disconnect is a great read. Could we survive without our smart phones? Many topics are tackled in this convincing story including fake news, fake friends, data collecting and sharing, blended families and the power of social media for businesses – both good and bad.

Author – Keren David

Reading Age 8 – Interest Age Teen

Read the First Chapter Here

(2019, Barrington Stoke, Dyslexic, Dyslexia, Cellphones, Smart phones, Social Media, Messaging, Texting, Fake news, Trip Advisor reviews, Likes, Followers, Data Collection, Data Sharing, Corporate Greed, School, Friendships, Family, Blended Family, Cyber Bullying, Popularity, Peer Pressure)