The Phone Book: Stay Safe, Be Smart, and Make the World Better with the Powerful Device in Your Hand

Bought this for my 13yo. She could earn the privilege to have a phone by reading it out loud to us over the course of a few days. (We just did dishes or gardening while she read and had short discussion between chapters). We were really impressed both the insight and learned new things ourselves. Highly recommend and think it should be required reading for everyone with a cell phone or wifi device!

What a wonderful book for teens and tweens! Both my kids (15 & 10) enjoyed this book and learned quite a bit. (I did too.) The topic is something they are of course interested in: Smartphones. The author has a wonderful way of presenting useful information in a fun and easily understandable way. Real-life anecdotes from teens, fun facts, and illustrations all help convey the perils and pitfalls of this advanced technology and all its consequences if the user isn't careful. Young people need all the tools available to navigate this digital world, and I can't recommend Speer's THE PHONE BOOK enough.

This book is a fantastic way for both parents and tweens and teens to understand the responsibilities of smartphone use. The way the book is written makes it appealing for our kids to understand that the pitfalls of unfettered access without coming across as preachy. I learned a lot from this book and so did my kids. I think it's a must-read for any tween or teen who has, or is about to get, one of these devices.

This book could be a little longer, but I think the author did a good job of explaining relevant topics when it comes to the responsibility of having a smartphone. The book is certainly designed to be appealing and has several activities sprinkled throughout. The most poignant is the first chapter which asks the reader to break down their activities for the day. Chapter 7 is dedicated to stranger danger, with an interesting true story.A criticism I have for this book is that the information can sometimes be too simplified. There are mentions of interesting stories that correlate to the chapters but aren’t very detailed. However, the book does cover timely topics, such as misinformation and being mindful about the effects of social media.Although this book could explain more topics in detail, it is laid out in a thoughtful manner that could be engaging for young readers learning about digital literacy related to phones.

Phone fans of all ages will learn useful and engaging information in THE PHONE BOOK. This creative guide is equal parts science, anecdotes, weird facts and fun. It’s chock full of easy-to-read stats, eye opening case studies, quotable snippets from young people and relevant activities to bring new learning to life. This would make a great independent read or read aloud for teens and tweens and a helpful refresher for adults - especially those responsible for young people who love to be on devices.

This Phone Book should be in every home, just like the "old fashioned" yellow phone books used to be! We desperately need tools and supports like this to help families navigate all of the unknowns of digital technology. While the book is marketed towards teens/tweens, it's useful for all ages!

This is generally a good book, but I'm not really sure who the audience is supposed to be. Some of the writing style seems like it's for 6 year olds, some of it seems written for teens, and some for adults. For example, the first story in the book is about how a boy wasted his morning online and reads like an early reader book. Then a few pages later that's a section about laws and talks about the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, California's Consumer Privacy Rights Act, and the European Commissions Digital Services Act. That's quite a shift in writing style, content, and audience.It's an OK book, but I don't think a young child would be able to understand everything that it talks about, and I don't think an older kid would be engaged enough to finish reading it.

As a concerned parent striving to foster positive screen time habits in my children, Jessica Speer's The Phone Book rose to the top of my reading list, and it's been an absolute game-changer!This book is a treasure trove of practical strategies and insightful advice tailored specifically for kids navigating the digital landscape. Speer's approach is refreshingly realistic, empathetic, and fun, making it easy to implement her suggestions into a kid's daily phone use routine. Speer's expertise shines through every page, providing valuable insights backed by research and real-life experiences.Whether your kiddo is struggling to manage screen time or you, as a parent, are seeking guidance on navigating the digital world with your kids, "The Phone Book" is an indispensable resource that I highly recommend to all parents and caregivers. Trust me, you won't regret adding this gem to your library!

Such a great book - full of important information, but with lots of humor, activities and fun thrown in along with way. Our sixth grader read it in one day and really enjoyed it. Three weeks later, he's still retained lots of the fun facts and important points and it's been a great conversation starter in our family. He said some of the information was new to him (e.g., texting abbreviations and slang, information about social drama that can happen with phones) and some was a good review of stuff that he already knew but had maybe forgotten (e.g., safety tips, balancing screen time with other interests). He really appreciated the humorous writing style and said the activities were interesting and fun. He also loved the quizzes, weird facts, stories, and examples. All in all, a great resource on an important and relevant topic. Highly recommended to other parents of middle schoolers!