This is about Erin Song, who doesn't understand why she's so unpopular. She would do anything to become more popular, including helping the most popular girl in class cheat on a test. When she was caught, her parents grounded her and banned all technology. Without the distraction of technology, Erin starts noticing strange things happening around her (like aliens running amok, and people going missing). It's up to Erin to get to the bottom of this mystery and possibly save the world!

Overall though, I wasn't too impressed with this book. The graphics were cute but the story moved at a choppy pace and the dialogue and transitions between different scenes didn't flow very well. I also found Erin to be extremely rude and unlikeable (it's no wonder she's unpopular!).

This is a middle-grade book but the characters were so two-dimensional and the dialogue was so simple and childish, it's probably more suitable being marketed as a children's book.

Excellent read! I would recommend this book for tweens. The main character is your average girl with average girl problems in a world where everyone is intuned with their technology. But, when she suddenly finds herself grounded from all technology, she suddenly finds that there are aliens all around her, trying to take over the world! A fun graphic novel, this story shows the importance of unplugging sometimes to see what you're missing, as well as expressing the importance of seniors while exploring the bond between grandmother and grandchild.

This is awesome. The art went perfectly with the story, and I liked the message that said you should sometimes put down your phone and listen to people.

This book just wasn't for me. It is a middlegrade graphic novel with a heavy emphasis on social media, maybe this will be helpful for that demographic or maybe not. I would love to see some teen reviews of this book.

**Disclaimer: I was given an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

"Unplugged and Unpopular" is a great graphic novel for younger/middle age readers. The main character, Erin Song is sweet, quirky, and funny. The messages in the story are relatable - from worrying about popularity and being seen as ~nerdy~ to having to unplug from technology as Erin realizes what she's missing out on by browsing Instagram all day.

Really entertaining read! Cool illustrations, fun dialogue and lovable characters while also addressing themes such as the role of technology, equality and ageism in society.

This is a graphic novel about a young girl who doesn’t see herself as popular or anything special, but deep down wants others to like her. One day she makes a bad decision and gets her phone taken away, and suddenly she begins to experience a whole new world around her.

I really enjoyed the underlying message about how often people are on electronics these days. I felt that the novel had some deeper ideas and themes you could discuss with children and teens regarding technology usage.

I think a lot of the humor and language is appropriate for upper elementary/middle grade students and they could easily connect with the main character.

This was such a cool concept! We follow Erin, a young girl who just wants to be popular but can't quite figure out how to achieve that. Then, after a failed attempt to gain the approval of one of the most popular girls at school, she gets grounded and all her electronic devices are taken from her. Suddenly, Erin begins to see things...like her grandmother who's supposed to have died four years ago and her brother Owen when her parents swear that she's an only child. And even worse, there's an alien hunting her down! With the help of two old librarians, Erin figures out the alien's evil plot to take over her world and keep everyone subdued by manipulating their minds with electronic devices.
I loved the art and vibrant colors of this comic! The characters were so cool and Erin was a great protagonist to follow! Definitely recommend this quick and fun read!

This was a captivating comic book ! Aimed to please a kids audience, I found myself enjoying it very much !

We follow Erin, a kid who wants to be popular but ends up without any technology as she is punished by her parents. She then realizes that everyone is mind controlled by aliens through technology and now that she's free of that influence, she needs to team up with older people to save the earth from an alien invasion !

This was a lot of fun and I love the drawing style. Erin was super cute, and I would have loved to read such comics when I was younger (even though I still enjoyed it as an adult haha !)

Obviously there is the "technology is making you a slave to it" message and it exaggerates a lot this aspect, but this is a comic for kids, and if you want to convey a message, you have to go a little over the top. I don't think it will make any kid stop using their phones, but it's still nice to see this topic adressed in a book,, especially for the youngest. I definitely would recommend it to kids between 8 and 13 !

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of the Graphic Novel Unplugged and Unpopular from the publishers via Netgalley. It is a story of Erin Song who was banned from using any tech devices after and incident at school. Erin begins to really see things clearly than she ever did before and realises that all is not what it seems. I found the story is very apt in today's world of being totally online that you forget to smell the roses or see what is happening around you. This book is written for the tween market but I think everyone should whether they are an adult or a middle grader there is much discussion and thoughts to be had. I therefore am giving 4 stars

Unplugged and Unpopular by Mat Heagerty

Like most teenagers today, Erin Song is attached to her phone. She lives in the digital world, and she knows that it is the key to unlocking all the secrets of popularity at her school. This leads her to make the choice to agree to let the most popular girl in school, Wendy, cheat off her during a test.

The girls are caught, and things come crashing down hard for Erin Song.

Her parents are naturally furious, and Erin's punishments come in the form of a technology ban. She loses her phone, TV, internet, everything!

It is during her technology-ban that Erin starts to notice some weird aliens all around her. She screams and tells everyone what she is seeing. They brush her off as crazy and quickly return to watching the screens in front of them.

Help comes from an unlikely trio, Erin’s grandmother, whom she thought had died, and two strange librarians that had been forgotten about during the town’s technology-based heights.

The four of them head off to fight the aliens that are using technology to take over the human world. Will Erin, the librarians, and her grandmother be able to save the world? You need to check out Unplugged and Unpopular by Mat Heagerty to find out!

Like all things graphic novels, this book will appeal to many students. It is brightly colored, hilariously illustrated, and it is packed full of aliens. For a preteen, what is there not to love?

For an adult, I wasn't as in love with the story. I thought the storyline between a technology-addicted society and aliens was pretty far-fetched. The transition into the alien subplot was a bit abrupt and confusing at times. In my opinion, I think younger readers will totally miss the underlying message of technology within this story.

*I received a copy of this graphic novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was a cute story, and my daughter enjoyed it. The idea is that technology is brainwashing everyone so that they don't realize there is an alien invasion going on. The story is a little short, so there are some loopholes, which I'm sure kids won't notice. It was entertaining though and the characters are quirky.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun and entertaining fast read, which will be great for kids just getting into reading. The art style is cute and colourful and easily draws you further into the story. Grandma is by far my favourite character.

Whilst not marketed for my age range i can see this being a favourite for those it is. Whilst being a little silly this does have a couple of serious messages. We are all guilty of spending far too much time on our phones and using technology, that even us adults could do with spending time away from it all.

This review and rating is based on what i believe it deserves based on the target audience. Whilst adults may find this slightly over the top, i believe this is what will keep a child engaged throughout the story and it is there enjoyment that matters most.

My 11 yr old read this book and she loved it! She loved how the plot was something she could relate to and the illustrations were really good with great blending. The characters were uniquely drawn.

This wasn't the most amazing graphic novel in the world. I won't lie. The illustrations were adorable and the premise was sweet but you can still tell that it was aimed for kids.

It felt like everything happened far too quickly, the book being finished in over a hundred pages. There was no real explanation of how things had happened, just a little bit which still didn't give much away. I understand the need for mystery but it just sort of felt that it was lacking. Other than the protagonist, Erin, we didn't really get any details on any of the characters which, for me, just made the book feel a bit flat. It left nothing really to behold and was a little bit bland if I'm honest.

I'm sure at a younger age I'd have found this a little bit more enjoyable. With a little bit more work, however, this could be a thoroughly enjoyable.

I’m a little mixed on this book! All though I do like the message that electronics shouldn’t rule our lives I feel like it was a little over the top. Saying that my 12 year old enjoyed it and thought it was quite funny. So maybe it’s an adults perspective and a child’s perspective. I was upset when they acted like a Library was a place for old people but again that’s probably just my adult self being sensitive. My daughter enjoyed it me I thought it was okay so I guess let your kids decide!

Cute story, but a little heavy handed with the anti-technology aspect of it. I also don't think school life was portrayed very well.

It was nice to see a GN for younger readers that features female characters as leads but the idea that a library is a dusty place filled with old people who are out of touch is completely wrong and dangerous given that funding levels are always at risk. Libraries are vibrant places, providing vital services.
Also, people who were young adults in the 80's would be in their 60's now and really know how to use the internet and use smart phones. My 70 something year old father has been using computers since the late 60's.
I get the riff on The Matrix and it was a nice idea but some of the details need work.

What a cute, funny read! There's a growing market for graphic novels and I think this one will do very well; it has the right balance of humour and storyline to really get people interested. The art is lovely, all bright colours and soft edges, and each character is distinct enough even for me. All in all, a great read. I hope to see more like this.


Receiving an ARC did not affect my review in any way.

Yes, yes, yes, we know, if you onlky have your face in your phone all the time you miss stuff.

In this slightly heavy handed story, Erin, and all her friends are always in front of some sort of electronic device, as are her parents.

But there are clues that there is something odd going on, while everyone is staring at their screens. For one thing, there is a photo of the family, with a young man in it, and yet her parents say she is an only child.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5266" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/unplugged-unpoluplar.png" alt="" />
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5265" src="https://g2comm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/unplugged-upopulaur.png" alt="" />

And then, Erin has her electronic privileges taken away for a month, and she learns there is something odd going on in the non-digital world.

Aliens. Aliens are kidnapping people, and no one is noticing, until Erin does, because she is no longer watching a screen, and getting hypnotized by the aliens.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.