Horror story of 'all our screens stopped working!!!' with a bit of a moral.

4.5 stars.

Nightmare? Or bliss? Imagine if the whole internet disappeared, if screens stopped lighting up, if phones and tablets and ipads and laptops all just... ceased. And this is a CHILDREN'S story. They won't remember the time Danny Wallace forces us to look back on in his latest book for younger readers, as one family becomes his focus for the stresses and inconveniences that such a scenario forces upon the world.

Stella is already a little bit of an unusual protagonist - a list-maker, a worrier ("I award myself a certain amount of screen time each week, as recommended by the World Health Organization"), a precise and careful person.
"The key used to be Post-it Notes, until I realised that was bad for the environment, so now I use the organizer on my mum's old phone. There's nothing more satisfying than a full calendar."

Stella is 10, and "already the most organized girl in Mousehole." Her family seems fairly typical - a younger brother glued to Youtube videos, parents who both rely on phones for work.... even a family film night sees all four of them sat together but watching their own films on their own screens. It's not hard to work out what Wallace is saying here, what his point of view may be, though he isn't overly obvious about it.

What happens to Stella's family feels like the comedy version of an older reader's dystopia, though to many it would of course feel just as frightening and world-ending: screens die. Humanity is left bereft and suffering withdrawal, floundering around both in families and communities and as whole societies to function.

The family decide they need to go and find Stella's grandma, hundreds of miles and many years of visits away... she may need them. But will they manage to get to her without the usual comforts of technology to guide their journey?

A comedy follows, a road trip, backwater adventure, family bonding rite-of-passage, and general commentary on mankind's reliance on technology at the expense of other things (I'm looking at you, Wallace).

Stella manages to remain likeable, despite being the author's mouthpiece. You have to feel for her Dad, the typical 'useless' stereotype, and there are other well-drawn characters that make an impact. They amuse, and add to the story.

It's great. A little proselytising aside, I found this very funny. Loved seeing what adventures and scrapes the family found themselves in on their trip to Grandma's House through the 'woods'.

Lots of heavy-handed messages, but also a rather sweet one at the end. It's a pretty short novel, and I'm certain will fascinate children simply with the idea of losing all their technology. Great opportunity for one of those 'in my day' conversations with parents and teachers!

For ages 8 to 12.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

Uplifting, heartwarming humour from well-known children's author Danny Wallace in this rip-roaring emotional adventure as (God forbid!) all technology fails! Lots of opportunities to reminisce with young readers & relate feelings of confusion & worry to lockdown. Definitely one I want on my class bookshelves, this made me chuckle out loud and left me with a joyful tear in my eye several times throughout the tale.

The boys have read some of the Hamish series by Danny Wallace before and enjoyed them and they enjoyed this one too - although they were horrified by the thought of this really happening!

The book took us four nights to read and there were plenty of laugh out loud moments, as well as some touching ones. They enjoyed the modern cultural references as well as the poo humour!

I don't think anything will come close to The Perfect Parent Project for us for a while, but this was a great read and we would recommend to all of a similar age. (Riley is 9, Leo is 12).

The Day the Screens Went Blank was a quick hilarious read that reflected on current issues whilst also being quite uplifting and containing a message. Danny Wallace's writing style is simple yet very funny. Stella and her family's road trip was quite eventful to say the least and was the whole plot. It was fast paced and witty however very exaggerated! Stella seemed like a unappealing character at the start but she grew on me. Her parents were quite irresponsible but it showed the seriousness of the issue. This was a fun read and recommend by me!
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the e-arc.

This book was intended to be bedtime reading for me and the kids (and second time around it will be) but I started to read this yesterday and couldn't put it down. This is definitely a book for the times we are currently in living out of our comfort zones and a little differently than normal, it may be a story about screens going off and living without technology but it is also so much more than that. In places I laughed so much I needed a tissue to wipe away years of laughter to be able to continue and at other times I felt a lump in my throat and my heart swell with pride as the family took on a car ride that brought themuch further than they could imagine.
A must read for children and adults alike

Stella and her family are entirely reliant on screens...clocks, phones, microwaves, Sat Nav’s, card machines....and come to think of it, so are we all.
In this book, we follow a family addicted to screens as they go on a rescue mission to see their grandma when all technology ceases to work. How will they find their way across the country, buy food and petrol, get in contact with anyone?
Stella quickly learns to adapt without screens and sees the pleasures to be had and enjoyed- collecting eggs, looking out the window, helping others. The parents take longer to come round, but Dad’s shoulders soon unclench and Mum changes a tire. There is more laughter, a lightness around them and a realisation that the good things in life can be found off technology.
For example, have you ever lived if you have never played "Ding Dong Ditch", or watched home movies via projector? The family soon shed their tech obsesses lives and learn to live in the moment and make memories! Love the messages this book conveys in its humorous take on what would happen if our screens turned off!
As a parent of a 9yo and 12yo, I am fully aware of screen time, both for the kids and myself. We limit where we can and encourage time away from screens but the inevitable pull to check something, answer a text or lose myself for ages on Twitter is still there.
This book, though funny and completely relevant, will highlight the reliance we have on screens and the quandary about what would happen if our screens went blank. To be honest, I am rather surprised it took so long for this book to come out. Perhaps reading this will encourage more families to turn the tech off and learn skills to see them through the tech free times.

Stella is going to visit her Grandma but this isn’t any ordinary holiday, it’s an adventure into the unknown. After all her parents can’t do anything without technology, they don’t actually realise how much they depend on it. How will Stella and her brother cope in the car without a gadget to distract them? That’s not normal behaviour, but then it’s not really normal for every screen to stop working and go blank now, is it?

Wallace has written yet another entertaining tale that imagines what if people had to do without technology to deal with life and how much misadventure could happen? The absurd situations make it a joy to read. It’s funny and the continuing calamity surrounding the car journey will make kids giggle.