If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say

(Paperback)

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'I understand what you meant by the comment. That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking, why did you put it up on the internet' And this was the humiliating part. Because there was no good reason for it. 'I just hoped people might think it was funny.' Winter Halprin has her life figured out. She's a spelling-bee champion, has a great group of friends, super- supportive parents and a place at her dream college. But when a wayward comment online about the winner of a spelling bee goes viral, her whole world is turned upside down. The entire internet has turned against her, and everything is falling apart. Knowing she has to make herself a better person, Winter turns to REVIBE, a rehabilitation facility for people who have been publicly shamed online. But she finds herself frozen and unable to apologize for what she has done. How can you apologize when you can't even put pen to paper any more, when you're scared of the power of your own words How can you apologize when you're not even sure it's your fault If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say is the thought provoking novel from multi award winning author, Leila Sales

Reviews

A nuanced approach to how the internet encourages the dehumanization of users gives this novel its realistic tone and serves as a strong warning to teens (and their parents) * Publishers Weekly *
Should be required reading for anyone using social media...Topical without being preachy, this is a plea for empathy in a world increasingly prone to knee-jerk outrage. -- Claire Hennessy * Irish Times, Best YA novels of 2018 *

Author Bio

Leila Sales grew up outside Boston, USA, and graduated from the University of Chicago. Now she lives in Brooklyn, New York, and works as an editor for Penguin Children's Books. Her books This Song Will Save Your Life, Tonight the Streets Are Ours and If You Don't Have Anything Nice To Say are published by Macmillan Children's Books. She has also written two previous novels, Mostly Good Girls and Past Perfect.