Shadowsync: Be Happy. or Else. - by Marie Arnold (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this middle-grade sci-fi thriller, a mysterious new app can fix any problem a kid may have--bullying, friend drama, body image, you name it! But like most things, this miraculous tech comes at a cost.

It isn't being talked about on TikTok, Instagram, or Snapchat--yet the rumor has grown. Kids are whispering about it in dark corners of the school hallways, the far end of the lunch tables, and obscure online forums. The rumos is, there's an app that can fix any problem a kid could have: bullying, BFF drama, body issues, and more. The app is called ShadowSync, and like most things, it comes at a cost.

Twelve-year-old Josh is grieving the death of his father, but also finds he has lost his mom to her paralyzing sadness and depression. When his friend tells him about the ShadowSync app, he decides to try it. To get access, all he has to do is upload a video confession of a secret that nobody knows. Desperate to help his mon, Josh shares a secret and downloads the app. He discovers it has an interface that lets him control his mom's emotions--literally sliding her sadness down and happiness up. At first, it seems like magic, but soon things spiral out of control. Will Josh learn there's no shortcut to working through feelings before it's too late?