Dante Medema

When desperation meets programming skills, beware of what happens. Bailey and Vanessa were best friends. After leaving Bailey's house one night, ostensibly to meet Mason, her boyfriend, Vanessa vanished, not answering any texts or calls. When her body is found in the wreckage of her car on a road that doesn't lead to Mason's home, Bailey's not only devastated, she's caught in a giant loop of why.
Her discovery of an abandoned AI chat program one of her mothers created years before, leads her down a rabbit hole after she perfects it and loads as many texts and messages from Vanessa into the software as she can recover. Watching what follows is a classic example of the adage 'what doesn't kill you (emotionally) makes you stronger.' Read the story to understand the how and why of this happening.… (more)

"Message Not Found" was a touching story dealing with loss, grief, secrets and moving forward. Bailey has just lost her best friend, Vanessa, in a horrible car accident and uses technology to help her cope. She creates a chatbot based on posts, messages and emails from Vanessa, in the hope that V will give her some insight into the events that led to her death.

I found this an interesting way for the protagonist to deal with her grief and it gave the reader the opportunity to know Vanessa. However, I was disappointed with the end.

"Message Not Found" is told through texts, DMs, emails and narratives. Many readers will be able to relate to the struggles Bailey is facing and I think it would be a popular addition to our school library.… (more)

CW: teen pregnancy, drinking, abortion

Well it's hard to swallow when you have a big lump in your throat.

That was a moving verse novel about a girl coming to terms with information that has shattered her reality. Feeling hurt and betrayed Cordelia seeks to make sense of who she is and where she belongs. I enjoyed the format of this novel with it's mixture of emails, texts, and free verse. The verse was quite simple. The strength and beauty of this novel came from the story itself, and the complex and vulnerable characters wearing their hearts on their sleeves.… (more)