Selfie

Judges' comments

Tully can’t believe her luck when Dene Walker, a real, Insta-famous celebrity, picks her as a best friend. She loves feeling specially chosen and will do almost anything to make sure the two of them stay best friends forever. This younger YA aimed at early teens, explores the contemporary challenges of navigating fame and attention in the age of social media as well as complicated female friendships and societal perception. Allayne L. Webster’s characters are wonderfully layered and complex, and readers will find Tully’s tumultuous emotions highly relatable; her teen anxieties are all laid bare on the page. Tully and Dene’s family situations add to the considered character dynamics and bring nuance and depth to this story.

This is a timely novel that speaks to the unique circumstances teens face today and provides much needed self-examination and reflection of our modern screen addictions. And at its heart, Selfie is a classic YA story about fitting-in and finding your tribe, making it a timeless tale that younger readers will be instantly drawn to.