Accidental Tribes

Exiled to a crumbling room in dilapidated New York City PS 555 to serve in-school suspension for their egregious misuse of technology, a motley crew of eight ne’er-do-wells finds themselves embroiled in intrigue. They ultimately accept an “invitation”: avoid expulsion by participating in a “30-day school-based social experiment.”

Fast-paced and gripping, Pascoal’s YA ingeniously incorporates elements of mystery and suspense, employing pop references that will resonate with young readers while grounding the story with meaningful dialogue. The narrative techniques coalesce to create a playful yet sobering and insightful satirical work. The conversational text is accompanied by pencil sketches of New York’s cityscape, Room 359, and our main characters, “the Unlucky 8.” Punctuated by provocative questions about the future of technology and fostering kids’ agency therein, the book insists that adults must come to terms with how often we fail the young, stamping out the fire of intellectual curiosity instead of fanning it, stifling inquiry and innovation instead of equipping kids with tools for navigating the digital realm.

The main players are coders, hackers, influencers, app builders, and game designers whose technological ingenuity breeds incivility. Opening with an invitation to join “the tribe” and closing with a reflective workbook about our place in an ever-evolving digital world, Accidental Tribes is peopled with multi-dimensional, memorable characters and is a thoughtfully crafted exploration of digital nativism’s perils and triumphs.