나를 팔로우 하지 마세요

by Oliver Phommavanh, 김인경 (Translator)

주인공 비는 인스타그램 스타다. 사람들은 비가 태어나던 날부터 비에 대한 모든 것을 알고 있다. 싱글 맘인 엄마가 딸 비의 이야기를 올리며 시작한 인스타그램 계정 ‘비의 연대기’ 때문. 팔로워가 15만 명을 넘어서고 있지만 비는 이 생활이 버겁다. 사생활이란 없는 일상, 유명세를 시기하거나 이용하려는 친구들이 넘쳐나는 중학교 생활. 무엇보다 ‘좋아요’를 얻기 위해 자신답지 않은 일을 해야 하는 게 너무 괴롭다. 그래서 비는 ‘비 팔로우 방해 작전’을 시작한다. 실패하면 자신의 인생은 인스타그램에 영원히 갇혀 버릴 것이라 생각하면서.

『나를 팔로우 하지 마세요』는 SNS라는 환상이자 감옥에서 자신을 마음껏 표현하는 동시에, 현실에서도 소중한 관계들을 지켜 나가는 아이들의 영리한 모습을 유쾌하게 그려 낸다.

Genres: Social Media, Middle Grade

199 pages, Paperback

Published April 3, 2020

Reviews

[Marie Miegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This plot hit the spot with the current trend for parents to 'overshare' online, especially about their children. It taps into the idea that many young people want to be an online sensation. Instead of painting this tendency in a negative light, the author turns the idea to look at the different aspects of this trend, exposes some of the realities, and shines a light on some positives. An online presence is very much part of the lives of our young ones, and so it is great to read an uplifting story with this theme. 'Don't Follow Vee' is an easy and humorous read, suitable for readers 10-13.

[Dimity Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phommavanh's chatty conversational narrative style and ability to capture the essence of tween female psyche is en point in his latest middle grade read, Don't Follow Vee. Coincidentally, released at a time when social media standards are yet once again altering to suit moods and improve societal health (with the removal of Insta Likes), this story centres around Insta-addiction and its impact on a young kid, Vee aka Veronica Lee and her Insta obsessed mother who lives her life vicariously through The Vee Chronicles.

Vee and her single mum lead a normal, colourful life that just happens to be enjoyed by their zillions of followers, every single pixelated minute of it. What Vee desires most of all is a less voyeuristic existence. She craves anonymity and less pressure to be pose-perfect 24/7. And yet as Vee explores ways to derail her mother's online popularity, she unwittingly pushes those who genuinely admire and cherish her further and further away until she finds herself literally alone, in the limelight.

This is a keyed-up read, brimming with lively language and witty inferences that Phommavahn balances with surprisingly tender moments like; 'I can't shake away her gloomy vibes, it's like I'm smuggling rain clouds under my jumper.

I confess, the stream of Ludditeness ebbs relentlessly through my veins so I always find first world tales of social faux pas and angst a little morally dour; they agitate the soul and make me want to wipe all my SM accounts to escape the absurdity of it all. Perhaps that is what Phommavanh wants us to feel however Vee's tale reminds us that keeping it real is the ultimate goal and if kids can harness reality with contemporary social norms, then they can achieve anything they want.

There is a lot to love and laugh over this supremely relatable and timely tale which reminds me of the old chestnut: 'It's nice to be important, but it's important to be nice'.

[Sam Schroder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I asked my grandson to choose a book from my review pile and he jumped straight on this one because he’s already a cHEwY gum gum (which means a devoted Phommavanh fan). Vee is an instagram star, thanks to her mum, who has been sharing pics every day since Vee was born on her account, The Chronicles of Vee. Soon, it will be Vee’s 13th birthday and just like every birthday before it, her mum will ask her if she wants to continue the account. Maybe becoming a teenager will spell the end of Vee’s total lack of privacy? Or is there something about this public scrutiny worth holding on to? A fun read for a Sunday. This, like all of Phommavanh’s books, is highly recommended for the middle school reader in your life... Now, how should I plate my dinner for my next insta-post???

[Nicki Markus · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't always reviewed books I use for language study, but this year I have decided to do so, at least in some cases. When it comes to fiction in this category, my review will focus on the book as a language-learning resource, rather than whether I liked a story or not.

나를 팔로우 하지 마세요 is a book I bought in Seoul in 2023 during my first trip to Korea. I put it aside initially, thinking it too hard, but when I struggled with another book I was trying to read, I picked it up, skimmed through, and realised it might be manageable after all.

This is a middle grade tale centred around the life of a student. Because of that, the language is generally fairly straightforward. It is a book translated into Korean from English, and after the first few chapters I realised that words I thought unknown at first were actually Konglish once I sounded them out. This discovery allowed me to keep moving through the book at a faster pace. I stopped to look up words only when I needed to do so for comprehension. If I could follow what was happening despite not knowing a word or two, I ignored them and carried on, wanting to do more extensive reading rather than intensive reading on this occasion.

This is the first fiction book I have managed to read in Korean, and overall the experience was good. It took me a while to get through the 199 pages, but that was more to do with lack of time than any major difficulty with reading it. There was a lot of repetition of vocabulary and expressions, so they became more familiar as the story progressed.

I would recommend this book to Korean learners at a low intermediate level and above. The story is fairly easily to follow. There are some more difficult terms, but it is mostly common, everyday words and expressions. The grammar varies from beginner though to intermediate most of the time with only the occasional more complex sentence structure. It is definitely a reasonable ask for learners ready to move on from graded readers who don't mind a small amount of challenge.

[Rhyllis Bignell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author and illustrator team sisters Zoe and Georgia Norton Lodge bring us the second engaging Elizabella story. She’s a fourth-grade student at Bilby Creek Primary, who often spends time in think about what you’ve done corner. She loves playing with her tall Chines friend Minnie, creating new ways of conversing and spending time outdoors. Her older brother Todberry’s spent the summer working as a lifeguard at the local pool. At home, Dad’s introduced new tasteless breakfast food from the Nutricorp multinational company.

On the first day back at school, Elizabella notices that her much-loved school is falling apart,
even Miss Duck the tuck-shop manager must ration supplies. Principal Mr Gobblefrump’s cost-cutting measures include no maths textbooks, teachers writing their lessons in chalk, closing off sections of the playground and suspending the recorder program. With no funds for any resources or repairs, the principal meets representatives of Nutriicorp who offer to take over the canteen and turn a profit. Soon everything at school has a Nutriicorp brand, even the students wear promotional stickers and use labelled stationery.
Elizabella takes a stand when Miss Duck’s role is threatened, she’s a third-generation baker who’s pies and pikelets the students love. An outbreak of headlice adds additional problems, forcing her to cut of the tangled knot of hair she’s kept since her mother passed away. Things become complicated with Huck, Elizabella’s guy friend when her Dad develops his relationship with Huck’s mum, there are too many changes. Can Elizabella stop the corporate takeover which sweeps though Bilby Creek and how can she help Miss Duck find a new outlet for her culinary skills?
Zoe Norton Hodge conveys a sense of fun, quirkiness and drive in her characters, and includes themes of loyalty, identity, sense of community and building family relationships.

[Kerryn Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vee has been an Instagram star for pretty much her whole life but she’s had enough. She tries all the tricks in her book to get her Mum to shutdown the Chronicles of Vee, but will any of them work? A great story peppered with humour and light heartedness together with friendship, family and being honest with yourself. In this age of social media it also shows some of the pitfalls associated with social media, particularly for children. Very enjoyable.

[AD · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this fun and clever story. It truly is a story for this current generation growing up with their whole lives (more or less) documented on social media by their parents. For a selfie-obsessed society, this is a reminder (in a totally laugh-out-loud at yourself kind of way) not to forget about the "real" moments of life that exist offline.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful novel by Oliver Phommavanh, this book delves into the issue of social media addiction, a very real problem for many people (not just children) in today’s world. As in his other books, Oliver examines a serious issue with humour and beautiful messages about the importance of family and friends.

[H.M. Waugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to starting a conversation about online presence. It's not about avoiding it - who can these days? - but more about the choices you can make of what to put there, and who to become, and how much of your life social media takes up. I loved the friendships and the relationship between Vee and her mum.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is right on the mark with social media and instagram causing new and unusual issues for parents and children to navigate. Great characters, realistic story with humour thrown in. Recommended for Year 5 to Year 8.

[Julie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a very simplistic story about a girl called Vee whose mother is obsessed with her social media status. Vee has loads of followers and company sponsors and her mother is always trying to exploit Vee. Vee also has a good friend, who patiently waits around for Vee. It is a very young book.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, quick middle grade read that explored the main character's complex relationship with social media and how it affected her relationships with the people around her. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

[Brydie Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oliver, you've captured the insta generation and the female voice, perfectly. A great read!

[OrangeAntelope · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story for tweens. Family, friends and Instagram.

[Shruti · Rating 5 out of 5]

재미있게 잘 읽었습니다 - 우리 시대의 문제들을 잘 알아봤고 해결했어던 책이었습니다 💪🏼✨️

[Ms Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this! It’s topical and current but funny and heartwarming.
Vee’s whole life has been documented by her mother in her instagram account- “The Chronicles of Vee”, to the point where posts are scheduled, meals are planned specifically for their visual appeal and Saturday has become “faturday” because it’s junk food day. Lol rofl etc etc. But Vee is a bit sick of all of this and has to try and get her mum to reclaim some of her own life. At the same time she’s navigating high school and her closest friendship.

Ah, it’s complex for kids these days and it’s hard for parents too, especially the oversharers (#guilty). Highly recommend.