Written and illustrated by Elise Gravel
Chronicle Books
978-1-797214917
104 pp.
Ages 8-12
September 2022
A killer underwear invasion? It must be true if it's been posted in the media, or you heard it from your mother! Right? Or is it? With her quirky art and common sense bathed in tongue-in-cheek humour,
Elise Gravel helps young readers recognize the news that isn't real out there, from peanuts that enhance your muscles, and a politician who pinches puppies, to underwear that kills, and how to critically think about the news that is out there.
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From Killer Underwear Invasion! by Elise Gravel
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In six chapters,
Elise Gravel describes what fake news is, why people create it and believe it, why it's bad and how it blows up, and how to differentiate it from the real news. Starting with a fabricated scorpion invasion,
Elise Gravel shows how her little monsters create it and disseminate it. To demonstrate the reasons people create it, she uses the nefarious peanut-seller Nerbert. His aim may start with selling a product and making money, but it morphs into dreams of celebrity and power. There's also the aim to spread beliefs and ideas and engage social media. And so, we have fake news.
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| From Killer Underwear Invasion! by Elise Gravel |
The danger of fake news is explicit, especially when it dissuades us from listening to the real experts and compels us to make harmful decisions about ourselves, our environment, our democracies. And when disinformation is woven together, it can overwhelm.
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| From Killer Underwear Invasion! by Elise Gravel |
In the shadow of the disinformation perpetuated on social media, infiltrating everything from our health to our elections,
Elise Gravel's
Killer Underwear Invasion! is a sobering read. But, because of her comic approach, silly examples, and un-human-like characters,
Elise Gravel teaches young readers thoroughly about fake news in a way that they will remember. It's informative without being heavy-handed or preachy, and terms such as clickbait, conspiracy theories, confirmation bias and satire are explained in the simplest of terms, making
Killer Underwear Invasion! a perfect read for middle graders and even some younger children. (Especially helpful would be the teacher's guide at
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0261/7291/5805/files/KillerUnderwearInvasion_EducatorGuide.pdf which includes pre-reading activities, chapter by chapter discussion questions and activities, and guidance on evaluating the news.)
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| From Killer Underwear Invasion! by Elise Gravel |
As illustrated non-fiction, Killer Underwear Invasion! will reach young people through its humour and irreverence. But it will teach them to become responsible readers of news and hopefully help them guide others to become better informed participants and patrons of social media and other broadcast accounts.
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