Burst Your Bubble!: Outsmart the Algorithms and See What You're Missing

Written by Joyce Grant

Illustrated by Jan Dolby

Owlkids Books

978-1-77147-712-3

48 pp.

Ages 8–12

November 2025 

 

Many young people today are very tech savvy. They've grown up using computers, googling everything from reviews about restaurants to info for an essay, and getting their news through social media. And while we all need to be more vigilant about what information is presented to us and how we get it, I suspect that those who've grown up with the technology may be more comfortable accepting it at face value. Joyce Grant's latest book will enlighten every one of us to the power and perils of algorithms in framing our interactions online.

From Burst Your Bubble!, written by Joyce Grant, illustrated by Jan Dolby

Burst Your Bubble! begins with an explanation of information bubbles which can also refer to filters, information silos, echo chambers, or personalization that reflects your age, background, hobbies, and more. No matter the term, bubbles cut us off from a richness and diversity of points of view and information that might never enter our bubbles. To understand how these bubbles arise, Joyce Grant discusses how algorithms gather information about us using digital cookies and tracking the sites we visit; why they are used; how they can benefit us and why they are dangerous; and why we need to burst out of our bubbles. 

From Burst Your Bubble!, written by Joyce Grant, illustrated by Jan Dolby

There's a lot of fabulous information about how algorithms work but most importantly Joyce Grant advises readers how to take control back from those algorithms. While it's not unusual to feel vulnerable when using the internet—and there are so many things beyond our control when we use digital media—Burst Your Bubble! informs about so much that which is in our influence, whether it is retraining our brains to think differently, being aware of what reinforces those bubbles, or setting up opportunities to change the algorithms.

While I've reviewed a number of books created from the collaboration of Joyce Grant and Jan Dolby (e.g., Gabby, Wonder Girl, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2016), this is my first that is non-fiction, and it doesn't disappoint. In fact, it's an astonishingly fresh look at the power of online algorithms and how to protect ourselves and even manage them. Jan Dolby's illustrations give Joyce Grant's text some of the freshness with lively artwork. Jan Dolby gives both colour and depth to what could have been dry content. She even finds innovative ways to illustrate the power of algorithms to pick up on our interests and grab our attention.

From Burst Your Bubble!, written by Joyce Grant, illustrated by Jan Dolby

Information is a powerful thing, whether it is something used against us or something that we control. With the right information, courtesy of Burst Your Bubble!: Outsmart the Algorithms and See What You're Missing, young readers will be able to get beyond those manipulations and see a broader online world that is diverse, rich, and open.

 

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If you're near Burlington, Ontario today, you might want to check out the book launch for Burst Your Bubble! Author Joyce Grant will be in attendance, and there will be books for purchase as well as signing. Here are the details:

 

Date:          Saturday, November 8, 2025

 

Time:         1 p.m. EST

 

Location:    A Different Drummer Books

                    513 Locust Street

                    Burlington, ON

                    L7S 1V3 

                    (905) 639-0925

N.B. I saw that there will be cupcakes!

Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts

Written by Joyce Grant

Illustrated by Kathleen Marcotte

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0322-7

56 pp.

Ages 9-12

June 2022

 

With young people returning to schools soon here in Ontario, educators will be scrambling for great resources for teaching media literacy. Toronto's Joyce Grant has just that resource in Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts.

From Can You Believe it? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts by Joyce Grant, illus. by Kathleen Marcotte

Using the best features of non-fiction texts, such as info boxes, labelled diagrams, a glossary, and important terms bolded, Joyce Grant covers everything from using critical thinking skills to search for clues of authenticity, looking for bias and understanding the importance of perspective, differentiating between facts, opinion, satire and ads, and clarifying new threats to credibility like clickbait, deepfakes and the proliferation of bots. First she introduces middle-graders to the concepts, giving them samples of news meant to sensationalize and draw in readers, before inviting them to practise their critical thinking skills. Can You Believe It? is a comprehensive examination of how to differentiate between the fake and the authentic, a tough endeavour with today's bombardment of news from all sources, including social media. To end, Joyce Grant offers lists of trustworthy sources, including websites and games, to help young people navigate the deluge of news offered on different platforms.

From Can You Believe it? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts by Joyce Grant, illus. by Kathleen Marcotte

The idea of fake news is a disheartening one as readers are manipulated or deceived for various purposes, especially for young people who have less experience with authenticating sources of information. (With the proliferation of fake news in recent years, we know how difficult it is for all adults to do the same.) But Joyce Grant adopts a positive take on this endeavour, encouraging young people that they can sieve through the detritus of fake news and highlight the real. She does it with a bit of humour–a few headlines like "Dog Lovers WAY Dumber than Cat Lovers: Study" or "Kids Are Better than Adults at Everything, New Study Shows" offer a chuckle or two–and thoroughness, and Kathleen Marcotte, an artist from Ohio, gives the text that added lift of colour, diversity, and scaffolding with her digital illustrations.

From Can You Believe it? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts by Joyce Grant, illus. by Kathleen Marcotte

Joyce Grant, co-founder of Teaching Kids News, has been talking to kids about the news for years, whether in the classroom or online. She offers links to legitimate sources and stories and proposes lessons to help build critical media literacy skills.  Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts is just one more fine tool in her arsenal to help educators develop a foundation for teaching media literacy and for kids to be empowered to read the news with confidence.

10 Ways to Improve Your Body Image from Cheryl Rainfield, author of "Stained"

Stained

by Cheryl Rainfield

Harcourt Children's Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

978-0-547-94208-7

304 pp.

Ages 14+

Release date October 1, 2013

Tomorrow is the release date for Cheryl Rainfield's Stained, reviewed by CanLit for LittleCanadians here.  Body image is a key factor in plot development in Stained, with multiple characters focusing on their perceived imperfections or those of others to an unhealthy degree.  Knowing the damage that a poor body image can have, Cheryl Rainfield has shared her thoughts, as well as links to relevant resources, in this downloadable article:   

10 Ways to Improve Your Body Image and Feel Better About Your Body

This is an important read for all of us, even younger than the mature readership needed for Stained, as teachers of media literacy will recognize. Help your students and your children understand the issues of body image to ensure good health, mental and physical.