Really Professional Internet Person - Softcover

Jenn McAllister, better known as JennXPenn to her fans, has gained notoriety over the last six years on YouTube and successfully translated her following into working with top brands like Brandy Melville, Old Navy and Mattel. Last year, she served as the official Social Correspondent of Goldfish at the 2014 Jingle Ball, as well as hosted a North American tour for musician, Tyler Ward. In addition, she recently wrapped her first feature, Bad Night, which she stars alongside Casey Wilson, Adam Pally and Matt Walsh. Previously, she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for “Best Web Star: Comedy” and she recently participated in an online PSA for Voter Registration Day for Ourtime.org which was featured in Vanity Fair.

Gr 8 Up—McAllister first picked up a video camera when she was eight years old. A decade later, she's a YouTube sensation, boasting more than two million subscribers on her channel, Jennxpenn. Here, she discusses the middle school anxieties that inspired her to post her videos to YouTube and how she dealt with the bullying that followed, along with the struggles of coming-of-age in front of a camera. The second half of the book focuses on her fame: attending conferences, collaborating with other YouTube celebrities, and even starring in a movie. McAllister's energetic, bubbly voice will appeal most to the teens who make up the majority of her audience. While her experience is far from the norm, her success at age 19 will be inspirational to those who are just starting out in online video. The design is mildly frustrating, however. The publisher has attempted a youth-focused, magazinelike layout, and the text is printed on different backgrounds that is occasionally difficult to read. Top 10 lists, part of Jennxpenn's online identity, take up several spreads in the middle of a chapter, often requiring readers to flip through several pages to finish a sentence. VERDICT Purchase where teens are excited about online video culture.—Brandy Danner, Wilmington Middle School, MA