The Haunted Cell Phone

As a middle school teacher, I am constantly in awe of the relationship between children and their cell phones! Most children are closer with their phones than any of their friends. It's become quite problematic. I've had students who cannot fathom more than moments at a time without their precious cell phones by their side. The need to check social media and be involved in the latest viral craze has become quite an epidemic. I wrote a story about one boy who so badly wanted to a part of the wave. However, his desire for a cell phone becomes an experience he will never, ever forget.

Jessie Davidson is tired of being left out of group chats and Instagram posts! Everywhere he looks, his friends and classmates are hanging out not with each other, but through their cell phones. Jessie desperately wants to be included and constantly feels left out. His problem is that his parents don't believe that he should own a cell phone at such a young age. What's a young boy to do? Well, Jessie's problems appear to be solved one day when mysterious things start happening all around him. A strange looking man appears to Jessie and offers him a deal which he cannot refuse. A deal that gets Jessie exactly what he's always dreamed of, or so he thought. A deal that gets him his very own, brand new cell phone. Jessie finds out the hard way quickly that things are not always as they appear to be when his phone, his ticket for popularity and social super stardom begins doing things he could never dream possible.

I'm inspired by they way young children interact with technology and social media, and think it is quite a frightening scene in 2019. I think there are endless scares to be had with modern day technology, and many books to be written. I envision a series of books revolving around the fears modern day technology, most notably social media, cell phones and gaming can bring. My goal is to bring our oldest fears to life through these new outlets for children.