Teen Duo Fights Corporate Takeover of Lincoln Junior High

Young Adult Novel Poses Consequences of Schools Selling Corporate Sponsorship 

Amid government bankruptcies and shutdowns, schools are searching for new financial solutions as they continue to lose funding and struggle to support curricular programs. But how would you feel if your kids were being marketed to not just in the vending machine, but in their textbooks too?

That is the question posed in former teacher Roseanne Cheng’s compelling debut novel THE TAKE BACK OF LINCOLN JUNIOR HIGH (Wise Ink Creative Publishing Paperback; On Sale: March, 2014.) She portrays a plausible scenario that schools and students could easily find themselves in today.

The story is set at Lincoln Junior High, where Andrew is new and trying to fit in as a lowly sixth-grader. He is sitting in homeroom when the principal interrupts the class for a special announcement over the school intercom.

Principal Raasch proclaims that the school football program has been saved, causing Andrew’s classroom to erupt in celebration. The school, which was struggling financially, has sold a corporate sponsorship, the first of many, to save the school football program. As the year progresses, similar announcements are made when the school newspaper, music and drama departments are also reinstated through this fundraising campaign, formally called the Take Back Program. 

As the Take Back Program grows, the students start seeing more sponsor contributions, along with growing commotion, throughout the school. Andrew, thanks to the program, becomes the beneficiary of a shiny new
trumpet, along with a new tablet computer, which all students have received to replace their textbooks. 

It seems like the program has been good for everyone; that is until the ads start popping up on the kids’ tablets and playing over the intercom between classes. The kids are annoyed. The parents, meantime, have started protesting at the school because they believe the ads are negatively influencing their teens. The national media catches wind of the story and news vans and reporters camp out in front of the school. 

With all the debate, Andrew and his classmate, Hannah, realize nobody has asked the students how they feel about the program. They decide to write their own story to publish in the reinstated school newspaper. 

Andrew and Hannah are not only surprised, but conflicted by what they learn through their interviews with school staff. As the steadfast duo begins to uncover the truth about the Take Back Program, they discover that the survival of their school is at stake and decide they must fight to take back their school from the corporate sponsors.

While the story is fiction, the author draws upon her experience in the school system to accurately depict the impact and adversity a large sponsorship program can create in a school environment. To encourage student engagement and discussion, each book includes a chapter-by-chapter study guide, organized around the Common Core State Standards, which enables readers to learn core educational concepts, preparing them for success in college and their careers. 

Christin Carlson, a teacher at Rosemount Middle School in the Twin Cities, shared the story with her students prior to the book’s  official release. “I read the book with a group of 7th graders for a book club . . . We felt the advertising in school was a relevant issue and the kids had a lot of strong opinions about school sports and clubs, which led to lively conversations.  I highly recommend this novel for middle school students,” she said.  

THE TAKE BACK OF LINCOLN JUNIOR HIGH will be officially released during a launch party at Magers & Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis, on Sun., Mar. 23, 2014, from 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. For more information about the book, please visit www.teachablelit.com.

Roseanne Cheng is a high school English teacher turned author dedicated to writing and reviewing young adult literature that provides more than just entertainment. With her brand, TeachableLit.com, she champions meaningful, educational and wholesome reading for teens that can be used as learning tools, both inside the classroom and out. 

A native of the San Francisco Bay Area and a lover of Shakespeare, Roseanne now lives in Edina, outside of Minneapolis, with her husband and two young children.