Review: Me and Banksy

The power of art to be used as a form of protest and to inform and change minds is at the heart of this clever YA novel from Canadian author Tanya Lloyd Kyi. Dominica is a student at an elite private school that had recently undergone a big security upgrade. There are now cameras across the school, which the students are told are there to keep them safe. This soon has the reverse effect when pictures taken from those cameras of students and even a teacher caught in embarrassing moments--nose picking, an unzipped fly and an accidental flash of a bra--is uploaded online. With a newfound resentment to the cameras, Dominica finds a way to fight back, by channeling her favourite artist Banksy. Soon she and her friends and a few other affected students set up a guerrilla style warfare against the cameras and the school principal whose motives for the cameras have nothing to do with student welfare...

This was an entertaining read. In Australia it can be rare to find books set in Canada, for reasons are unknown to be. That point aside, I loved how the author was able to work in Banksy and the spirit of Banksy's artwork with the plot. There is something empowering about the message (even if there is a bit of a don't try this at home waiver at the end). I would have liked a little more focus on the school principal's motives, but realistically, it is a YA novel and adults are never the central focus in YA. Overall, this is an entertaining book with an interesting message and look at art.

Recommended.

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