Breck and the Online Troll carries a very powerful message with its aim to instil an understanding of online safety and online grooming. Targeted at learners with special educational needs, the book is accompanied by a comprehensive scheme of work for educators to use to support the messages within the story.
Eve Yarton's vibrant and compelling illustrations immediately pull you into the world of online gaming, creating a world that is very familiar, and one with wide appeal. Then as it is revealed to the reader that this is not an imagined world but a true story concerning the real-life tragic murder of Breck Bednar, the impact hits hard but is handled extremely sensitively.
The writing is considered and very accessible without losing its impact; as a platform to discuss this challenging and hugely pertinent topic one can imagine this device working very effectively in the classroom and at home.
The story serves the scheme of work well and the two very much work in tandem. A large section of the scheme builds in work leading towards the idea of a performance piece for learners to present to others. This is presented ‘step by step’ and I'm sure would serve well as a consolidation tool for the main learning intentions within the resource. The adaptability of the exercises within the scheme is very flexible and each exercise or activity can be ‘dialled up or down’ depending on the abilities of the group you are working with.
The simplicity of the images and the written word very effectively gives students the time they might need to process the story and its themes, and allows many opportunities for open discussion.
There is also a short play version available, Play virtual, live real written by Mark Harrington. The format of the play is effective and may form an interesting text for both neurodiverse and neurotypical learners to explore, perhaps performing selected scenes or the entire piece to invited audiences. All of the work is supported by the Breck Foundation, whose objective is to campaign for a safer internet for all young people. I would highly recommend this book and its accompanying resource.