Apps

Middle School Confidential 3: What’s Up with My Family?

This 49-page digital graphic novel is based on Book 3 of the award-winning Middle School Confidential series written by nationally recognized teen expert and anti-bullying activist Annie Fox, M.Ed., and illustrated by Harvey Award winner Matt Kindt. This is a Universal iOS app designed specifically for the iPad screen but also great on iPhone/iPod touch. The What’s Up with My Family? app is now available for download on the iTunes App Store for $2.99 USD (educational discounts available). Android versions coming soon.

My Family is CCSS Aligned—download our free Project Based Learning guide.

iPad Screenshots

iPhone/iPod touch Screenshots

Video Trailer

Middle School Confidential 3: What’s Up with My Family? video on YouTube.

More About the App

What’s Up with My Family? is the much anticipated sequel to Electric Eggplant’s award-winning tween graphic novel app Real Friends vs. the Other Kind. This third installment of the series continues the story of Jack, Jen, Chris, Abby, Mateo, and Michelle—who are realizing that growing up often means changes at home. My Family follows the gang as they each work through some difficult family situations and learn to appreciate the people they live with… even siblings!

“We love our family and sometimes they drive us nuts. We probably drive them nuts too. LOL! Even though all families are different, they all have ups and downs. This is an app for every kid who’s ever wondered, ‘What’s Up With My Family?’” says Annie Fox. “It may help you understand the people in your family better. It may also help you use your power to improve things at home. Sometimes you can do that by talking about how you feel. Sometimes, change happens when you shift your attitude and decide to be more cooperative.”

With richly layered audio made up of movie-like sound effects and music, What’s Up with My Family? makes full use of mobile device technology. The app is designed for 8–14-year-olds, and gives readers a look at how their peers handle family rules, resolve conflicts, and deal with common challenges of wanting more independence and more freedom to make your own choices. The app puts decision-making power into the hands of readers, with eight interactive quizzes that let readers choose how they would handle different family situations. What’s Up with My Family? is the third in a series of kids’ story apps to be produced by Electric Eggplant, the multimedia production company founded in 1992 by Annie and her husband, David Fox, both award-winning game designers.

Designed in a format familiar to fans of Marvel and DC Comics apps, What’s Up with My Family? enables the reader to interact with the story by zooming in for frame-by-frame reading or zooming out again for a page-by-page view. Interactive quizzes test readers on what is the next best move in some common family dilemmas. An auto-save feature remembers your place in the story and a menu page permits jumping to any of the eight chapters. Special “Meet the Cast” pages with insider information about the characters let young fans learn more about them. An Epilogue fills in readers on what happens to the character after the graphic novel ends. The app is designed for the hard-to-reach “tween” age group, reluctant readers, parents, as well as teachers, counselors, therapists, and librarians who use technology with students.

Be Confident in Who You Are, the first app in the Middle School Confidential series, was released in April 2011 and has garnered praise from CNET, iPhoneLife, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Digital Storytime, among others. Common Sense Media gave it four stars and said the app “speaks to kids who are at a really rough age, and reminds them to take pride in their own talents and to [not] let peer pressure (even the unspoken kind) get them down.”

Real Friends vs. the Other Kind, the series’ second app, was released in January 2012 and won acclaim from iPhone Life, PadGadget, School Library Journal, and Teachers With Apps, among others. iPhone Life said, “If every kid understood the messages in this book and app, school could be a better place where kids could focus on learning and not the external factors.”

Download the free Leader’s Guide to the Middle School Confidential Series and free Project Based Learning guide.

FEATURES

• Graphic novel format for easy reading
• Eight interactive quizzes test what you would do in a sticky social situation
• Page swipe or touch page edges for easy navigation
• Auto-save feature remembers your place in the story
• Info page allows you to jump to the beginning of any of the eight chapters
• 49 pages including bonus “Meet the Cast” and Epilogue
• Two modes of reading: full-page mode or double-tap to zoom-in for frame-by-frame reading
• Movie-like sound effects and music (enhanced sound in zoomed-in mode)

CONTENT VALUE

• Compelling family stories that deal with universal tween and early teenage stumbling blocks:
+ Rules and Restrictions
+ Gaining independence
+ Communication challenges
+ Single parents
+ Getting along with stepparents
+ Out of control emotions
+ Sibling issues
+ Conflict resolution

• Thoughtful solutions for teens grappling with personal and family issues
• Designed for the hard-to-reach “tween” age group, including reluctant readers
• Powerful addition to an advisory or character education curriculum
• Ideal for teachers and counselors who use technology in the classroom
• CCSS (Common Core State Standards) Aligned

iOS Device requirements:

• Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
• Requires iOS 8.0 or later
• 73 MB

Leaders Guide & PBL Guide

Educators, download the free Leader’s Guide to the Middle School Confidential Series and free Project Based Learning guide.

Privacy Policy

The My Family app does not access your contacts or web history. Electric Eggplant does not collect any personally identifiable information through the app. The app does not contain any ads, in-app purchases or social network integration.

The My Family app saves its state to your device when it exits, so it can be restarted in the same state (for example, on the same page in the story). This is recommended practice for an iOS app. This data is not transmitted and it is not associated with any identifying information.

The app does include external links in the About section. The iOS version includes a Parental Gate for all external links.

For more information about our Privacy Policy, please contact us.