Best friends Ian, Julia, and Oswald go to view some mural-size graffiti with the tag Wiz and they begin to debate the difference between art and graffiti. While Julia admits the artwork is good she asks why don’t you see graffiti-type art in museums. More of the artwork poking fun at the law and order mayor appears around town, even turning up in one of the art museums. Astute readers will discover the identity of Wiz before Ian and Julia do, but the feel-good ending will please most readers. Meant for reluctant readers, it is a fun read. ( )

Good hi-lo choice with a cover compelling enough to get asked about by lots of high school students on our visit. And the story is easy to booktalk by comparing it to Banksy, a name most kids are familiar with.

Ages 13-18.

Oswald, Ian, and Julia are best friends taking an interest in the mysterious career of “The Wiz,” a street artist whose murals are popping up all over the city. The mayor calls street art vandalism, and is cracking down on it in an attempt to draw in more businesses. When the Wiz starts commenting on the mayor’s policies in his art, the mayor comes after him. The Wiz will need some help getting out of this trouble.

Tagged encourages readers to think about how art can be more than what is framed on a wall, and how it expresses social and political commentary. The friends engage in lively debates about the role of art in public spaces, exploring multiple perspectives.

Though the novel explores art’s relationship to politics, parties are not explicitly mentioned. Readers are given a sense of the mayor’s business-before-art priorities, but the point of the novel is respecting the power of teen leadership. Each of the three friends has a clever role in the solution.

A Hi-Lo book, Tagged captures teen interest but is accessible for those reading at a third grade level. There is whitespace and large enough font to support emergent readers, without the text feeling babyish. Vocabulary words that may be unfamiliar, such as “stencil” or “portfolio,” are explained in dialogue without disrupting the flow.

Tagged was inspired by the street artist Banksy and is dedicated to “Deadboy,” a real life street artist responding to Toronto mayor Tom Ford’s “war on graffiti.” A great pick for idealistic teens who know they aren’t too young to have ideas that matter, challenge authority, or to make a difference in their community. Recommended. ( )