68 pages • 2 hours read
John David AndersonPosted
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Prologue-Chapter 2Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Prologue Summary
The Prologue takes place a few days after the so-called “TOTAL ROMAN” incident. As Eric approaches Wolf’s locker, he reflects on the sticky note war. It’s not made clear that the locker belongs to Wolf or that the sticky notes are supportive, rather than hurtful.
Though the sticky notes were initially meant to be harmless, Eric knows they got out of hand. He reflects on the old saying about sticks and stones and how words can’t hurt people, realizing that words can hurt, and once they are said, “there really is no taking them back” (2). Eric tells the reader he’ll describe the events that led to this point but leave it to them to figure out where things went wrong.
Chapter 1 Summary: “The Catalyst”
Chapter 1 opens with Eric in his math class at Branton Middle School (BMS). Eric is one of the few who doesn’t have a cell phone, and while phones aren’t allowed at BMS, this doesn’t stop students from using them during class. Eric sits behind a student named Ruby Sandels, whom the teacher catches on her phone. Ruby was texting her friends about how her science teacher accused her of cheating and gave her a failing grade. The text contained several swear words, and by lunch, the entire school knows about the incident.
On his way to the cafeteria, Eric discusses the text with his friends Bench, Deedee, and Wolf. The boys debate Ruby’s actions, wondering if she’ll get suspended. Deedee suggests Ruby is allowed to have an opinion without consequences, but Eric disagrees. Wolf believes the incident will be forgotten, but Deedee is sure it will come back to “bite us all in the you-know-what” (18).
Chapter 2 Summary: “The Crackdown”
In Chapter 2, Eric formally introduces Bench, Deedee, and Wolf. Bench (his real name is Jeremiah Jones) is an athlete who isn’t particularly good at any of the sports he plays, and his nickname derives from how he usually sits on the bench during games. Deedee (Advik Patel) is of Indian descent, and his nickname is a reference to D&D (the fantasy tabletop role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons) as he sometimes leads the group’s D&D campaigns. Wolf is a musician whose real name is Morgan Thompson, and his nickname is short for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Eric calls the four of them a “tribe” and believes they ended up together as they didn’t have suitable groups of their own. Eric’s nickname is Frost, but he doesn’t explain why.
Following Ruby’s text, news of the incident makes its way to Branton’s larger community. Two days later, cell phones are banned from BMS. There’s some protest, but the rule stays in place, much to the chagrin of the student body. The following Monday, Eric arrives at his locker to find a sticky note that reads “Welcome to the Dark Ages” (37). Eric is certain it’s from Deedee. He throws the note in his locker and doesn’t think about it again.
Prologue-Chapter 2 Analysis
These opening chapters introduce most of Posted’s main characters, as well as the sticky note conflict. Eric is the point-of-view character of Posted. While he relays BMS’s daily life and drama, he is not the only book’s protagonist. Rather, Eric, Bench, Deedee, Wolf, and later Rose function as protagonists. The plot’s progression is split between them, each of them driving the story in equal measure. John David Anderson chose Eric as the narrator, possibly because he goes through the least trouble and can make for a more impartial observer.
By the end of the book, the references in the Prologue are made clear; until that point, Anderson doesn’t explain when the scene takes place nor the context behind its events. By leaving out this information, Anderson plants tension from the very beginning. The reader knows something bad happened at BMS, and the lack of details keeps them guessing until the “TOTAL ROMAN” incident’s aftermath—when events come full circle to the Prologue.
Ruby Sandels’s text message is the catalyst (or inciting incident) of Posted. While Ruby herself doesn’t appear in the book past the first chapter, her actions have far-reaching consequences. Her single text shows how something small can set much larger events in motion, introducing the theme of Words Can’t Be Taken Back. Anderson also uses Ruby as a catalyst to show how people who aren’t involved in an incident can be affected by it. Eric and his group aren’t friends with Ruby, but they all end up getting hurt in the “TOTAL ROMAN” incident.
Related Titles
By John David Anderson
