| Gamer Girl | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 2 reviews)
Sales Rank: 104035
Category: Book
Author: Mari Mancusi
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile
Studio: Dutton Juvenile
Manufacturer: Dutton Juvenile
Label: Dutton Juvenile
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.1
ISBN: 0525479953
EAN: 9780525479956
ASIN: 0525479953
Publication Date: November 13, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
After Maddy?s parents divorce, she?s stuck starting over at a new high school. Friendless and nicknamed Freak Girl, Manga-loving artist Maddy finds refuge in the interactive online game Fields of Fantasy. In that virtual world, she reinvents herself as Allora, a gorgeous elfin alter ego, and meets a true friend in Sir Leo. Maddy can?t hide behind Allora forever, especially as a real-life crush begins edging in on her budding virtual romance. But would anyone pick the real Maddy, gamer girl and Manga freak, over the fantasy? This fresh, geeky/cool novel includes online chats and exciting gaming, and features Maddy?s Mangastyle artwork.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Terrific novel for today's modern teen! January 6, 2009
When Maddy Starr's parents split, her life changed - and not for the better, as far as she can tell. Maddy must leave her private school and all her friends to move in with her grandmother. Farmingdale, New Hampshire, is not across the country, but for Maddy it may as well be. On Maddy's first day at Hannah Dustin High, her grandmother makes her wear horrid clothes, escorts her to the main office, and even manages to totally embarrass and humiliate the most popular boy in school. Of course, this means Billy Henderson becomes an enemy before Maddy even speaks to him. His friends are there when it happens too. Maddy is given the nickname Freak Girl and becomes their favorite person to harass. Therefore, no one in the school will become friends with Maddy or help her with the Haters. (That is the nickname Maddy gives the popular kids.)
When Maddy gets Fields of Fantasy "FoF" for her birthday from her father, she is thrilled. Maddy quickly installs the PC game and begins playing. Maddy's character is an Elfin Princess named Allora. While online, Maddy sheds the role of an outcast and becomes a beautiful magician with powers to take down her enemies with a snap of her fingers and a wave of her wand/staff. Maddy's dad is in the game often too, but seldom has time to play with her. That is okay, because Allora meets SirLeo, a tank, who helps her learn the game and teaches her to role play. They even find a little online romance.
Maddy uses her virtual life to begin creating a manga graphic novel in her real life. With a bit of help from a cool teacher, Maddy even begins a manga club. Perhaps her virtual life and her new hobbies in real life can help Maddy gain some friends, as well as find ways to kick back at the Haters.
***** Being a gamer girl myself, I was instantly enthralled with Maddy and her virtual self. I saw many similarities to a popular MMORPG game (which I play) titled World of Warcraft "WoW". (I wonder if that is the game the author, Mari Mancusi, loosely based FoF on.)
Maddy is a character that any teen can relate to. But if you enjoy video games (online or off / PC or console), graphic novels, or manga (Japanese style of drawing) you just may find yourself reading at lightning speed. I read the entire story in a single afternoon. Mari Mancusi writes stories that are UNPUTDOWNABLE! *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
 fun teen tale November 22, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Maddy Starr did not appreciate how great her life was until her parents separated. She was the collateral damage of the split as she no longer attends an exclusive school in New Hampshire but goes to public Hannah Dustin High School as she now lives with her old fashioned grandmother; hip is out and ancient is in. Her fist day freaks her out as she alienates the in boy Billy Henderson, who with his popular friends makes life miserable for Maddy starting with calling her Freak Girl and becomes their favorite person to harass. No one not even the losers will help Maddy battle the most popular "Haters" as she calls Billy and his clique.
For her birthday, her father sends Maddy Fields of Fantasy computer game. Her character is Elfin Princess Allora, who becomes a powerful mage mentored by Sir Leo the tank. Maddy begins to write a manga comic book based on Allora's adventures in the FOF realm and starts a manga club at school.
This is a fun teen tale as Maddy goes from popular to freak when she changes schools. She turns to manga art and FOF as a defense mechanism to temporarily escape her mental pain in the real realm. The GAMER GIRL meets on line Sir Leo and in person Chad Murray, but feels fickle as she likes both of them. Young adult readers will appreciate Maddy's woes as she struggles in real life while escaping albeit temporarily in virtual life.
Harriet Klausner
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