Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi

After her parent’s divorce, Maddy moves from Boston with her mother and younger sister in with her grandmother in New Hampshire. Maddy is miserable in her new school, where she has been made an outcast from her first day by The Haters, the reigning group of teens. Maddy finds solace in her manga art and the game Fields of Fantasy. In Fields of Fantasy, Maddy creates a beautiful elf magician named Allora and in this virtual world Maddy can be anyone she wants to be. In Fields of Fantasy, she meets and befriends a young knight named Sir Leo and soon Maddy is spending most of her free time online with him. As Maddy blossoms and thrives in the online world, she begins to take control of her own happiness in the real world and starts to challenge The Haters power over the school.

Though fairly predicable, Mancusi has created an enjoyable story of a girl struggling to find her place in the world of high school- a story that will resonate with every teenage reader. Every girl will see something of herself or her situation in Maddy. Readers will guess the identity of Sir Leo long before Maddy does, but they will enjoy watching the virtual romance blossom into the real world. As Maddy stands up to The Haters, calls out her childish father, and finds her own strength she will discover kindred spirits and friends in unlikely places. Mancusi warns about the dangers of strangers online, but does so in a way that is not preachy or condescending. The beautiful cover art is certain to attract readers who will not be disappointed with this quick and engaging tale. Though a departure from her vampire series, The Blood Coven, fans will not be disappointed and Mancusi is likely to gain new followers.