I can relate to this story since I'm a gamer also. I loved how the game was described. I like this book's idea, but I don't really like some details of it. ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

Maddy Starr's world has come to an end. Her parents just divorced, and now she's living with her mother and her 8-year-old sister in the unicorn-infested house of her grandmother. Yikes! Could it possibly get any worse?

Yep, it can get worse.

On her first day at her new high school, Maddy is humiliated. As she's about to leave for school, her grandmother declares she will not allow her granddaughter to go to school looking like "a dead prostitute." When Maddy protests that this is her style and she has nothing else to wear, her grandmother promptly hands over something of her very own wardrobe - grandma-style jeans and a sweatshirt adorned with sparkling unicorns. OMG!

It doesn't take Maddy long to figure out that school is not going to be like it was back in Boston. Arriving in a unicorn sweatshirt is bad enough, but she quickly becomes the victim of a group of popular kids she dubs "The Haters." Lucy, Chelsea, Chad, and the biggest bully, Billy, pretty much consider it their job to make life miserable for Maddy.

One bright spot in an otherwise dark world is the birthday gift Maddy gets from her dad. He gives her a subscription to an online fantasy game called Fields of Fantasy. She has watched him play the game for years and has always dreamed of joining as a real gamer. The game is fun to play and gives her some great inspiration for the manga drawings she enjoys creating. An added bonus comes in the form of an online friendship she develops while playing.

Even if everyone at her new school hates her, at least Sir Leo seems to appreciate and understand her online character, Allora.

GAMER GIRL offers readers a look at popular online gaming, the increasingly popular genre of manga, and a glimpse of the frustration of fitting in and dealing with bullies. Mancusi has created a fast-paced story that will surely interest teen readers. They'll not only be able to relate to the characters, but also be encouraged to explore their own talents and be themselves. ( )

Forced, by her parent's divorce, to move--along with her mother and younger sister--into her grandmother's home, Maddy Starr has to leave her old life and school behind. After an unfortunate incident involving her grandmother and her (Maddy's) clothing, she's labelled Freak Girl and school is hell for her.

Maddy's only escape is into the world of Fields of Fantasy, the roleplaying computer game her Dad gave her for her birthday. In FoF she becomes Allora, a beautiful, confident elf...who catches the attention of a handsome knight named Sir Leo.

But while romance is blooming between Sir Leo and Allora, Manga loving/drawing Maddy is still struggling to find her way in her new school. Can she find a way to deal? And would anyone ever choose brunette, skull-tight wearing Maddy over busty, blonde Allora?

(Now you know why I usually let Amazon write the summaries/synopses.)

This novel was really enjoyable to me (someone who doesn't know much of anything really about interactive/roleplaying games or manga) because while it did involve things that I think would have also made it enjoyable for people who did know about those things, it never went to one extreme or the other. When Maddy started playing the game, her setup was described, when she first met Sir Leo he explained some 'etiquette' I guess to her, and what she did in the game was described. The way all of this was done made it not a how-to lesson and just a part of the story that happened to tell you about FoF.

And when it came to the manga, different characters liked different types so one character explaining what they liked about a to a character who liked b, let you know what those were if you had no idea.

There was information given that was interesting and helpful to someone who didn't know about the topic and (from what I've seen in some Amazon reviews) fun for those who do. I think that's a fantastic achievement.

The characters made the book even more enjoyable. Maddy's grandmother seemed almost like a fairytale character to me (I'm not really sure I can explain that but I just feel like she wouldn't have seemed out of place in one of those Grimm Brothers' tales)..not because she's sweet or evil, just... Maddy's sister and parents also had a lot more depth to them than siblings and parents usually have in stories that are focused on a single, teenaged character.

Gamer Girl is a book that I believe teens (and young adults) will enjoy whether they're Gamers or not because it really does not have a weak aspect (characters, plot, writing). ( )

Twitter review @book_kungfu (http://twitter.com/book_kungfu):
Geeky manga fan discovers the glamor of online life and love. Can truth be better than fiction? -- Kung Fu moment: Punching the bully. ( )

*SQUEE!!!!* I love this book! If you're into mangas, anime, gaming, and drawing you'll love this book. This is the first time I've found a book with an otaku character. And major kudos to the ending; having a good ending to a book is an art form. And I don't mean an okay ending, I mean like a satisfying, well rounded, I can put down the book happily ending. My favorite part was the character herself. I know a few girls that feel the exact same way as her. I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend this to otaku fan girls! (And boys) ( )