Head Games

Rating:
Summary: Excellent narrative voice and strong characters.
Review: "Head Games" is a wonderful, easy read, primarily because the main character's narrative voice is so conversational, intelligent, and funny. Both the female lead character and the main male character are strongly drawn, and the novel deals unblinklingy and helpfully with such common teenage issues as alienation, sexuality, and "popularity." The relationship between main characters Judith and Jonathan is realistic and refreshing. Too many books focus on teen sex for its own sake, instead of looking at the emotional interactions that exist between young men and women. "Head Games" tackles the latter category and focuses on the emotional connections between main characters Judith and Jonathan. In doing so, the book grants teenagers their humanity. The book seems to be saying that there's much more to being a teenager than sex and gender; sometimes, boys and girls can connect as human beings. As "Head Games" demonstrates, young adult fiction sometimes can involve no teenage sex at all (except for a kiss) and still be quite wonderful.


Rating:
Summary: I'd give this book a C-
Review: Eh. That is what this book is. The character sounds so dorky and weird and then this huge stoner guy likes the same dorky weird things? um no. I dont connect to her at all and him-only slightly. Plus, the way this book skips over time periods..... it started with her as a sophomore i think...although age is only described in the descriptin of the book, and his age is never mentioned....it ends a year and 1 month later with basically nothing accomplished. The ending is the worst and could have been much much better with a few more pages added on. This book was very eh...

Rating:
Summary: Engaging and hopeful
Review: Judith Ellis lives in a fantasy world --- after school on her computer, that is. Reality isn't so great, with her former best friend not speaking to her and trying to deal with a traumatic incident from a few months ago.

So New York City does not hold her interest like her fantasy game does. She's good at it, and she thinks about the Game constantly. It occupies her head when she has no one to eat with at lunch, when she is trying to avoid speaking in her math class, and when she has no one to hang with after school. That is, until one player seems to go after her particularly.

Real life holds some surprises too, especially in her neighbor-with-the-bad-reputation Jonathan. Their budding friendship veers from confusing to comforting to intriguing, but never dull. Judith's long-distance father begins to connect with her through the phone lines. Tutoring ditz Katie then teaches Judith that her assumptions are often wrong and that everyone lives in their own version of a fantasy world.

Mariah Fredericks creates engaging and surprising characters, much like the Sim characters beloved by Katie. Judith wants neat, easy answers like everyone, but they are not available even in fantasy games. HEAD GAMES offers no easy endings, but a reality that is interesting and hopeful.

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio


Rating:
Summary: This author just keeps getting better
Review: Much as I liked The True Meaning of Cleavage, I think Head Games is even better. To me, the characters seemed more interesting, and their relationships more complex. I especially liked the parallels between online gaming and the "games" that go on in school, among neighbors, and within families. A good story, a great read. Can't wait to see what Mariah Fredericks will write next.