Gamer Girl (novel)



Gamer Girl is a 2008 young adult novel by Mari Mancusi. It tells the story of Maddy Starr, a Goth girl who has trouble fitting in at her new high school and finds solace in an MMORPG.


 * All of the Other Reindeer
 * Alpha Bitch: Shared between Chelsea and Lucy, although they actually play the Co-Dragons to Billy.
 * Amazingly Embarrassing Grandmother: Poor Maddy...
 * Annoying Younger Sibling: Emily. So, so much.
 * Apathetic Teacher: Mr. Wilks, when he isn't pointedly siding with The Haters.
 * Ask a Stupid Question...: Billy, when he tries to insult Maddy, gets hit with humiliating snarks.
 * Author Avatar: In-universe; Maddy's manga character Allora is her avatar, both figuratively and literally.
 * Bland-Name Product: Sojo Beat in place of Shojo Beat.
 * Book Dumb: Billy.
 * The Cheerleader: Lucy.
 * Conflicting Loyalty: Chad is conflicted between his desire to do the right thing and his loyalty to The Haters.
 * Cool Loser: Maddy.
 * Cool Teacher: Miss Reilly, who's even described as being cool by the protagonist.
 * Did Not Do the Research: Apparently goth people like Twilight. Though this may just be a reflection on how Maddy isn't that hardcore.
 * Drama Club: Both Chad and Matt are in it, which becomes a plot point.
 * Eating Lunch Alone: Maddy did this before making friends in manga club.
 * Flipping the Bird: There are a few instances of the one finger salute.
 * Freaky Fashion, Mild Mind: Maddy dresses in Goth style, but is fairly normal.
 * Gamer Chick: Maddy.
 * Genre Blind: When, she never considers that his bizzarely out-of-character behavior might be the result of another person using his computer. This doesn't just mean his randomly rude and insulting attitude either. She fails to notice that he isn't speaking in the character of his alternate self, something the real Sir Leo constantly insisted on doing. In her defense though, she's a little busy being angry and heartbroken over it.
 * Gym Class Hell: The Haters stuff Maddy's gym uniform down the toilet.
 * Humiliation Conga: Maddy when.
 * Jerk Jock: Billy Henderson
 * Love Interest: Maddy's online companion Sir Leo.
 * Loves My Alter Ego: Maddy thinks Sir Leo would only be interested in her Fields of Fantasy counterpart.
 * No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Maddy, in a good mood, asks Emily to show her her dance routine..
 * One Steve Limit: Averted. There's a girl named Sarah Silver playing Guinevere in Hannah Dustin's high school production of Camelot. Exactly one scene later another girl named Sarah shows an interest in manga.
 * Otaku: In addition to being a gaming fan, Maddy is a huge fan of manga and anime. She even starts a school club and at the end of the novel,
 * Otaku Surrogate
 * Parental Neglect: Maddy is understandably infuriated at her father, a fellow gamer, for his inability to put the game down long enough to join the rest of the family on a ski trip.
 * Perky Goth: Black Raven, AKA Treena. Maddy is also a mild version.
 * Preppy Name: Chad.
 * Shout-Out: When Maddy starts her first day at her new school, she wonders where all the Edward Cullen worshipping Goth kids are. Also, when she tells Matt about Sir Leo, he says "Tell me what you know and I'll play Veronica Mars."
 * Teens Are Monsters: The Haters, with the exception of Chad. Their whole reason for treating Maddy like crap is because she's different.
 * Token Good Teammate: Chad in The Haters.
 * Turn the Other Cheek: When Maddy is being bullied, her English teacher advises her to do this, not because it's the right thing to do, but because it will keep the bullies from having power over her.
 * Two-Teacher School: The only named teachers are Miss Reilly and Mr. Wilks.
 * What Beautiful Eyes!: Chad Murray is repeatedly described as having beautiful blue eyes.
 * When She Smiles: According to Maddy's mother, Maddy is beautiful when she smiles.