The Julian Game
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3.3 • 12 Ratings
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
This riveting novel from the award-winning author of Where I Want to Be explores the issues of social media: the desire to be someone else, real versus online friends, and the risks of posting your personal life online.
“Griffin elevates the mean girl plot with spot-on insights into teen social politics and quirky, multidimensional characters.”—Booklist
“Will speak strongly to readers whose social lives are lived through social networks.”—BCCB
THE PLAYERS: New girl Raye Archer and her unlikely partner-in-crime, Ice Queen Ella Parker.
THE PLAYED: Ella’s ex, Julian Kilgarry.
THE PLAN: Create an online identity, use it to charm Julian, then use information gained through that faux-relationship to sabotage him.
THE OUTCOME: Better. . . and worse. . . than Raye ever could have imagined.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
National Book Award finalist (Where I Want To Be) Griffin starts her perceptive novel when Raye and her best friend, Natalya, two "pretty much invisible" sophomores at their elite all-girls school, create a fictional Facebook persona, Elizabeth, who is sexy, bold, and quickly popular online with the boys coveted by the Group, the popular girls at school. When Raye tries to ingratiate herself with Ella, a member of the Group, she gets enlisted in a revenge plot against Ella's ex, Julian. By acting as Elizabeth, Raye gets close to Julian and ends up confessing that Elizabeth is an invention, which brings them closer but turns Raye into Ella's enemy. Ella's revenge is fierce, and when Julian refuses to stand by her, Raye is left to see who her true friends are and what she is made of. Canny use of details makes Griffin's characters fully realized and believable; Ella, for instance, pairs a stereotypical mean girl personality with obsessive-compulsive quirks, an uneasy combination that underscores her unpredictability. There are darker, more powerful stories of cyber-bullying out there, but strong pacing and a sympathetic protagonist ought to keep readers hooked. Ages 12 up.
