Emily's Musings

YA23: Wizards of the Game

Ok, for slightly younger than YA's, but I'm counting it anyway -- and felt I deserved a nice fluffy one after Fallen Angels.

In Wizards of the Game, Mercer Dickensen spends all his free time playing a fantasy role-playing game and runs into some _real_ wizards along the way that need his help. Add in religious fanatics protesting the game to the school board, a cute popular girl, a would-be witch, a roomful of paper-mache monsters, and all of a sudden you almost wish it was still just a game.

I tried to give it to a kid the other day since he was looking for InkHeart and other light fantasy (and this was next to Inkheart in the to-be-shelved cart). I took it home because it made me think of Eduard and all those Magic games and tournaments. And then I started it yesterday because some people were talking about RPGs in the staff room Tuesday night at the library and I was telling these two teenage girls about how I had briefly played Robotech in high school... but mainly because I was the only girl with all these cute -- if geeky -- guys (but I was a geek too, so it worked for me). Anyway, I enjoyed it. Its not a must-read, but it was fun.

Wizards of the Game
David Lubar
Philomel Books (New York) 2003

Ages 9-12, Grade 5-8