Jen Wilde

Gr 9 Up—In this blend of fandom, romance, and coming-of-age, two Australian girls, both high school seniors, attend a fan convention in California, and romantic intrigues ensue. The fast-paced, entertaining story introduces a cast of characters who are all geeks, but in other ways, they are a diverse group of friends. Narrated in alternating first-person voices, the short chapters are filled with authentic language that reflects the characters' ages and online interests, with many embedded social media posts as well as acronyms and terms from the Urban Dictionary. The characters' diversity provides natural opportunities to explore a number of contemporary teen issues, including race, sexual orientation, feminism, and body image. Some of the most compelling chapters are told from the point of view of Taylor, who fears change, hates crowds, and is on the autism spectrum. The setting of the convention offers sci-fi and fantasy devotees the fun of vicariously attending the SupaCon convention as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the experiences of the authors, actors, and vloggers who are on stage. VERDICT Part of Macmillan's crowdsourced imprint, this celebration of geek culture and fandom promotes diversity and being true to oneself. Purchase where there is active interest in fandom.—Theresa Muraski, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Library

-School Library Journal Review… (mere)

Got this one in a book box years ago and pulled it off my shelf today because the cover is an amazing pink and it cheered me up on a day when I was laying in bed sick with a head cold.

Story is YA teens at ComicCon working their way through some relationship drama over a weekend together. For the right audience this is probably a good representation of LGBTQ people, people with autism, people who don’t have perfect bodies, and people with mental health struggles like social anxiety and panic attacks.

For me, as an old person, it all seemed like it was explaining the obvious, but to a teen this is probably good exposure to lots of stuff.

So I think the book may be better than I rated it but for me it was just OK but kind of perfect for a day when my brain was only half functioning.… (mere)

I definitely wasn’t expecting those turn of events! I loved that the MC is a queer autistic teenager who lives in NY and attends a private school with a scholarship. Her character was amazing and I wish I could keep reading about her!
She tutors some of the wealthier students and one of them allows her to attend a masked ball in her place for a once in a lifetime chance to feel like Cinderella.
The party is when everything goes askew and I can’t say much without giving it away, so you just need to read it for yourself!… (mere)