Adele Griffin

In an effort to improve her social status, a new scholarship student at an exclusive girls' school uses a fake online profile to help a popular girl get back at her ex-boyfriend, but the consequences are difficult to handle.

The Julian Game

ashley hopkins

In this age of technology we live in it seems that being bullied and being a bully is a lot easier then it use to be. I would say back when I was young, but that was 7 years ago. (I graduated high school in 2004) so it doesn't seem to bad. Still I think that was when Myspace and a few others started popping up giving bullies a new world/way to hurt those they targeted. In reading this book it gave me a different perspective on Facebook. How it can be used to hurt others because like in the story anyone can make a "fake" profile and pretend to be somebody. Which sucks because you'd never know the difference. I love being able to use facebook. It's a great way to stay in touch with family members you don't see often, friends you had back in elementary, middle and high school, previous co-workers, AWESOME BLOGGER FRIENDS, chat friends (this one is a me answer because I've met some awesome people from online chatting back in 99 or so that I otherwise would never be able to talk to since the chatsite shut down.) I'm totally rambling right now. Sorry!

Back to the review.
I really did enjoy this book it may be a small book compared to many others, but sometimes it's the small books that pack the punch. It shows that just because something may seem like a fun and harmless joke could turn out to be hurtful and well-not-so-fun. As Raye learns just because the rich, popular kids decide to play nice with you for a little while it doesn't mean they won't turn on you if something goes wrong. Then you're stuck wondering how it happened, why did it happen, and a whole bunch of random questions when in reality you should know why. You play with fire you're gonna get burned. Simple as that. She was lucky to have a friend like Tal who was pretty much there regardless of what Raye did. When the time came she was the better friend. I enjoyed Julian as well. He was your typical YA boy even though he went to an all guys school still every girl at the all girl school wanted him. He meets Raye at a party while looking for "Elizabeth", and enjoys her company until some stuff happens. (I'm being vague I know) I think the way it ended kind of made me mad though I was hoping for a different outcome. I guess we can't always get the ending we want.

This book had the Mean Girls feel to it. If you've seen the movie then that's kind of what I was reminded of just instead of a slam book like the movie it was facebook.

I do enjoy Adele's writing though like I said at the beginning her books are usually small books, but they have a heavy meaning. :)

Jessica Nottingham

I read a few reviews for this book before I read it, and I have to say that I think some people were taking the promise of action in this story much too specifically. Action via the Internet is never all that fast paced in my experience. Although I'll be the first to admit that this book wasn't exactly what I expected it to be, I went into it with an open mind and clean slate and ended up liking it quite a lot!

Now lest this come back to bite me in the hindquarters I will say now that, yes, I do indeed adore Adele Griffin. I find her to be a very witty and amazing author! However that doesn't change the fact that I will always review a book fairly. The review below is all from the heart.

From the very first few pages I fell in love with Raye and Natalya. Here were two very intelligent girls, plotting a social networking scheme simply so that they could talk to boys they were attracted to! Isn't it amazing what the Internet can allow us to do? By taking on the persona of Elizabeth, the girls were able to break out of their shells and become the people that they wished they could be in their own lives. I completely sympathized. When I was in high school all I wanted was to be accepted, and if that meant squashing your actual feelings and needs, well that's what you did. Raye and Natalya remind us that today's generation can lead double lives, all complements of the Internet.

Does this mean that I think what the girls did was right? Not by any means. Still I think it their plot was ultimately fairly pure until it was soiled by the evil Ella. Oh Ella. I will say right now, I despised Ella with a passion. Ella is the girl who bats her eyelashes and gets what she wants. The girl who says one thing and means another. The one who gets away with bullying because she will later "apologize" to you. Why? Well that's because she is popular. I was upset with Raye for falling in with Ella, I really was. I thought she would be smarter than that. I had to remind myself that Raye was only human, and sometimes it's hard to ignore the call of the popular crowd.

Julian, oh yes Julian. He was the one character that completely tore my heart in half. I cannot say too much, as I don't want to spoil the plot line for all you readers out there, but I was fuming as I read. I applaud Raye for making such smart decisions regarding him, even if it did take her a while to do it. Smart girl. On the topic of the Internet, I thought The Julian Game touched on cyber bullying in a perfect manner. It puts the concept out there for discussion, but doesn't shove a moral down your throat in capsule form.

Are you intrigued my friends? Good! Go get a copy of the book and give it a try. You know you want to!

Before I ramble on too much further, I'll simply say that I really did enjoy this book. Although it wasn't a perfect ten for me, it did hold my attention quite well and I felt invested in the characters. Whether I was loving them or despising them didn't matter, I knew enough about them to care. I also loved how Facebook and social networking in general were so seamlessly brought into the story. I was impressed with Raye's story. I'm sure this book will resonate strongly with the social networking generation, and I hope it will also speak to them about reconsidering what should take preference in their lives.

The Julian Game

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