At The Library
“Chaotic Good” by Whitney Gardner (Alfred A. Knopf, pages 249, 2018)
Cameron loves designing role-playing costumes. She can’t get enough of researching all the finer details for her creations. This budding seamstress even has plans for fashion college. But being a cosplayer isn’t all fun and games. Cam knows some fans think cosplayers are just after attention and trying to get famous with online “likes.” Feeling unwelcomed at the local comic shop, Cam dresses up as her twin brother Cooper to visit the store. While there, she befriends a shop employee who invites her to join his “Dungeons and Dragons” club and she decides to keep up her false identity in order to play. Cam drags her brother, who is definitely more into fashion than fandom, along to the game where they discover the dungeon master is none other than Brody, a condescending know-it-all from the comic shop.
She sees the game as an opportunity to teach Brody a thing or two about girl gamers, but as she continues to lie about who she is to the guys in the group, relationships between friends, family, and crushes get a lot more complicated. Cameron knows admitting her true identity to her D & D group will be a disaster as she’s waited too long. Is there any way Cameron can be herself and not hurt anyone’s feelings, including her own?
In “Chaotic Good” Gardner explores girls in geek culture, with an optimistic message about following your passion even when there are obstacles. Readers may also enjoy “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell.