Completing engaging story - I was with the characters every step of the way. ( )

Ross McGee
EDCI 5120
Toten, T. (2001). The Game. Red Deer Press

Grade Levels: 8-12
Category: Contemporary Realism
Read Alouds: 5-12 (Danielle (Dani) wakes up in the isolation ward with no recollection of how she got there), 123-133 (Dani has a breakthrough session with Dr. Thurber), 175-187 (Dani finally realizes that Kelly was killed and why she is in rehab).

Summary: Danielle Webster is in a rehab facility and doesn’t quite know why. Her roommate, Scratch, who is a self injurer and another friend named Kevin who tried to kill himself, as well as Dr. Thurber, her counselor, help her through the process of discovering that she is there because she was abused by her father, witnessed her sister’s death, and tried to kill herself with pills and alcohol. She invented a game with her sister which serves as an allegory for their life and wanting out of it. In the end she is released to her mom who has also changed for the better and they plan on starting a new life together.

Themes: The Game’s themes are somewhat straightforward. One is that the human body deals with stress in many different ways, showcased by all of the individuals in the facility where Dani is at and their many different diagnoses. The story educates the reader on mental health and that it is much more complicated than people often believe. Another theme is that relationships are the most important thing in life. Not only Dani’s lost relationship with her sister, which is why she is there in the first place, but the relationships she develops in the facility are what keep her sane and able to cope with her life and move on from tragedy.

Discussion Questions:
How does the game that Dani and Kelly invented help them cope with their lives?
Is Dr. Thurber really good at his job, or really bad? What evidence supports each claim?
If you were Dani, would you blame her mom for what happened?

Reader Response: This book was very similar to Speak because of the subject matter. One of the main differences was that The Game was told in third person, a dramatic change from Speak. I was trying to decide which method was more efficient at drawing the reader into the story. In The Game, I knew more about what other people were thinking and feeling, but it also seemed more disconnected than Speak, like I was reading a story rather than being part of it. I still can't decide which one was better written because they were both very good books. I thought that the way the author of The Game kept readers in the dark by waiting until the end of the book to really explain what happened to Dani was excellent for a couple of reasons. First of all, it kept me in suspense and I kept thinking every time she had a one-on-one with Dr. Thurber that it was going to come out. Another reason I enjoyed it was that it demanded that as the reader, I look at every single action or reaction of Dani’s and try and evaluate why she was doing what she was doing, and what it could mean. I think by waiting to explain, Toten forced me to read into things much closer than I would have if it were a straightforward story. ( )