What do children do when they are scared? The answer is they play games. Make a world of make believe and soon their problems are gone, replaced with princesses and kingdoms to be saved. The bully becomes a dragon, grades become task, and the sister becomes the princess. Yet when the game is over, and you have to go back inside, the problems are still there. The game becomes longer and more real, as each problem becomes harder to solve. Soon the children cannot see straight, of what is reality and what is the Game.

Dani Webster played the Game. The Game was what she and her little sister Kelly use to play, in the woods behind a cranky old man’s house. Too bad for Dani she has no memories of what the Game was, or the last time they played it. All Dani can remember is waking up alone in a blue room. Later she finds out her mother put her here. Here meaning the Riverwood youth Clinic, also known as the loony bin for teenagers. Dani soon gets out of isolation and into the daily routine of Riverwood, which includes going to classes, hanging out with her friend Kevin and her roommate Scratch, and go to group, one-on-one and family therapy sections. During these times Dani tries to remember what happen to Kelly and her in the last Game.

Teresa Toten took an unusual topic and twisted it into this fantastic story. It was a nominee for The Canada Council for the Arts Governor Generals’ Literary Award. The only issue I found with this book was it was very confusing. I did not understand the game, or the true meaning of it until halfway through the book. Even the beginning part would make readers stop as the first few chapters are extremely confusing. I urge you readers to read on though for soon during one of Dani’s one-on-one she blows up and explains the whole concept of the Game and all its characters. The book does explain everything in the end, leaving no cliff hangers. Even though I guessed what happened to Kelly in the beginning of the book, I did not like how the author used Scratch as the bad guy who made Dani remember what happen. The force of memories brought up bitter remembrance of how much Dani resented Kelly for being perfect, and how she had to bring on the role of protector to Kelly. Where Kelly was all light and pure, Dani was tainted and dark. Dani does get her happy ending, which well deserves after all the darkness she has to go through to get it.