Summary
Zak is in trouble. Coasting through Health class and using too much Wikipedia for an assignment leave him in danger of not graduating. Zak doesn’t have big plans for his future. Or any plans, really. But not graduating would put him in an awful bind. So when the Health teacher says he can redeem himself by serving as an alternate for the Quiz Bowl Team’s next competition, he jumps at the chance. It’s only later that he realizes the competition is the same weekend as his favorite comic book/fandom convention.
Ana can’t believe they have to put up with Zak on the team. He’s a total slacker! He doesn’t take anything seriously, playing card and role playing games all the time. She needs their team to WIN. That’s why she talked the advisor into putting her 13-year-old genius brother, Clayton, on the team. Ana is desperate to do everything right, and make all the right choices. She saw what her parents did when her big sister didn’t follow their expectations.
But when Clayton sneaks off to the con after the Quiz Bowl, Ana will have to trust the “slacker,” Zak, to help her find her brother and get back before anyone finds out they were gone. Otherwise she could lose everything she’s tried to hard to hold onto.
Review
This he-said, she-said story was a lot of fun! I loved Ana and Zak. They think they know about the other person, but their adventure at the con while they try to find Clayton helps them open up to one another. With time, they each see the other a lot more clearly.
The con was a hoot! Our family loves comic book conventions, so parts of the setting were very familiar. In fact, that was the whole reason I read the book. I did a library search for books that take place at or around conventions and discovered this one. I’ve never had a con experience quite like Zak and Ana, thankfully. But I loved watching Ana work her way through her feelings as an “outsider,” especially as she watched Zak in his element.
There are many fun fandom references in the book as well as a sweet romance between the characters. There’s also cosplay, a gay wedding, a case of mistaken identity that turns ugly, and a kidnapping. It’s a WILD ride to the satisfying end. I loved how the author dealt with the parental issues as the story wrapped up. There are a lot of examples here of the problems that come when you assume things about others and the solutions you find when people communicate. Great fun!