The Game
Teresa Toten
Governor General's Award Nomination • ALA/YALSA Best Books for Young Adults Nomination • Canadian Children's Book Centre Our Choice Citation • Resource Links "Best" in Canadian Resources 2001
Fiction / Teen Fiction
Ages 12+ • 224 pages • 5 1/2 x 8 1/2"
ISBN 0–88995–232–9 paper • CDN 9.95 • USA 7.95

Dani Webster had played The Game with her sister, Kelly, for as long as she could remember. It was a secret quest to vanquish evil. The Game is now a hazy memory as Dani looks up from the floor of the isolation room at Riverwood Clinic. God, how did she get here? She remembers the vodka and pills. Slowly Dani emerges from the painful effects of substance abuse, and begins to adapt to life at Riverwood, a psychiatric treatment facility for "teens with problems."

As she recovers from her physical trauma, Dani must confront a deeper emotional trauma, which at the moment she can neither explain nor recognize. There's the cool aloofness of her mother. Her father's abusive perfectionism. Kelly's refusal to answer her letters. Fragmented memories of the last Game. She can't fit all the pieces together.

The Game is an extraordinary story of betrayal, anger, guilt, confusion and dread, and their brutal effects on the mind. It also a tribute to the healing effects of compassion and friendship, and to the strength we can summon, even in our weakest moments.

Reviews
"Highly engaging."
CM Magazine

"Intelligent writing that talks directly to teens."
Canadian Bookseller

"Toten writes with humor, grit and real insight. . . . The Game is a story of heartache and the healing power of friendship. It is written in strong, straightforward prose and, despite its subject matter, is unfailingly hopeful."
Governor General's Award Committee