Anyone's Game

Cross Ups #2

by Sylv Chiang, Connie Choi (Illustrator)

What’s up with Cali? Why does she keep changing her gamer tag?

It’s summertime, and even though his good friend Cali moved to another city, Jaden can connect with her online almost every day to play their favorite game, Cross Ups. His mom has loosened her rules on how often he can play, and he has an amazing new controller that will make him even better at tournaments. But then he gets roped into a dorky summer camp with his buddy Hugh, and Cali starts acting really weird . . . So when a last-minute tournament spot opens up in Cali’s city, Jaden jumps at the chance to go.

But things go badly from the start. Jaden loses his controller on the train, and his reunion with Cali is awkward. She’s unhappy, and Jaden can’t figure out why, especially when she’s getting better and better at Cross Ups—and may even win the tournament.

With its sharp dialogue and relatable characters, Anyone’s Game, the second book in the Cross Ups series, chronicles the ups and downs of middle school with a relevant, contemporary twist.

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens, Realistic Fiction, Canada

192 pages, Paperback

Published September 11, 2018

About the author

Sylv Chiang grew up in Toronto. As an only child, she had a lot of quiet time to read. Her favorite series was Trixie Belden, but she also loved books by Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary. In grade one, she wanted to be an author when she grew up. Besides reading, young Sylv loved playing outside, swimming, and doing gymnastics.

As a teenager, she coached gymnastics and worked at a local museum giving tours to school groups. She also did tour guiding for class trips to Montreal and Quebec City.

Sylv studied French at the University of Toronto, and since all her past jobs had involved teaching kids, the obvious path was to become a French teacher. She has taught French Immersion, Extended French, and Core French in the Toronto District School Board.

When her second daughter was born, Sylv remembered her childhood dream of becoming an author. She enrolled in a Writing for Children class and soon began her middle grade fiction series, Cross Ups, to appeal to the students in her grade five class who are more interested in video games than books. Anyone’s Game (Fall 2018) is the second book in the Cross Ups series.

Sylv’s favorite part of being an author is when her characters surprise her by doing something she wasn’t expecting. She loves the cast of characters in Cross Ups and looks forward to spending time with them while writing further books in the series. When she’s not writing, you can find Sylv on her yoga mat or at the library helping her daughters discover great books.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone's Game takes up a few months after book 1. Callie is living in Montreal, missing her old life, her mom and friends. Things are not going good for her. Her mom's still in recovery and she's living in a too small house with her new baby sister, and getting stalked online by some creep who starting go a little farther then just messaging a lot.

Then we have Jaden who has found out about a tournament for Cross Ups in Montreal, it's not far from Callie but now he needs figure out how to get his mom to let him go. He wants to see Callie and find out what's going on with her because she's acting different to him, figure out what they are to each other, is she is girlfriend? All his friends think so but he's unsure.

Read more to find out.

Great book for the middle age group, talks about the dangers of online stalking, bringing to light for the tween/early teen readers that saying things (sexual) to girls online or anywhere is not okay. (ie telling a girl to wear shorter and tighter clothes) Males (not all) do think they can say what they want, and think it's harmless. Girls don't play games to be harassed, nor do they do anything to be harassed. I'm glad that this book touches on these issues for younger kids to see and learn what not to and say and what not to do.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on my review blog Deanna Reads Books
hanks to Annick Press for sending me the second book of Sylv Chiang's Cross Ups Series!

In the second book, we see a little more of how Cali is fairing in Montreal with her Dad and his new girlfriend. Cali is having a really tough time, but it's not just because of having to live with a screaming baby sister. I think Cali's life can be relatable to a lot of kids of divorced parents. It's tough for kids enough in middle school trying to find their place in life, so Cali's struggles felt very real to me. I appreciated that the author wanted to tackle the topic of harassment in gaming and what female gamers go through, but I feel like it falls a little flat with it coming from Jaden's perspective. I think this story would have been more impactful if it came from Cali's point of view.
I really love Jaden's sister Melanie and her relationship with Cali. Cali is having a really hard time in her life, and Jaden is kind of a bad friend who is blind to her struggles. I really liked that Melanie had a connection with Cali, and I was glad to see Jaden have a big sister to explain to him why writing the messages that Cali was getting was wrong. Also, even though Melanie has ulterior motives, I don't know a lot of sisters that would help their brothers get to another city so they can play in a video game competition. I do love the family in this book series.

I liked the concept of the plot in this book, but what I did not like was how Jaden tried to brush it off as being just how gamers talk. Um, NO! It's not okay. He also tries to make excuses for other people that you find out are doing this bad behavior, and it just made me feel uncomfortable. I do think this book has a really good lesson to show, and I'm glad it's written in this book, but some of the execution of it didn't sit well with me.

I think Cali is my favorite character, this girl is tough! I'm glad to see that she gets to use her skills and smarts to overcome the struggles she is having. I also do like that both her and Jaden are a bit confused about their relationship. They both just want to be friends, but it feels like everyone assumes Cali is Jaden's girlfriend. I really like that they both just want to be platonic friends, because there are not a lot of series that have a healthy platonic male and female friendship. It's something I want to see more of because my best friend from College is a dude, and during college everyone always thought we were dating, and it got real annoying.

I still enjoyed this book, but just not as much as the first one. Second books can be hard, so I want to give it the benefit of the doubt. I know the author is working on a third book, so I am definitely interested in what is going to happen with these characters next.

*I was provided a copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. This in no way effects my review.

[Heather Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was great.

Jaden and Cali have been friends for years and during that time have played uncountable Cross Ups games. Now that she is living in Montreal with her dad, they can only get together during their online gaming. Jaden has noticed that Cali has been off her game lately but doesn't know what's bothering her, maybe it's just the physical distance between them. When he is invited to play in a tournament in Montreal, he figures he'll have a great time with her.

The online community presents a social challenge. You can't really know the person on the other end of the connection. This is very true in the gaming world where children can compete equally against adult players. Both of the friends are learning that this is not always a healthy environment

Bullying and sexist attitudes are main topics in this book. I feel that they are handled quite well and most suitably for pre-teen readers.

While this is the second book in the series, you can read it without having read the first book. There is a lot of gamer talk, but it does not overwhelm the storyline nor preclude non-gamers from enjoying the story.

I received a review copy of this book from Annick Press in exchange for an honest review.

#IndigoEmployee

[Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone's Game simple blew away the first book. If you're a gamer, a middle-grade reader or simply someone who loves light hearted adventure with a diverse set of characters, then pick up this book.

Without giving too much away the first book in the Cross Ups series, Tournament Trouble, was a fun, light read centering around a 12-year-old boy Jaden who loves playing video games but his mom forbids it because she believes it's too violent. Throughout the book Jaden hides gaming from his mom and seriously contemplates entering a tournament that could totally show everyone how good he actually is. Behind the scenes Jaden also has to deal with his annoying older twin siblings, bullies at school and weird feelings for his neighbour Cali who is also going through a tough time at home. So to some it up, Jaden's adventure was awesome. It felt like I was a kid again while reading the first book. And not only was the writing style relatable, but the illustrations really brought the book to life. I felt like i was in my grandmother's basement again wrestling with my male cousins on who's turn it was to play that dirt bike game we loved. It was just, fun.

And then I read Anyone's Game . WOW. So in the second book, by now Jaden and his mom have come to a sort of agreement about gaming. He does it on the regular, but not too regular and he's enjoying his summer vacation. But when he gets invited to play in a Tournament in Montreal-where his previous neighbour Cali now lives-he tries everything to get to go. The beginning is slow as Jaden attempts to find a way to get his mom to allow him to go to the tournament, but it's not so bad seeing as though it's not a very long book anyway. The book really picks up when he gets to Montreal.

What I love about this book is that it was still light and easy to read, but yet it had an underlying of very serious topics. The book deals lightly with harassment and what it means to be a girl as Jaden watches Cali undergo treatment he never had to face as a gamer. It asks questions that I believe middle-school boys need to ask themselves, like: Would this ever happen to me? Should I stand up for this? It's funny to me, is it funny to her? How does she feel about the situation?

"That's not trash talk," Roy says. "That's girl bashing."
"Same thing," I say. Isn't it?
Roy is serious. "Think about it. Do they tell girls they 'play like a boy'? Do they tell you how to dress?"

In this book Jaden really showed self-growth. He started out thinking the trash talk that Cali experienced was normal gamer speech and ended the book knowing that those things wouldn't have been said to him, because he's a boy, therefore, it was not okay. He started out ignorant and quite self-centered and really evolved into someone you would be proud to call a friend.

"What's it like?"
"What?"
"Being a girl."
...
After a minute she says, "Do you ever get a gross feeling, deep in your gut, when you're watching a scary movie?"
"Yeah."
"Well, that's the feeling I get when I read some of those comments."

I loved this book. I really did. And I feel like every young man should read this to understand how it feels to be a female and how to deal with situations they didn't create, but could still end. There was sibling bonding, understanding the difference between friendship and romantic feelings, very fun gaming, and the dismantling of gender norm. It literally did it all.

I'll leave you with a conversation between Jaden and Cali, that I felt to the core.
"But you don't have to worry. We're all here to protect you if anyone ever does anything."
"That's exactly it. And I hate it."
"What?"
"What it feels like to be a girl. It like...like you're never safe."

[Jill Jemmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great story in the Cross Ups series.

I really liked the focus on female gamers in this story. Cali is able to beat Jaden in the game Cross Ups, much to his surprise. He is teased for losing to a girl, though she is just as good at the game as him. Even though girls are not the stereotypical players of video games, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be good at them.

This story also dealt with the problem of cyber bullying. Cali has to deal with a player who sends her creepy, sexist messages. The boys think it is just another part of gaming, but there is a difference between someone saying that you don’t play well and someone making comments about your gender. This is an important issue that is a very real danger when kids are playing online.

I loved this story! I can’t wait for this series to continue.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[laura c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oof this kind of hit me in the heart. xD

TBH when I first picked up this book, I wasn't so sure I would like it. It seemed cartoony and immature. But I instantly resonated with the characters. As a gamer, girl, and Chinese person with overprotective parents, I could totally see where people were coming from.

Cali is still my favorite character, because she stood up for herself and had to deal with creepy people on the internet, something that I, as a girl, have also experienced. Hearing this author put her situation into words for a guy to hear was pretty empowering, and was very powerful.

In addition to the relatability of the story, I also just enjoyed it. I'm kind of an immature reader, and just having little snip-its of funny 12-year old shenanigans was good for a laugh.

Overall, this was a cute, relatable, and fun book, and I would definitely consider reading it if you're a girl gamer, or just gamer in general!

[Jemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited when Annick press sent me an advanced readers copy of Anyones Game in exchange for an honest review. I loved Tournament Trouble and I feel like some of the issues focused on in this book are very relevant right now in the gaming community and many others, some of which have affected me personally. That and I couldn’t wait to see what Jaden and his friends did next.

Sylv Chiang returns with her brilliant pacing, relatable characters and sometimes conflicted and confused narrator Jaden who feels like he could just jump out of the page, alongside talented artist Connie Choi who’s artwork once again really helps to illustrate events, this time things are a little more serious but Connie and her enjoyably distinctive art style are a feast for the eyes as ever while also really catching the emotions in those moments as well. I wouldn’t have thought the first book could be improved upon but I have never been more pleased to be proven wrong.

Characters have already been established in the first book but we get nice little short reminders throughout about who everyone is and what events have previously transpired which I think is great in any sequel but especially so in books for younger children. When I was younger a year felt a lifetime away and I could barely remember what happened the month before, let alone a year before with any great detail, (I’m not much better now). These little refresher sentences also makes Anyones Game a good jumping on point for new readers and even easier to pick up and read straight away.

In Tournament Trouble we see how Jaden does at his first tournament and the kind of things he experiences as a gamer, in Anyones Game we see that Cali, as a girl has quite a different experience from him because of her gender. I won’t go into too much detail because being a female gamer myself I could probably write an essay on it but this book will hopefully make young boys think about the way they and others treat their female friends and classmates etc. I think it’s possibly a much harder book for young girls to read because of the way Jaden, his friends and others treat Cali, they begin to ask themselves important questions about their actions later on but even as an (almost) thirty year old woman I was pretty angry about some of the things they said and inferred. As an older woman who has read a lot of books now I understand that these moments like Jaden being upset about his friends knowing he was beaten by a girl or writing off creepy, hurtful messages from people online as just your average “trash talk” are meant to be examples we can learn from but I would worry they could be a little hurtful towards someone much younger. That being said it is refreshing to find older characters in this who point out where Jaden and others are being hurtful and help them to learn to be better people and better friends, I believe this book could help young boys to recognise hurtful behaviour in themselves and those around them and combat it. For young girls I feel that it shows they’re not alone when these bad things happen to them and that they shouldn’t just have to write these behaviours off as nothing. This is something I feel very strongly about and the main reason I think this book spoke to me. I would however have liked to have seen some of the story more from Cali’s point of view, maybe in book three?

Despite some of the more serious lessons to be gleaned from Anyones Game it still carries the same light and fun energy the first book did but with just a little more conflict and food for thought but written in such a way that it doesn’t drag the overall story down or make it too heavy. A great sequel and I can’t wait for the next book!

[Mrs. Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a list of 10 books I needed to complete I purposely chose this book first believing I would enjoy it the least. I wanted to just read it, to get it over with. Surprisingly despite detesting video games in all forms I enjoyed the book for the simple life lessens that were found. Jealously, insecurity, harassment, friendship and community are all aspects that are covered well in this book bringing all the memories of those pre-teen years back into perspective. This would be a good book to discuss with your child as it brings up some good points for online behaviour and the video game world.

[Alannah Collier · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a children’s librarian, I read this book to be informed on the Silver Birch 2020 nominees. But, although I read this book for work, I was able to thoroughly enjoy it, and I believe middle grade readers will as well. The characters are diverse, funny, and relatable. The themes of sexism and cyber bullying are handled well and will make children stop and think about their own actions when online.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

4/19/2020 ~ 4/18/2020 ~ Jaden's finally convinced his mom that his favorite video game won't negatively impact him. In this volume (#2), Jaden begins to understand how the misogynistic language among gamers is negatively impacting his best friend. This book will draw lots of elementary and middle school readers because of the gaming, and they'll also begin to understand that it's not always okay to be "one of the guys."

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. It was better than everyone said it would be, but it was still meh. I rate this book a 3 out of 5 and I recommend it to people that like video games. One thing I did love about this book is that it shows how girls can do anything boys can do. #girlpower!!

[Mike Broderick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young, fun, competition, there is a storyline there, I enjoyed it, especially for a second book in a series

[Glenna Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I'm not a video game fan, this book was a great read about the power of friendship and the importance of standing up to bullying and sexism.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jaden has been asked by his sponsor to play in a tournament in Montreal. He really hopes he can go, but he has to ask his mom just right. Dev and Hugh are eager to join him and make arrangements to stay at Dev's uncle's. Jaden has a place to stay with Cali and her dad, if he can just get there. Something is going on with Cali and he feels like he needs to see her. But in the meantime he's also stuck at STEM camp and of course Ty and Flash are there to annoy him. Will those guys ever stop bothering him?

The author uses this book in the series to teach Jaden and his guy friends a thing or two about how to treat girls, and bring awareness to how female gamers are really treated awfully sometimes. It takes Jaden and Dev and Hugh a little while to understand why some comments online or in person are not appropriate and how to better treat and help Cali. Once they do the book gets better, but oh boy, does it take a while to get there. Considering the audience likely to pick up this series, I'm glad Sylv Chiang decided to tackle this issue. It is important for middle school boys to learn how to talk to girls respectfully early on and avoid pitfalls as they get older. Now if Jaden can learn that honesty is the best policy. His first instinct seems to be to lie and then later have to spill the truth. There are even a couple lies in this one he or his older sister don't get called on and I don't know how I feel about that. Maybe that will be addressed in the next book? It's a realistic impulse, and he's just making things harder for himself, and I hope that that is obvious to readers too.

Notes on content: 2 minor swears. No sexual content. Inappropriate comments that objectify girls are talked about and why they are not ok, and the examples given are kept pretty mild.

[Mary-Esther Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid follow-up to the first Cross Ups title. Chiang really gets the pre-teen set, especially the cluelessness of twelve-year-old boys. The gamer culture is well-captured too, with an edge of menace that adds to the tension. I'll be looking forward to book three.

[Hilary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I do not like it that much. I thought it was kinda annoying. Honestly, I would not recommend this book to anyone.

[Shenwei · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had the same general themes and appeal as the first book, but I honestly disliked the approach to addressing sexism in gaming. While boys who don't know better might find it enlightening with regards to the sexism girls face in gaming, gamer girls (or any gamers who are perceived as female) who pick this up will probably want to throw the book because Jaden remains clueless and defensive of a dude who sexually harasses his best friend for a good part of the book.

I would rather the book had been written from Cali's point of view, to center her feelings and experiences. Reading Jaden's POV while he gaslights Cali did not make me sympathize with his character.