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Gamer Girls #2
Gamer Girls: Monster Village
Gamer Girls are four besties who prove that girls can game! But when a new game comes out, it's not a hit with everyone. Maybe they should stick to video game battles instead of middle school arguments!
Celia, Natalie, Lucy, and Jess are the Gamer Girls—four gamers devoted to showing that girls can game, too. They stream together every Friday night and they’re also BFFs.
Celia is the artsy, creative one of the group, so it’s no surprise when she starts designing merch for their new club. But when she falls in love with a new, cozy game called Monster Village, it’s a far cry from her friends’ action-packed battle royales. Can the Gamer Girls find common ground, or is their new club doomed?
In this second illustrated book of the all-new series, Gamer Girls, four friends navigate the video game world and the middle school world . . . if only they could solve drama like defeating monsters! This series is perfect for teens and tween readers who love video games.
Celia, Natalie, Lucy, and Jess are the Gamer Girls—four gamers devoted to showing that girls can game, too. They stream together every Friday night and they’re also BFFs.
Celia is the artsy, creative one of the group, so it’s no surprise when she starts designing merch for their new club. But when she falls in love with a new, cozy game called Monster Village, it’s a far cry from her friends’ action-packed battle royales. Can the Gamer Girls find common ground, or is their new club doomed?
In this second illustrated book of the all-new series, Gamer Girls, four friends navigate the video game world and the middle school world . . . if only they could solve drama like defeating monsters! This series is perfect for teens and tween readers who love video games.
208 pages, Hardcover
Published May 9, 2023
7 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Andrea Towers
12 books22 followersAndrea Towers is a writer who has worked at Entertainment Weekly and Marvel. She is the author of the upcoming book GEEK GIRLS DON'T CRY: REAL-LIFE LESSON FROM FICTIONAL FEMALE CHARACTERS, which will be published on April 2, 2019 by Sterling. A lover of coffee, porgs, and all things fantasy, her work on pop culture/comics with a focus on female-led media has been published in print and online.
She currently lives in New York City. Tweet her at @_atowers or learn more about her at www.andrea-towers.com.
She currently lives in New York City. Tweet her at @_atowers or learn more about her at www.andrea-towers.com.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 24, 2023
Monster Village is an adorable story of four friends, also known as the Gamer Girls, who are building their own streaming channel. The story touches on some of those adolescent anxieties and issues we have within ourselves and our core group of friends. I read this book with my eight year old who was so excited to see a book about girl gamers. Both he and I could relate to some of the struggles these girls faced in the book. It opened a door to talk about how the characters handled struggles and how it can be applied to real life. It was a fun and adorable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. We enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next book in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. We enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next book in the series.
July 28, 2023
Today I was looking for a good audiobook to keep me company and I was browsing on Netgalley when this title caught my eye. I game but wouldn't say I am a gamer, I do have a gamer partner. So, when I saw gamer girls, I got curious. The adviced reading age is 8-12 years, which I am since a very long time not anymore.
I started listening, thinking I would just use it as a quick audiobook for the day, not expecting much of it. But I have enjoyed it soooo much. This story is so well written. It catches the gaming vibe very well and illustrates in such a realistic way how as a gamer you can think about things. This is the second book in the serie, but in the beginning one of the friends shortly explains who they are, so you can also read it as a standalone. I loved the concept of four young girls, best friends who started gaming while they all have their own strengths and dreams (also not gaming related). And for once it also shows a different aspect of gaming, where it isn't all violence and killing. It shows a world of gaming, school and all the things young kids/girls have to deal with at school, home, with friends and families. I loved it!
I started listening, thinking I would just use it as a quick audiobook for the day, not expecting much of it. But I have enjoyed it soooo much. This story is so well written. It catches the gaming vibe very well and illustrates in such a realistic way how as a gamer you can think about things. This is the second book in the serie, but in the beginning one of the friends shortly explains who they are, so you can also read it as a standalone. I loved the concept of four young girls, best friends who started gaming while they all have their own strengths and dreams (also not gaming related). And for once it also shows a different aspect of gaming, where it isn't all violence and killing. It shows a world of gaming, school and all the things young kids/girls have to deal with at school, home, with friends and families. I loved it!
July 23, 2023
Full review coming Tuesday, but as fun and sweet as book #1! It's like the new Babysitters Club, but instead of babysitting, they game!
May 17, 2023
with fun retro gaming illustrations by Alexis Jauregui.
Oh, my heart! This second book in a series about middle school girl gamers just hit me so hard in the feels that I'll even forgive the (admittedly appropriate) cliffhanger ending.
It's been a few weeks since Nat came out to her middle school best friends as a gamer. She and Lucy have a fierce rivalry going on in Alienlord, a battle royale shoot 'em up, and the two of them, along with Jess and Celia, have a weekly livestream showcasing their efforts as Gamer Girls. Jess is one of those people who's good or at least competent at everything, so she plays from time to time, too. Artistic, creative Celia is pretty terrible despite her best efforts, but she and Jess and Lucy all want to support Nat's dream of being a famous video game streamer, and gather weekly towards this end.
When Celia discovers a new cozy game by MegaBox, the makers of Alienlord, it's like a dream come true for her. Monster Village is a game where you can design and create your own town and assets, and collect the monsters who come to visit, a la Animal Crossing. Celia gets really into the game, and gets really good. Finally, she thinks, she can be a gamer in her own right and contribute more to the friends' gaming channel.
So she's pretty surprised when Nat and Lucy don't seem anywhere near as enthused as she is about the new game, despite Celia's best efforts to include them. When MegaBox announces a big Monster Village competition, Celia absolutely wants to do it, and feels hurt by what she sees (correctly) as her friends' lack of interest and, worse, lack of support. Will her efforts to find common ground only serve to drive a greater wedge between them?
Oh gosh, this book gave me such strong flashbacks to middle school, with a strong layer of modern gaming issues on top of it. I was both so proud of Celia's independence and so scared for her, sharing her fears about the strength of her friendships as well as her resentments over not having her interests supported despite the support she gave to others. I loved how her family admitted their own faults and how they all learned from their mistakes, and how Celia chose to continue showing love and support while still staying true to herself. I didn't exactly ugly cry in the last chapter, but I certainly adored how Celia modeled the best parts of friendship without sacrificing her own interests and priorities.
I also really appreciated how Andrea Towers made a point of the fact that people who play cozy games like Monster Village and Animal Crossing are gamers, too. I'm neither a cozy gamer nor a PvPer -- give me a good MMO like Lords Of The Rings Online or a narrative, fixed ending mystery game any day -- but I loved how the author made sure to include video games of all sorts under her gamer umbrella. This inclusivity was also effortlessly applied to the kids' everyday lives, making for a Middle Grade novel that feels fresh and relevant for today's readers. I loved this book, and can't wait for more in the series.
Gamer Girls: Monster Village by Andrea Towers was published May 9 2023 by Andrews McMeel Publishing and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
This review first appeared at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
Oh, my heart! This second book in a series about middle school girl gamers just hit me so hard in the feels that I'll even forgive the (admittedly appropriate) cliffhanger ending.
It's been a few weeks since Nat came out to her middle school best friends as a gamer. She and Lucy have a fierce rivalry going on in Alienlord, a battle royale shoot 'em up, and the two of them, along with Jess and Celia, have a weekly livestream showcasing their efforts as Gamer Girls. Jess is one of those people who's good or at least competent at everything, so she plays from time to time, too. Artistic, creative Celia is pretty terrible despite her best efforts, but she and Jess and Lucy all want to support Nat's dream of being a famous video game streamer, and gather weekly towards this end.
When Celia discovers a new cozy game by MegaBox, the makers of Alienlord, it's like a dream come true for her. Monster Village is a game where you can design and create your own town and assets, and collect the monsters who come to visit, a la Animal Crossing. Celia gets really into the game, and gets really good. Finally, she thinks, she can be a gamer in her own right and contribute more to the friends' gaming channel.
So she's pretty surprised when Nat and Lucy don't seem anywhere near as enthused as she is about the new game, despite Celia's best efforts to include them. When MegaBox announces a big Monster Village competition, Celia absolutely wants to do it, and feels hurt by what she sees (correctly) as her friends' lack of interest and, worse, lack of support. Will her efforts to find common ground only serve to drive a greater wedge between them?
Oh gosh, this book gave me such strong flashbacks to middle school, with a strong layer of modern gaming issues on top of it. I was both so proud of Celia's independence and so scared for her, sharing her fears about the strength of her friendships as well as her resentments over not having her interests supported despite the support she gave to others. I loved how her family admitted their own faults and how they all learned from their mistakes, and how Celia chose to continue showing love and support while still staying true to herself. I didn't exactly ugly cry in the last chapter, but I certainly adored how Celia modeled the best parts of friendship without sacrificing her own interests and priorities.
I also really appreciated how Andrea Towers made a point of the fact that people who play cozy games like Monster Village and Animal Crossing are gamers, too. I'm neither a cozy gamer nor a PvPer -- give me a good MMO like Lords Of The Rings Online or a narrative, fixed ending mystery game any day -- but I loved how the author made sure to include video games of all sorts under her gamer umbrella. This inclusivity was also effortlessly applied to the kids' everyday lives, making for a Middle Grade novel that feels fresh and relevant for today's readers. I loved this book, and can't wait for more in the series.
Gamer Girls: Monster Village by Andrea Towers was published May 9 2023 by Andrews McMeel Publishing and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
This review first appeared at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
June 24, 2023
Cece is almost a Gamer Girl by default – her best friends want to be famous for being young female gamers on their chosen streaming platforms. But when she fails at their major old-school alien slaughtering software, she finds something else right up her street, a mix of Minecraft and Pokemon where attracting dodgy alien pets is done from prettifying a village. Now she can call herself a gamer, and is intent on getting the Girls' merch prepped for their fame, but we can just tell her almost going solo with fandom for this game is going to cause issues.
I guess this was a sequel – there was certainly enough dropped in here and there about what might have gone on before that justified the colon and subtitle. While it really wasn't pitched at me I have to admit it was very readable, and for all the ins and outs of the girls I found none of it actually compelled me to skip as lesser authors would. There's a lot here, too, from the nicely subtle way girls of diversity are gamers and I guess its implied STEM fans, to the actual world of the game and the streaming. Some of this I found really unrealistic – I would never believe a girl would show off her entry to a national competition online before entries closed – but the rest is only going to be compelling stuff to the right audience. There were also some huge blips when the oh-so-woke girl Cece becomes a right bitch about not getting merch made to her schedule, and I agree with others who are calling the ending out as being too much a lame cliffhanger, but all the same this generally is wholesome yet trending, current yet not a fly-by-night, and more than a reasonably decent series by the looks of things. A healthy four stars.
I guess this was a sequel – there was certainly enough dropped in here and there about what might have gone on before that justified the colon and subtitle. While it really wasn't pitched at me I have to admit it was very readable, and for all the ins and outs of the girls I found none of it actually compelled me to skip as lesser authors would. There's a lot here, too, from the nicely subtle way girls of diversity are gamers and I guess its implied STEM fans, to the actual world of the game and the streaming. Some of this I found really unrealistic – I would never believe a girl would show off her entry to a national competition online before entries closed – but the rest is only going to be compelling stuff to the right audience. There were also some huge blips when the oh-so-woke girl Cece becomes a right bitch about not getting merch made to her schedule, and I agree with others who are calling the ending out as being too much a lame cliffhanger, but all the same this generally is wholesome yet trending, current yet not a fly-by-night, and more than a reasonably decent series by the looks of things. A healthy four stars.
July 17, 2023
Listened to audiobook via Net Galley
This is a book meant for kids, but as an adult female who likes playing video games (mostly 3rd person rpg, narrative, fighting sorts of games rather than more casual cozy games), this is a cute book normalizing girls in the gaming and streaming space and embracing their own strengths.
Yay for representation! (also some very low key/blink-and-you'll-miss-it non-binary, and pan/queer representation).
The main character of this book is Celia, a creative 8th grader who is much more of a creative cozy gamer than her friends, who prefer games with more action. She and her friends struggle when it doesn't seem like they're seeing eye to eye when it comes to the games they want to stream for their group Gamer Girls because they have different strengths. Celia leans on her Grandmother among others for guidance, and there are instances of conflicts and misunderstandings among friends.
The book version is said to be illustrated (?), so while the narrator is engaging, by nature of being an audiobook, there isn't a visual element like one would have in the ebook or printed copy.
As an adult, I found this potentially less interesting to listen to a book about people streaming about playing video games, but I could see this being much more interesting for younger kids in the intended demographic. This is also 2nd in the series with a 3rd due out near new year.
This is a book meant for kids, but as an adult female who likes playing video games (mostly 3rd person rpg, narrative, fighting sorts of games rather than more casual cozy games), this is a cute book normalizing girls in the gaming and streaming space and embracing their own strengths.
Yay for representation! (also some very low key/blink-and-you'll-miss-it non-binary, and pan/queer representation).
The main character of this book is Celia, a creative 8th grader who is much more of a creative cozy gamer than her friends, who prefer games with more action. She and her friends struggle when it doesn't seem like they're seeing eye to eye when it comes to the games they want to stream for their group Gamer Girls because they have different strengths. Celia leans on her Grandmother among others for guidance, and there are instances of conflicts and misunderstandings among friends.
The book version is said to be illustrated (?), so while the narrator is engaging, by nature of being an audiobook, there isn't a visual element like one would have in the ebook or printed copy.
As an adult, I found this potentially less interesting to listen to a book about people streaming about playing video games, but I could see this being much more interesting for younger kids in the intended demographic. This is also 2nd in the series with a 3rd due out near new year.
February 16, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for accepting my request to get an early copy and write a review.
I truly loved this book. I realized it's book two in a series but you don't have to read book one first to catch up on who's who with the girls.
Celia doesn't like her friends favorite game, Alienlord. She's not good at playing it either, but wants to be with her friends in an online streaming chat they have called Gamer Girls. When Celia finally finds a game she's good at it's the cozy Monster Village. Her friends don't care for it and aren't good at it either.
I love how the story depicts these middle school girls too. They have their own individual personality and style that not just makeup and boys. Way too often at least one girl in a group is obsessed with makeup or boy crazy. In fact our main character Celia makes a point to think to herself that it's silly her mom thinks she might be interested in boys when she never told her mom how she identifies. Even Mel's character, who would be a typical popular mean girl type, is really nice.
It gave me, "Turning Red" vibes with how modern and realistic these girls are written.
I truly loved this book. I realized it's book two in a series but you don't have to read book one first to catch up on who's who with the girls.
Celia doesn't like her friends favorite game, Alienlord. She's not good at playing it either, but wants to be with her friends in an online streaming chat they have called Gamer Girls. When Celia finally finds a game she's good at it's the cozy Monster Village. Her friends don't care for it and aren't good at it either.
I love how the story depicts these middle school girls too. They have their own individual personality and style that not just makeup and boys. Way too often at least one girl in a group is obsessed with makeup or boy crazy. In fact our main character Celia makes a point to think to herself that it's silly her mom thinks she might be interested in boys when she never told her mom how she identifies. Even Mel's character, who would be a typical popular mean girl type, is really nice.
It gave me, "Turning Red" vibes with how modern and realistic these girls are written.
January 30, 2023
OK this book was SO CUTE!!
It follows a group of friends who all love to play video games but not the same type of games. Our main character mostly plays to be with her friends and support them. She’s not great at the type of games they like but she’s here to make the merch for the gamer girls! Well until she discovers HER game, the game that fits her taste: Monster Village!
I love the diversity in this story and how it shows that you can be a gamer no matter the game you play, that there’s a game for every kind of people. I love how important the girls’ friendship was and the whole Monster village thing really made me smile since it’s the kind of games I do love as well.
I’ll look for this book for my sons when it comes out and recommend it to young readers, boys or girls!
It follows a group of friends who all love to play video games but not the same type of games. Our main character mostly plays to be with her friends and support them. She’s not great at the type of games they like but she’s here to make the merch for the gamer girls! Well until she discovers HER game, the game that fits her taste: Monster Village!
I love the diversity in this story and how it shows that you can be a gamer no matter the game you play, that there’s a game for every kind of people. I love how important the girls’ friendship was and the whole Monster village thing really made me smile since it’s the kind of games I do love as well.
I’ll look for this book for my sons when it comes out and recommend it to young readers, boys or girls!
August 14, 2023
This was such a sweet and enjoyable read!
I loved the characters and the way it was written was so charming and fun to read/listen to.
The audiobook quality was great as well and really added to the story.
I gave a 3☆ because for me a 4☆ is one I couldn't walk away from until finished and while fun, I wasn't on the edge of my seat.
I would 100% recommend this to lovers of middle grade fiction and will do so on my Booktube channel!
Thank you, Netgally for the advanced copy to review!
I loved the characters and the way it was written was so charming and fun to read/listen to.
The audiobook quality was great as well and really added to the story.
I gave a 3☆ because for me a 4☆ is one I couldn't walk away from until finished and while fun, I wasn't on the edge of my seat.
I would 100% recommend this to lovers of middle grade fiction and will do so on my Booktube channel!
Thank you, Netgally for the advanced copy to review!
February 10, 2023
I really wish there would have been books like this when I was younger, because then I would have learned that it was okay to like gaming and other less "girly" things (not much of a surprise that I turned out to be non-binary).
I enjoyed the book, but I do feel there could have been more of a learning curve for the other friends. Because while they didn't like the game Celia was interested in, they did expect her to be into their game.
I enjoyed the book, but I do feel there could have been more of a learning curve for the other friends. Because while they didn't like the game Celia was interested in, they did expect her to be into their game.
July 27, 2023
I am loving this series so much. I too am such a fan of cozy games. Those that play cozy games are also gamers! I love the Gamer Girls. It was awesome reading from Cece's point of view. I love the message of friendship and overcoming struggles in this book. I cannot wait to read more. Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Audio for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
April 7, 2023
This reminds me so much of the Babysitters Club books I used to read as a kid.
This book focuses on Celia, or Cece79, and it took a little bit of time to get used to her because I really liked Nat from the first book. But it was nice to see that all the girls have their own little worlds and aren’t one dimensional.
My sister works with kids and the first book is such a hit with the kids & I’m sure that this one will be one too.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advanced copy!
This book focuses on Celia, or Cece79, and it took a little bit of time to get used to her because I really liked Nat from the first book. But it was nice to see that all the girls have their own little worlds and aren’t one dimensional.
My sister works with kids and the first book is such a hit with the kids & I’m sure that this one will be one too.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advanced copy!
October 30, 2023
I listened to this book with my daughter and we both really enjoyed it! My daughter loves to play video games and she was thrilled to listen to a story with me about other girl gamers her age. The story was fun and immersive. I highly recommend it! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
June 20, 2023
While the ending was a bit abrupt, I would recommend this to my female students who like stem and are in middle school.
Want to read
July 13, 2023J book about girls and gaming - part of a series. Test has white space and some small pictures. May be good for reluctant readers and/or as a GN alternative
July 17, 2023
I am not sure why my daughter and I could not get into this book. My daughter was very excited about the plot.
Read
July 9, 2024Great continuation of the series.
August 29, 2024
*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This is a cute middle grade book aimed towards girls, if i had younger nieces i would gift this to them for sure! Cute series.
June 25, 2023
Special thanks to the author(s), publisher, Goodreads and/or NetGalley for the review copy. All views and opinions expressed are honest and my own.
The story is told from Celia's point of view contrary to the first book, a few weeks after Natalie reveals her gaming secret. Celia, Natalie, Lucy and Jess have formed a Gamer Girls group to live stream their gaming to showcase girls can game too. Celia, the artsy one, isn't really interested and good at Alienlord but she loves the new, cozy game called Monster Village. Things start going uneasy when Celia's friends don't show the same interest or support as Celia always does towards Monster Village and when Mel joins the picture things start going downhill faster.
I enjoyed this story from Celia's point of view. It definitely reads differently than the first book which is welcomed because it's from a different character. I liked how this story touched on topics such as friendship, family, jealousy, confidence and independence. There's not always a clear solution but there is definitely progress being made.
The miscommunication faced by all four characters in this book is quite a common occurrence in middle school life and sometimes even within adults. This made it more relatable and opened a new perspective on how to handle such situations with confidence and repentance while staying honest to oneself.
I also enjoyed how this book depicted that anyone can be a gamer. It's not confined to only players who play mainstream hardcore games but also those who play cozy games and those not so well known games.
Overall, this was an adorable read. I loved the depictions of girls being gamers in all types and forms while also showcasing the conflicts that happen between friends and family.
Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf
The story is told from Celia's point of view contrary to the first book, a few weeks after Natalie reveals her gaming secret. Celia, Natalie, Lucy and Jess have formed a Gamer Girls group to live stream their gaming to showcase girls can game too. Celia, the artsy one, isn't really interested and good at Alienlord but she loves the new, cozy game called Monster Village. Things start going uneasy when Celia's friends don't show the same interest or support as Celia always does towards Monster Village and when Mel joins the picture things start going downhill faster.
I enjoyed this story from Celia's point of view. It definitely reads differently than the first book which is welcomed because it's from a different character. I liked how this story touched on topics such as friendship, family, jealousy, confidence and independence. There's not always a clear solution but there is definitely progress being made.
The miscommunication faced by all four characters in this book is quite a common occurrence in middle school life and sometimes even within adults. This made it more relatable and opened a new perspective on how to handle such situations with confidence and repentance while staying honest to oneself.
I also enjoyed how this book depicted that anyone can be a gamer. It's not confined to only players who play mainstream hardcore games but also those who play cozy games and those not so well known games.
Overall, this was an adorable read. I loved the depictions of girls being gamers in all types and forms while also showcasing the conflicts that happen between friends and family.
Read more reviews @ Mystic's Review Shelf
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