A worthwhile look at gaming, fandom, and feminism that will find an audience among fans of Jen Wilde’s Queens of Geek or Whitney Gardener’s Chaotic Good. ” — School Library Journal
“This timely novel will appeal to gamers and nongamers alike, in its humor as well as its deft handling of topics such as sexism, bullying, and how to fight for what’s right.” — ALA Booklist
PRAISE FOR ANNA PRIEMAZA: “A much-needed portrait of the importance of female friendship in an overstimulating, modern world. A heartwarming, realistically drawn story for fans of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl .” — Kirkus Reviews
“Kat and Meg Conquer the World will hit home for anyone who has ever been waist-deep in fandom, doubt, or new relationships; Kat’s and Meg’s unique voices are outstanding, and their friendship brings this story to vibrant life.” — Francesca Zappia, author of Made You Up and Eliza and Her Monsters
“Awesomely fun. Gamer gals, devotees of Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl , and members of John and Hank Green’s nerdfighters will find this debut novel by Priemaza satisfying in its depiction of an unlikely IRL bond between two flawed, funny, bright young women.” — ALA Booklist
“Reading about Kat and Meg’s friendship is bubbly and effortless, like spending time with someone who not only gets you, but also gets the things that you love. It pops with sweetness and energy while still treating issues such as race and sex with realism and mindfulness. Joyful and real.” — The Globe and Mail
“A uniquely wonderful portrayal of female friendship—warm and wise and whip-smart. The heart of this book is ten miles wide.” — Carlie Sorosiak, author of If Birds Fly Back
“Kat and Meg Conquer the World has conquered my heart. A hilarious, touching, fandom-fueled book about the struggle to find your place in the world—and the beautiful moment when you realize you don’t need to do it alone.” — Chelsea Sedoti, author of The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett
“Genuine friendship leads to acts of great courage in this entertaining and heartwarming story.” — Publishers Weekly
“A funny (and sometimes heartrending) story of two outcasts who form an unlikely friendship. Great for readers who realize that it’s okay to be different, that the most lasting friendships are the ones that you have to fight for, and that geeks rule.” — Brian Katcher, author of The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak
“I can’t even begin with my feels for this book. Kat and Meg has everything I want in a story: humor, honesty, hardcore geekery, and characters that make you want to reach through the pages and hug them. This book will stay with you long after you put it down.” — Jilly Gagnon, author of #famous
“A celebration of girl power at its best, these two prove that the things you hate most about yourself might be exactly what someone else needs.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Inspiring from start to finish. Full of girl power, adventure, heart, and (my personal favorite) video games.” — Erin “Aureylian” Wayne, Gaming Content Creator
Reading about Kat and Meg’s friendship is bubbly and effortless, like spending time with someone who not only gets you, but also gets the things that you love. It pops with sweetness and energy while still treating issues such as race and sex with realism and mindfulness. Joyful and real.
This timely novel will appeal to gamers and nongamers alike, in its humor as well as its deft handling of topics such as sexism, bullying, and how to fight for what’s right.
Kat and Meg Conquer the World has conquered my heart. A hilarious, touching, fandom-fueled book about the struggle to find your place in the world—and the beautiful moment when you realize you don’t need to do it alone.
A uniquely wonderful portrayal of female friendship—warm and wise and whip-smart. The heart of this book is ten miles wide.
Kat and Meg Conquer the World will hit home for anyone who has ever been waist-deep in fandom, doubt, or new relationships; Kat’s and Meg’s unique voices are outstanding, and their friendship brings this story to vibrant life.
A funny (and sometimes heartrending) story of two outcasts who form an unlikely friendship. Great for readers who realize that it’s okay to be different, that the most lasting friendships are the ones that you have to fight for, and that geeks rule.
Inspiring from start to finish. Full of girl power, adventure, heart, and (my personal favorite) video games.
A celebration of girl power at its best, these two prove that the things you hate most about yourself might be exactly what someone else needs.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
I can’t even begin with my feels for this book. Kat and Meg has everything I want in a story: humor, honesty, hardcore geekery, and characters that make you want to reach through the pages and hug them. This book will stay with you long after you put it down.
A celebration of girl power at its best, these two prove that the things you hate most about yourself might be exactly what someone else needs.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
This timely novel will appeal to gamers and nongamers alike, in its humor as well as its deft handling of topics such as sexism, bullying, and how to fight for what’s right.
08/01/2019
Gr 10 Up— In this stand-alone companion to Kat and Meg Conquer the World , high school senior Lainey is the younger sister of Youtube Legends of the Stone (LotS) gaming sensation Codemeister. Lainey acts as Cody's production assistant, despite being increasingly disgusted by his objectification and harassment of girls. But at gaming convention LotSCON, Cody repeatedly brushes off Lainey's concerns about his behavior. Also at LotSCON is up-and-coming female Youtuber ShadowWillow, whose popularity has skyrocketed after a stream with Codemeister that generated rumors about their relationship status. Shadow would rather be recognized for her skills, but she's willing to play along with the gossip if it means driving up her subscriber count. Meanwhile, SamTheBrave, a socially isolated streaming newbie with a skin-picking condition, works up the courage to share his channel with Codemeister. When Cody humiliates Sam and Lainey captures this incident and others on film, she is faced with a weighty question: what if the only way to save her brother from himself is to publicly expose—and destroy—him? While occasionally heavy-handed in its messaging, this novel explores a wide range of complex questions surrounding gaming, misogyny, Internet fame, and call-out culture. The LotS world—somewhat akin to Minecraft—and its fan culture are described in compelling detail, and the POV characters are well-developed. Sam's journey to self-acceptance, informed by the author's own experience with a skin-picking disorder, is particularly well done. VERDICT A worthwhile look at gaming, fandom, and feminism that will find an audience among fans of Jen Wilde's Queens of Geek or Whitney Gardener's Chaotic Good .—Elizabeth Giles, Lubuto Library Partners, Zambia
2019-04-16 Content creators strive for subscribers at a Canadian gaming con.
Newly minted gamer-girl celebrity 18-year-old ShadowWillow is building her brand by capitalizing on her rumored relationship with 21-year-old Code of YouTube Team Meister fame. Seventeen-year-old Lainey—Code's sister and put-upon roadie—intends to reform her brother by revealing his off-camera racism and sexism—even if that reformation involves destroying his career—while also getting closer to sad-sack love interest LumberLegs. Overflowing with righteous indignation, Lainey wants to fight "rape culture and misogyny" but seems oblivious to collateral damage. Finding solace in online gaming, 15-year-old SamTheBrave—overweight and embarrassed by his dermatillomania—wants to share his fledgling stream with Code at LotSCON but discovers bullies are everywhere and heroes are rare. In contrast to the established digital demigods, Sam displays the most genuine geeky passion. A comic/gaming convention is a temporary, isolated, and intense world, but this fictionalized Blizzard-like con seems unmoored from both reality and fandom. Priemaza revisits Legends of the Stone from Kat and Meg Conquer the World (2017) to discourse on sexism in gaming (through the much-too-eloquent Lainey) and doggedly dissect how to gain internet fame but offers little in the way of frivolous fun. Most characters are white, and whiteness in the gaming world is called out.
Celebrity has never felt so calculated. (Fiction. 14-18)