Denying her inner love of comic books since she was laughed
off the school stage, Madelyne Summers is distraught that
the final instalment of a series she reads is delayed.
Normally she gets her dose on line, but this is paper only
and she just has to know how the story ends. She takes the
brave step of actually visiting a comic book store. The guy
behind the counter, Logan, is Maddie's secret idol from
school, but she's got a quarterback boyfriend. Logan
allows her to borrow his comic book, and this begins a
summer of the girl allowing her inner self to escape.
Instead of her cheerleader personality on show, it's THE
SUMMER I BECAME A NERD.
Conflicted about her popular image, Maddie gets to know
Logan now that her secret's out; he instinctively keeps
quiet. The comic book store is like an Aladdin's cave to
her. And Logan's not so bad either; he's the first
person, other than her dad and brother, who shares her
interests. What about her boyfriend? She's supposed to be
spending time with her girl pal Terra, too. Logan's got
just the lure; a Saturday pass to a comic and SF convention
in Shreveport, not far from their town. Maddie is terrified
of blowing her cover, but then she realises - nobody who
knows her will be there. Unfortunately the date clashes
with Terra's singing idol playing in concert. Maddie
finds the music boring, but how can she decide?
I enjoyed the role-play costume party, full of bearded
wizards, dark faerie and spiky dwarves. The in-between
segments, full of should-I-shouldn't-I and what-if-I'm-seen
moments, were slower and less interesting. There's a Small
Business Festival to fit in as well as some serious
cheerleading, so there's actually plenty going on in this
book. For those who've never tried it, a friend assures me
that cheerleading has a high injury rate from all the
acrobatics involved, so Maddie, far from being an airhead,
is an athlete with a sharp brain. Once she decides to live
dangerously it's great to see her making new friends - but
is it at the risk of social suicide? Read Leah Rae
Miller's witty account of THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD which
will keep you guessing as to whether Maddie goes back into
her shell when summer ends.
On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks
like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and
dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more
time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of
her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her
squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body
isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep
it that way.
Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to
play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the
local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s
busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked
into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action
role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she
loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the
deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan
forever.
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