The co-op bookstore for avid readers
Book Cover for: In Real Life, Cory Doctorow

In Real Life

Cory Doctorow

Nominee:Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award -Young Readers (2016)
Winner:Cybils -Graphic Novel/YA (2014)

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From acclaimed teen author Cory Doctorow and rising star cartoonist Jen Wang, In Real Life is a sensitive, thoughtful look at adolescence, gaming, poverty, and culture-clash.

Anda loves Coarsegold Online, the massively-multiplayer role playing game that she spends most of her free time on. It's a place where she can be a leader, a fighter, a hero. It's a place where she can meet people from all over the world, and make friends. Gaming is, for Anda, entirely a good thing.

But things become a lot more complicated when Anda befriends a gold farmer -- a poor Chinese kid whose avatar in the game illegally collects valuable objects and then sells them to players from developed countries with money to burn. This behavior is strictly against the rules in Coarsegold, but Anda soon comes to realize that questions of right and wrong are a lot less straightforward when a real person's real livelihood is at stake.

This title has common Core connections.

Book Details

  • Publisher: First Second
  • Publish Date: Oct 14th, 2014
  • Pages: 192
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 8.40in - 6.00in - 0.70in - 0.90lb
  • EAN: 9781596436589
  • Recommended age: 12-18
  • Categories: Comics & Graphic Novels - Coming of AgeComputers & Digital MediaSocial Themes - Poverty & Homelessness

About the Author

Wang, Jen: - Jen Wang is a cartoonist and illustrator currently living in Los Angeles. Her works have appeared in the Adventure Time comics and LA Magazine. She recently illustrated Tom Angleberger's Fake Mustache. Her graphic novel Koko Be Good was published by First Second. In Real Life is her second book.
Wang, Jen: - Jen Wang is the award-winning NYT Bestselling author and illustrator of several graphic novels for young readers including Ash's Cabin, Stargazing, The Prince and The Dressmaker, In Real Life (co-written with Cory Doctorow), and Koko Be Good. Jen's honors include two Eisner Awards, the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association Children's Literature Award, and the Fauve d'Angoulême Youth Award. She is based in Los Angeles and is a co-founder and organizer for Comic Arts LA.
Doctorow, Cory: - Cory Doctorow is a science fiction author, activist and journalist. He is the author of many books, including THE LOST CAUSE, a solarpunk science fiction novel of hope amidst the climate emergency. His recent nonfiction THE INTERNET CON: HOW TO SEIZE THE MEANS OF COMPUTATION is a Big Tech disassembly manual. Other recent books include RED TEAM BLUES, a science fiction crime thriller; CHOKEPOINT CAPITALISM, nonfiction about monopoly and creative labor markets; the LITTLE BROTHER series for young adults; IN REAL LIFE, a graphic novel; and the picture book POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame.

More books by Cory Doctorow

Book Cover for: Picks and Shovels: A Martin Hench Novel, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: Little Brother, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: How to Destroy Surveillance Capitalism, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: Red Team Blues: A Martin Hench Novel, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: The Internet Con: How to Seize the Means of Computation, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: Radicalized: Four Tales of Our Present Moment, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: The Lost Cause, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: In Real Life, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: The Bezzle: A Martin Hench Novel, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: Walkaway, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: Little Brother & Homeland, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: Makers, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: Attack Surface, Cory Doctorow
Book Cover for: Fighting for the Future: Cyberpunk and Solarpunk Tales, Cory Doctorow

Praise for this book

"A lovely graphic novel for gamer girls of all ages." --Felicia Day, star and creator of The Guild

"Stunning artwork . . . An educational introduction offers further insight into gaming and the economies and political implications behind them." --BCCB

"The combination of girls-only gaming; gorgeous, stylized artwork; and a meaningful, sophisticated message about online gaming makes this a surefire hit for readers everywhere, especially girls." --Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

"The illustrations of the game are vibrant and dynamic . . . The subject matter will have a built-in audience, and the appealing artwork will move this off the shelves." --School Library Journal

"Online gaming and real life collide when a teen discovers the hidden economies and injustices that hide among seemingly innocent pixels . . . Through Wong's captivating illustrations and Doctorow's heady prose, readers are left with a story that's both wholly satisfying as a work of fiction and serious food for thought about the real-life ramifications of playing in an intangible world. Thought-provoking, as always from Doctorow." --Kirkus Reviews

"Characters come to life through Wang's fluid forms and emotive faces, and her adroit shift in colors as the story moves between the physical and gaming worlds is subtle and effective." --Publishers Weekly