Product Description

This stunning debut combines reading with the world of internet gaming to create a masterful new genre that will allow teens to take the story from the page into the world of cyberspace and beyond.

Things weren’t so peachy in Cathy’s life before Victor broke up with her. Her father died unexpectedly, she’s failing school, and her best friend is mad at her. But when Cathy decides to investigate Victor’s reasons for ending their relationship, things suddenly go from bad to very, very, very bad as her findings produce more questions than answers. For instance, what does the death of Victor’s co-worker, the strange mark that appeared on Cathy’s arm, and the surreal behavior of several Chinese elders have to do with it?

Through Cathy’s unique and irresistible voice—and lots of proof in the form of letters, photographs, date book entries, telephone numbers readers can call, websites they can access, as well as secrets only a careful reader will be able to decipher—readers will enter a strange and fascinating world where things often aren’t how they appear.

Two-color illustrations plus supplemental material. Ages: 12 and up

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #440461 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-12
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 144 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up–When Cathy's boyfriend breaks up with her, she is determined to find out what's going on. Set in the San Francisco Bay area, the book tries to do too much. It is written as a mystery, and there are phone numbers to call, Web sites to visit, documents to look at, and doodles to view. But none of it adds up to an interesting story. The plot is almost a rote vampire tale with a family drama thrown in, and it takes forever to get into it. And the use of different fonts and doodles on almost every page makes it hard to read. The book seems intended to draw in gamers or fans of shows like Lost or the film Donnie Darko, but there are many media-generated worlds that do the job better. This book covers familiar ground, and spicing it up actually does more harm than good.–Amy Patrick, formerly at New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author
Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman directed I Love Bees, the alternate reality game which won a Webby Award and an International Game Designers Award for Innovation. Sean Stewart lives in Davis, CA. Jordan Weisman lives in Bellevue, WA.

Customer Reviews

Great Interactive book
"Cathy's Book" is an interesting, great read! It is about a girl who is suddenly dumped by her boyfriend, Victor, after mysteriously fainting and waking up with a needle mark on her arm. The story follows her and her friend, Emma as they unfold the mystery of why her boyfriend dumped her and where this mysterious mark on her arm came from. As they get deeper and deeper into their investigation, they learn shocking things about Victor, and Cathy ends up suspecting that Victor is a murderer. That is only the main plot. If I were to write about all of the sub-plots, I'd have a good three of four paragraphs.

The various doodles and notes drawn alongside the writing in the story give you a better feeling of who Cathy is. What is even better is that the phone numbers (such as the one on the cover of the book, and the ones mentioned throughout the book) are actually real, working numbers that take you to the voicemails of each character. The book comes along with a small, clear package that containes pictures, letters, drawings and even more "proof" to go along with Cathy's story. This book was really entertaining, and it had a mysterious plot that kept me reading.

Go ahead, do it. Call the number on Cathy's Book.
You know you want to. Don't worry. I guarantee she won't answer. You'll get her voicemail. You don't have to leave a message. ... But if you're clever, you can figure out her voicemail access code and learn a little more about her. And you know ... this book is Cathy Vicker's personal journal. If she's in trouble, it might be your duty to poke around in a bit to find out what's going on. But wait -- what's all this crap glued to the inside front cover in a baggie? Newspaper clippings, vital documents, a take out menu, business cards, sketches, a ripped up photo? Aw man. This could become pretty time consuming.

At least it did for me. I've spent the better part of two days following up on every lead I can find in this little parcel. I've been calling phone numbers, cracking access codes, comparing signatures, and piecing together dates. Seems that this precocious 17-year-old girl has hooked up with a fella named Victor of about 23 -- probably too old for her to be dating in any case -- and he may be involved in drugs? Questionable genetic research? The Chinese Mafia? At any rate, Victor's co-worker has been murdered, Cathy's got a mysterious needle mark on her arm, and her best friend Emma needs Cathy to pitch in on their joint Biology project.

To solve the mystery I've mostly been investigating web sites: both factual, pre-existing ones and fictional ones constructed for the conceit of this ARG. (That's "alternate reality game," Mom.) Cathy and Emma have their own My Space and AIM pages, of course. But there's even a site for a fictional wireless phone company with a forum in which all of Cathy's new helpers can share secrets. Here, let me get you started in your investigation.

I really can't say enough about this book. It's quite ingenious. Of course, this sort of strategy has been used before to market products, as in the ingenious ilovebees.com ARG for Halo 2, but this is the first full-scale attempt (that I've been aware of) to actually incorporate real world knowledge discovery, interactive media, realia, and Web 2.0 applications to complete a literary work. And some of the reasearch is kinda hard, so to get the most from the book, you'll likely have to spend some time engaging in the online community. It really raises this use of social networking tools from "viral marketing" to "community building" -- from a trick to a tool, from a gimmick to an experience.

Of course, you can just read the book if you want. It's not Proust or anything, but it's written well enough. I'm sure the young women it's marketed to will appreciate that Cathy is both amazingly confident and a bit of a screw up. She has no problem driving into San Francisco and wandering Chinatown by herself, but she has a problems fulfilling the basic responsiblities of friendship. And her problems range from the amusingly minor to frighteningly serious. It's a wild ride worthy of Buffy Summers.

Really, though, if you don't follow through on the questions you still have by getting your nose out of the book, you know you'll regret it. Go ahead. Open up the baggie. Pick up the phone...

interesting approach....
Cathy's boyfriend, Victor, unexpectedly breaks up with her and Cathy is not handling it well. Two days prior to their breakup, she woke up after an evening with Victor in which her memories remain fuzzy with a mark on her arm that looks like a needle track. Cathy isn't one to just sit back and take this, regardless of what her best friend Emma thinks, and soon she finds herself deeply involved in a complex puzzle with a murder, a biotech company, and some really scary men in Chinatown. What dark secrets will be revealed in CATHY'S BOOK?

Sean Stewart and Jordan Weisman have written an unusual tale in which reader participation appears to be encouraged. A packet is included with clues from the story, such as pictures and newspaper clippings, which adds to the hands-on feel of CATHY'S BOOK. The approach is definitely engaging although only time will tell if this RPG style will work with young adult readers.

CATHY'S BOOK is written as if it were the journal of a 17 year old girl. The artwork and doodling is interspersed throughout the story and provides a very realistic touch to the overall effort. The storyline veers off in a rather odd track, but is a plot that will more than likely appeal to fans of RPGs. As a character, Cathy is very well developed although her reckless behavior may give parents a few qualms about younger readers. However, Cathy's actions are very much in line with the type of person she is.

CATHY'S BOOK is an interesting meld of mediums. The modern day RPG element is definitely kitschy and will certainly obtain some fans on that aspect alone. CATHY'S BOOK is recommended for older teenagers based on the content and is an interesting book that fully engages the reader in the story.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES