The Other Normals, by Ned Vizzini

Book cover: The Other Normals, by Ned Vizzini

Every time I think I’ve managed to link up to all of the various columns I wrote for Kirkus over the years, I run across something I missed??

This one, about Ned Vizzini’s The Other Normals, is from ALMOST TEN YEARS AGO, whaaaat:

…shortly after his arrival at Camp Washiska Lake, Perry discovers that there’s something way better than gaming: the real thing. See, the world of C&C is based on a real place. There’s a portal to The World of the Other Normals nearby, and according to two denizens of said World—a humanoid with bright-red skin and a prehensile tail, and a super-attractive girl with elf ears and naturally sparkly toenails—it’s up to Perry to save their world... by kissing a girl from the camp across the lake.

Perry would rather go on a suicide mission in a fantasy world than attempt to put his non-existent social skills to the test. As it turns out, he might end up doing both.