Invitation to the Game

by Monica Hughes

Book Overview

A chilling account of life in 2154, when most jobs are done by machines. Lisse and her friends are unemployable after graduation, but the government gives them an abandoned warehouse in a bleak neighborhood to live in. Anxious to escape their dreary lives, the friends embrace The Game, which takes them to paradise. But is this world real or only a computer simulation?

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671866923
• ISBN13: 9780671866921
• Release Date: June 1993
• Publisher: Simon Pulse
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 11 to 15 years
• Grade Range: Grades 6 to 10

Customer Reviews

An unexpected treasure

I first read this book in sixth or seventh grade (I am a sophomore now), and the love I feel for it hasn't diminished a bit. This really is one of those books that your eyes just skid over in a bookstore, the gaudy cover and awkward title and all that. That's what I first thought when I saw it in the bookstore. But something about it urged me to get it, and I'm so glad I did. This is a realistic and chilling view of the future, with an end that surprises and gratifies you in every way. "Invitation to the Game" is a cautionary book everyone should read.

I just keep coming back

I read this book for the first time about 8 years ago. I think I've probably read it four or five times since. It was great then and now. I really enjoyed the futuristic plot, as well as the great character interactions. It makes you think, it keeps you reading, it keeps you coming back. Highly reccomended.

Great Young Adult Novel

I am a college student with a major in elementary education and have taken many children's literature courses. For my Language Arts class, we had to read this novel. At first, I was not too excited about reading it, since I knew right away that it was a science fiction novel, which is a genre that I do not particularly like. However, this book changed my mind. Hughes is an excellent writer who keeps readers in suspense throughout the novel. I felt as if I was Lisse, the main character who was desperately trying to find answers to "the game." There are so many ways that this book can be taught. It can easily be taught with books like The Giver and Z for Zachariah, which are similar science fiction novels appropriate for junior high students. I would definitely recommend any teacher to use this in his/her class as well as strongly urge anyone to read it. I'm looking foward to reading other novels by Hughes.

"Invitation to the Game" is inspiring, unforgettable

This is the first time I have thought about "Invitation" since I read it, almost seven years ago. I remember that I read it for a schoolwide reading-awareness fair. My middle school held the fair each year, and everybody was required to read two books over the course of a month. Each grade (7th and 8th) had a seperate list of books they could choose from, all of which were supplied by the library. Teachers and librarians recommended that we pick a book from the appropriate grade's list, though doing so was not recquired. "Invitation" was on the 8th grade list, but I remember thinking to myself how I just HAD to read that one. In short, I did read the book, and it left me breathless. I don't think I have ever finished a book in a quicker time. We had 2 weeks to finish and take the "proof" quiz, and I think I must have done both before the first was out.Now, 7 years later I am 20 and find myself typing this review on my computer in a little room of Phillips Hall, Michigan State University. I'm in my second year, and am starting my first novel. It was kind of strange, really. As I sat here at my desk citing a story line in my head, the thought of "Invitation" suddenly occured, and without any sort of pre-meditated planning on thinking about it. It just happened.It took a few moments, but I soon realized what had happened. The book I am planning has a small trace of commonality with "Invitation", and the thoughts of my own soon-to-be novel triggered the memory of it. I found this occurence to be utterly amazing, since I had never remembered anything before without first thinking about it. "Invitation" must have really left a lasting impression on me, even if it took me seven years to realize it. It's a funny thing - how something as simple as a collection of words can stay with somebody so long and come back to them when they least expect it. As a person who is new to novel-writing, I hope that my books will have the same effect in the years to come.

Tired of alien invasions? Read this book!

It is the year 2154. Robots have taken over all the work. Now many new graduates are without work and are being sent to a Designated Area (DA) in a city to spend the rest of their life doing nothing, only barely living off the government for the bare necessities: food and shelter. Lisse and seven friends are in this predicament, and suffering from boredom. Then they hear about a 'game' for the unemployed. Some say it is like a treasure hunt , with a treasure if you win. Then suddenly a mysterious envelope appears in their warehouse home: it is an invitation to The Game. They soon discover that The Game is a magical world, untouche by humans or robots. It is new and unused: everyone's dream come true. The only problem is, no one really knows what The Game is. Is it just a scheme to control the unemployed? Or is it deeper than that?