Tag Archives: video games

Review: It’s Only a Game by Kelsey Yu

Book Review and Content, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , , ,
It's Only a Game by Kelsea Yu

It’s Only a Game
Kelsey Yu
Bloomsbury YA
Published July 9, 2024

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About It’s Only a Game

In this twisty, fast-paced YA thriller, a dangerous game becomes all too real when Marina and her friends are framed for murder.

When Marina Chan ran from her old life, she brought nothing with her-not even her real name. Now she lives in fear of her past being discovered. But when her online gaming team is offered a tour of their favorite game company, Marina can’t resist accepting, even though she knows it might put her fake identity at risk.

Then the creator of the game is murdered during their tour. Whoever killed him plans to frame Marina and her friends for the murder unless they win four rounds of a dangerous game. A game that requires them to lie, trespass, and steal. A game that could destroy everything Marina’s worked so hard to build…. A game that she might not survive.

My Review

The really interesting part of this book is that it mashes up what is essentially a video game contest with a murder mystery. Marina carries secrets that she worries could put her friends and teammates in danger, but she longs to have uncomplicated connections with people and values the closeness in those relationships.

The chapters alternate between two different timelines. In the present, Marina and her team attempt to complete challenging levels of a video game to meet the demands of an unidentified person who threatens to harm the people each teammate loves. The other timeline begins ten years earlier and shows glimpses of Marina’s past, where she lives with her mom. She tries to piece together why the two live such an isolated life.

The tension spikes as the two timelines intersect, and pieces of the mystery come together. The relationships between the characters impact the story in some interesting ways, and I found it easy to root for all of them.

While this isn’t my favorite style of book, I did enjoy reading it. It felt like a quick read with its short chapters, and I particularly liked the mash-up of video game conquests and murder mystery elements. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that done before, and it worked really well here.

Readers who enjoy books by Karen McManus or liked How We Fall Apart by Katie Zhao should check this one out.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Marina is Chinese American and romantically interested in a girl. One of her friends is transgender. Another friend is Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used very infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two girls.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Situations of peril. Marina witnesses a shooting. Someone threatens Marina and her friends, effectively holding them hostage until they complete a series of tasks. A woman harms child repeatedly.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Roll for Initiative by Jaime Formato

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Roll for Initiative
Jaime Formato
Running Press Kids
Published September 27, 2022

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About Roll for Initiative

Perfect for fans of Dungeons & Dragons, Raina Telgemeier, and Jessica Kim, a heartfelt coming-of-age middle grade novel about finding your voice and believing in your best geeky self.

Riley Henderson has never taken a bus to school in her entire life. Or made an afterschool snack, or finished her homework on her own, or—ewww—done her own laundry. That’s what her older brother Devin was for.

But now Devin’s gone. He’s off in California attending a fancy college gaming program while Riley is stuck alone in Florida with her mom. That is, until a cool nerd named Lucy gives Riley no choice but to get over her shyness and fear of rejection and become friends. The best part is . . . both girls are into Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, playing D&D was something Riley and Devin used to do together, with Devin as the dungeon master, guiding Riley through his intricately planned campaigns. So, of course, Riley is more than a little nervous when Lucy suggests that she run a campaign for them. For the chance at a friend, though, she’s willing to give it a shot. 

Soon, their party grows and with the help of her new D&D friends, Riley discovers that not only can she function without Devin, she kind of likes it. She figures out that bus thing, totes the clothes down to the laundry room and sets up her D&D campaigns right there on the slightly suspect folding table, makes her own snacks and dinner— the whole deal. But when Devin runs into trouble with his program and returns home, it’s pretty clear, even to Riley, that since he can’t navigate his own life, he’s going to live Riley’s for her. Now she has to help Devin go back to college and prove to her mom that she can take care of herself . . . all before the upcoming Winter-Con.

It’s time to Roll for Initiative.

My Review

Oh my gosh, this book! It’s got so many great layers. First, I really enjoyed the way the Dungeons and Dragons games were captured in the text. The Dungeon Master’s narration is written in italics, so it feels really atmospheric and stands apart from the characters’ dialogue and questions. I thought that was super clever.

The story contains some really great character arcs and contrasts, too. For example, there’s a strong contrast between Devin and Riley. At first, Riley sees herself as kind of a bumbling goof next to her brother, who has everything hyper-organized and planned to within an inch of its life. As she begins to stretch her wings and builds some confidence in herself, she begins to see that her style– more creative and spontaneous– is both valuable and valid. She starts having her own preferences instead of deferring to his.

She also notices similarities between her brother and her friend, Hannah, though at first, she thinks they’re nothing alike. Once she sees the common ground between them, it really helps her formulate how to break through the fog of fear and grief her brother is caught in.

I loved the creativity of the D&D games, and the ways the characters interacted came across as so genuine and full of heart. I would play tabletop with Riley any day of the week. Readers who enjoy video games or D&D should obviously check this one out, but I think it would also appeal to readers in late elementary school navigating changing friendships.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Two of Riley’s friends are Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
“Heck” is used a few times, but nothing stronger.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Some descriptions of game characters’ actions in a role-playing game.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of ROLL FOR INITIATIVE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , ,

Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell
Tobias Madden
Page Street Kids
Published January 3, 2023

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell

There Are No Cheat Codes for Showmance

Seventeen-year-old gaymer Noah Mitchell only has one friend left: the wonderful, funny, strictly online-only MagePants69. After years playing RPGs together, they know everything about each other, except anything that would give away their real life identities. And Noah is certain that if they could just meet in person, they would be soulmates. Noah would do anything to make this happen—including finally leaving his gaming chair to join a community theater show that he’s only mostly sure MagePants69 is performing in. Noah has never done anything like theater—he can’t sing, he can’t dance, and he’s never willingly watched a musical—but he’ll have to go all in to have a chance at love.

With Noah’s mum performing in the lead role, and former friends waiting in the wings to sabotage his reputation, his plan to make MagePants69 fall in love with him might be a little more difficult than originally anticipated.

And the longer Noah waits to come clean, the more tangled his web of lies becomes. By opening night, he will have to decide if telling the truth is worth closing the curtain on his one shot at true love.

My Review

I absolutely loved Tobias Madden’s debut, ANYTHING BUT FINE, so I was really excited to read another of his books. ANYTHING BUT FINE had possibly the best frank and funny scenes about ballet that I’ve ever read. It also made me totally weep with grief. So good. (I’m pretty sure there’s an appearance by Luca, Amina and Jordan in this book, which was amazing.) Anyway.

So, TAKE A BOW, NOAH MITCHELL follows a reluctant theatre kid, and I have to say that one of my favorite things about the book was the way it celebrated but also poked loving fun at theatre and musicals. I loved that.

I also felt like the layering in the book was really good. Noah and his mom have a really rocky relationship. I thought the way that they sometimes miscommunicated or where their dramatic personalities clashed were really well done. Totally believable.

The relationship between Eli and Noah was cool, too. The timing of reading this book was a little awkward for me, since I just finished NO FILTER AND OTHER LIES by Crystal Maldonado not long before reading this one, and the plot has a lot of similarities to this one. I think that left me feeling like some of the tropes were not as fresh and interesting, but I think that’s probably just because I read both books so close together.

On the whole, I had a lot of fun reading this one, and I enjoyed the characters (especially Noah and Charly) and theatre scenes a lot.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Noah and some other characters are gay. BIPOC minor characters.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two boys. References to sex. In one scene the boys plan to have sex and the scene follows the lead up to it. Noah walks in on a man and woman having sex.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Bullying. References to video game violence.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol. In one scene, a boy brings out a joint.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of TAKE A BOW, NOAH MITCHELL in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Morning Sun in Wuhan by Ying Chang Compestine

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Morning Sun in Wuhan
Ying Chang Compestine
Clarion Books
Published November 8, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Morning Sun in Wuhan

What was the pandemic of the century like at the start? This swift, gripping novel captures not only the uncertainty and panic when COVID first emerged in Wuhan, but also how a community banded together.

Weaving in the tastes and sounds of the historic city, Wuhan’s comforting and distinctive cuisine comes to life as the reader follows 13-year-old Mei who, through her love for cooking, makes a difference in her community. Written by an award-winning author originally from Wuhan.

Grieving the death of her mother and an outcast at school, thirteen-year-old Mei finds solace in cooking and computer games. When her friend’s grandmother falls ill, Mei seeks out her father, a doctor, for help, and discovers the hospital is overcrowded. As the virus spreads, Mei finds herself alone in a locked-down city trying to find a way to help.

Author Ying Chang Compestine draws on her own experiences growing up in Wuhan to illustrate that the darkest times can bring out the best in people, friendship can give one courage in frightening times, and most importantly, young people can make an impact on the world. Readers can follow Mei’s tantalizing recipes and cook them at home.

My Review

Not going to lie– I love that this book included recipes! I want to try all of them. The game Mei plays, Chop Chop also sounds like a lot of fun. I’ve played a game called Plate Up before which sounds way less sophisticated than how Chop Chop is described to be. Still, I had to laugh when different things happen with Mei and her team members in the game, because it reminded me of things that happened during my own kitchen/cooking game play experience. Haha!

I also really loved the community aspect of the story. I remember reading about the city of Wuhan being shut down during the pandemic, but I didn’t really have a grid for what that was actually like. We get to see the growing fear and uncertainty through Mei’s eyes, but we also get to see the way that she joins other community members to help those in need by delivering food and caring for her neighbors.

MORNING SUN IN WUHAN isn’t a super long book. I think it took me less than two hours to read altogether. The pacing is pretty smooth, and I loved Mei and her friends. It was easy to invest in their stories and hurt along with them and cheer for their victories.

All in all, I think this is a great book for kids who are curious about what the pandemic has been like in other places or are looking for a story about a young chef or gamer. I think readers who enjoyed HONESTLY, ELLIOT by Gillian McDunn will love this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Characters are Chinese. Mei’s mother has recently passed away.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Mei witnesses people getting angry as they shop in the last few minutes before the city shuts down.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: The Double Life of Danny Day by Mike Thayer

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , ,

The Double Life of Danny Day
Mike Thayer
Feiwel & Friends
Published June 15, 2021

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Double Life of Danny Day

My name is Danny Day, and I live every day twice.

The first time, it’s a “discard day.” It’s kind of like a practice run. At the end of the day, I go to bed, wake up, and poof everything gets reset, everything except my memory, that is.

The second time, everything is normal, just like it is for everyone else. That’s when everything counts and my actions stick. As you could probably guess, “Sticky Day” Danny is very different from “Discard Day” Danny.

When Danny’s family moves across the country, he suddenly has to use his ability for more than just slacking off and playing video games. Now he’s making new friends, fending off jerks, exposing a ring of cheaters in the lunchtime video game tournament, and taking down bullies one day at a time … or is it two days at a time?

My Review

Erg! I’m so late posting this review. I prefer to post as close to the release date as I can, but as you can see, it’s been weeks and weeks. I’m just having a hard time keeping up with things this summer. Hopefully I’m close to getting back on track, though I’ve got a few other titles I’m just really late in getting to besides this one.

So. The Double Life of Danny Day. This one started out a little rough for me– Danny isn’t really a compassionate guy at the opening of the book. He’s kind of disillusioned with his double-day ability and mostly uses it to goof off or have extra time to play video games. He’s more aloof and calculating.

Then he meets two new friends who begin to change how Danny sees things. One friend opens his eyes to the opportunity he has to make positive changes in terms of justice, and the other helps him find an opportunity that will make a big impact.

Once Danny began to have other motivations besides looking out for himself and having fun on his “discard day,” I got pretty hooked into the story. I liked the descriptions of the game that he and his friends played. I loved Freddie and her creative non-swearing and her grit and determination. I loved Zak and his deep sense of justice and his willingness to trust his friends.

This book reminded me a bit of the books about ROGER TARKINGTON AND THE MAGIC CALENDAR, and sometimes had a bit of a similar feel to it. I liked the character growth that Danny experienced and the way his relationships changed through the course of the story. I think readers who enjoyed MY LIFE AS A POTATO will also enjoy this book.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Danny is white. His best friend Zak’s dad is Black. Freddie comes from a poor family and lives with her grandmother.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Danny lives each day twice. The first time he refers to as a “discard day” because whatever happens that day doesn’t last.

Violent Content – Trigger Warning for Bullying
A bully attacks Danny and punches him more than once. Some students use an online social media profile called “Duds or Studs” to post pictures of other students (taken without their permission) edited with filters. Sometimes they’re unflattering pictures with cruel captions that encourage other kids to pile on and say awful things.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support running this blog. I received a free copy of THE DOUBLE LIFE OF DANNY DAY in exchange for my honest review.

Review: More than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer

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More Than We Can Tell
Brigid Kemmerer
Bloomsbury Children’s
Published on March 6, 2018

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About More Than We Can Tell
Rev Fletcher is battling the demons of his past. But with loving adoptive parents by his side, he’s managed to keep them at bay…until he gets a letter from his abusive father and the trauma of his childhood comes hurtling back.

Emma Blue spends her time perfecting the computer game she built from scratch, rather than facing her parents’ crumbling marriage. She can solve any problem with the right code, but when an online troll’s harassment escalates, she’s truly afraid.

When Rev and Emma meet, they both long to lift the burden of their secrets and bond instantly over their shared turmoil. But when their situations turn dangerous, their trust in each other will be tested in ways they never expected.

My Review
I loved Letters to the Lost, which was Kemmerer’s debut novel, and as soon as I heard that one of the characters from that story—Rev—would be starring in his own companion novel, I knew I had to get ahold of a copy. Then once I got the copy in my hands, I worried about how it would stack up to Letters. I know—I always do this. So finally, I broke down and started to read.

And even though I’m still not getting a lot of sleep with my new littlest one underfoot, I could not put this book down. If I didn’t read it in one sitting, I read it in two. I flew through the pages.

Getting to know more about Rev and his history and getting to see him confront his inner demons sucked me straight into the heart of this tale. I also love that it features not only a hardcore gamer girl, but one who coded her very own online video game! Go, girl! The experiences she describes as a player—the way some other players say ugly things or harass her—is terrible but too true. I can’t help but hope that a story like this will continue to bring light to these situations and start some conversations or change some hearts.

Brigid Kemmerer is quickly becoming one of those authors whose books I want to pre-order as soon as the option becomes available. I loved both Letters to the Lost and More than We Can Tell and I absolutely can’t wait to see what story she tells next.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Rev is part of a multi-racial family. He’s white and his (adoptive) parents are black. Other characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Moderate profanity used fairly infrequently. Rev himself feels negatively about cursing.

Romance/Sexual Content
Emma receives threatening emails which contain sexual innuendo. Kissing between boy and girl. A man attempts to assault a girl.

Spiritual Content
Rev was raised by an abusive father who misused scripture as an excuse to torture him. Nevertheless, he still feels a close bond with the Bible, though we more often see him use it to govern his behavior rather than as a source of comfort. Rev meets a girl outside a church several times, which also carries this unspoken feeling that he feels safe near religious things.

Violent Content
Rev shares brief memories of physical abuse at the hands of his father: a forced tattoo, a burn, broken arm, etc. One scene shows a man slamming a girl’s head against a car window and attempting to assault her.

Drug Content
None.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.