Trapped In A Video Game

"I did the thing you're supposed to do when a man-eating praying mantis starts charging at you: I screamed like a girl."

I am breaking out of my comfort zone with this week's book! Granted, I love sci-fi and fantasy, I have never been into video games. 

I grew up in the mid 80's- early 90's with two brothers. Video games were life in our household. My brothers were major gamers. They were not sports fans. All video games; all the time! I wanted to play, but would lose interest in waiting my turn and therefore never developed a love of them.

Anyway, I decided I needed to read something that could appeal to my gamer students (and daughter!) and went searching for the perfect book/ series. 

Trapped In A Video game reminds me of the new Jumanji movie where the players get sucked into the video game and have to complete the game to get out. 

This book takes off quick! In the first few pages the adventure begins. I love this and as a parent of a choosy reader, I know that sometimes those books that take longer to get started can cause a student to loose interest pretty quickly. Therefore, I appreciate how this book sort of hits the ground running. 

Jesse is a lot like me in how he feels about video games. They just aren't his thing. Upon getting an ominous text message from his best friend Eric, he goes to Eric's house to investigate. When he arrives no one is there, but the video game Eric had apparently been in the middle of awaited asking the question "Would you like to enter Reality Mode?". Curiosity wins and Jesse clicks "Yes" and is immediately transported to the world of the video game where he finds Eric and they have to win the battle against an alien species. 

While I have not finished the entire novel yet, so far it is very promising. It is well written and so engaging that even video game scoffers like myself will be entertained. I think this series will atttract any young gamer. I highly reccomend this book for any student, especially those who are a little reluctant to spend time reading. Enjoy!

I'm 12 Years Old and I Saved the World

"I'm Adam-Adam Shannon Dakota Carr. Yeah, it's a terrible name. But it gets worse. I've got a super lame cell phone and Mom won't let me cut my hair. As if things aren't bad enough, Dad loses his job and Mom and Dad's marriage is on the rocks. Now it's up to me to fix everything. That's right-I'm 12 years old, and I'm about to save the world."

Adam has the weight of the world on his smaller than average shoulders. This relatable story is brought to life by the main character, Adam. Adam is relatably awkward and has a sharp wit that will make readers love him. He is at a new school, a new home (sharing a bedroom with his grandfather), and new friends with a lovable tough guy next door. Something is wrong with Big Mike as he is called but we do not get much information as to what it is. It is saved for the next book in the series so it would seem. 

I really enjoyed reading this story. I felt like I was reading the thoughts of my younger brother and it was just so relatable. However, the story ended rather abruptly with no real warning and without any resolution. I wish D.K. Brantley had gone further and dug deeper into the story. I wanted to know more about what happens with Big Mike, but the story didn't reel me in enough that I just have to read the next one. Sorry, Adam. I enjoyed your thoughts, but the real star of the show here is Big Mike. 

This coming of age story vaguely reminds me of Freak the Mighty but without as much heart. It just didn't grab me the way that story did. It was still enjoyable though, and an easy read if you need something quick and not gut-wrenching to read. I see some foreshadowing though that bad things may be on the way for poor Mike. 

Hatchet

I'm going on a trip... on an airplane, and at the same time thought to my self, "Self, you know what book you should read next? HATCHET!"

In case you don't know, Hatchet is about a plane crash... (What in the world was I thinking?!)

However, Hatchet is also a classic. I am about a fourth of the way through this book, which was recommended to me by my mother who had read it with my younger brother when he was in middle school. She has raved about it for years and I thought I had better read it.

This book is what I would think of as a "guy's book" and I really try not to gender stereotype. The survivalist theme and plane crash in the wilderness never appealed to me.

I was wrong.

This book is a classic for a reason and although I am nowhere near finished with it, I can already see why it is a favorite of teachers and students everywhere.

Brian is a young man who is struggling with the knowledge that his mother is being unfaithful to his father and that his parents are divorcing. He is harboring terrible feelings. He takes a trip to visit his father and on the way, the pilot has a heart attack and the plane goes down. Brian must do all he can to survive in the Canadian wilderness.

I cannot wait to see how this book ends. It is part of a series so I can only assume Brian survives. However, thus far, the book is very well written (by Gary Paulsen so duh it is amazing) and I cannot wait to get into the thick of it.

If you are the parent or teacher of a reluctant reader, particularly those interested in adventure and realistic fiction, I would recommend any Gary Paulsen book, but this one is a great place to start.