Trapped in a Video Game (Book 1)

Good book for children-

8 year old is enjoying reading this. We will buy more in the series! Came in perfect condition.

I love this book because my son who is 7.5 years old is always asking to read because this book really connected with his interests! The plot, storyline and characters are good and make the book what it is! Book is an easy read with enough spacing for beginning readers. It has chapters too which is nice because we can take turning reading the pages and chapters together! Each night we read a chapter or two together and I like that we not only get to spend quality time reading this fantastic book together but also can talk about and be excited for the next chapter and the rest of the books in the series/volume! There are some pictures black/white but the author does an incredible job creating a detailed vision of the story! Highly recommend!

Sly, Funny, and Action-Packed This is the first book in the planned five book series. Each book slips our heroes into a different perilous video game, so they work almost as standalones. But there's also an overall mystery/thriller arc, and it looks like that will get wrapped up in book five. (Each book concludes its individual story, but leaves behind a cliff hanger that leads to the next book and relates to the overall arc.) The general idea is that an evil supervillain has an evil supervillainous plan, and our guys keep getting in his way. This time around they escape his clutches by dropping into a blocky, retro, 80's, side scrolling, island adventure game. They have to survive and then get out, while avoiding a robot assassin who has followed them into the game and then surviving the villain's attempts to erase them when they do get out. Here's the thing. This is one of the funnest sets of heroes I've encountered in some time, and this is one of the smartest MG action/adventure tales I've read, ever. Our heroes are the quiet and shy kid, Charlie, (whose genius programmer dad is being held hostage by the villain), the sort of goofy and obtuse comic relief kid, Eric, and our first person narrator, the regular type kid, Jesse. Jesse is the heart and soul of the book, and he is an appealing mix of resourceful, antic, funny, observant, deadpan and puckish. His narrative voice, alternately dry and then manic, sells the premise and the story and keeps the reader engaged. I mean, I could totally see him being my best friend. Eric is both a bit dim and totally psyched, and so offers a nice balance to Jesse. But above and beyond that, the book is loaded with sly humor and with inside 80's gamer jokes. For example, at one point the villain starts monologuing about his devious plan for world domination. Eric keeps egging on the villain with inane questions. Jesse keeps trying to get Eric to be quiet because absolutely everybody knows that once the villain has disclosed his plan he has to eliminate the people he just told it to. But Jesse is also torn because the plan really is sort of especially evil and Jesse is sort of curious. Now that strikes me as a pretty knowing joke on the whole structure of action/adventure thrillers, and I would expect a middle grade reader to get that joke and be pretty pleased to get that joke. That's what I mean about the book being "smart". It's entertaining but it also brings the reader into the fun of reading this kind of stuff, (without ever mocking the genre). And the whole book has that kind of generous, knowing, upbeat, Boy's Own, vibe. So, while the premise looked a little gimmicky at the outset, it really was handled very well, and the book delivered a ripping and amusing adventure in the company of some fine heroes. A nice find.

Our 10yo step-son has never been a fan of reading and has really struggled with reading and comprehension. Being in 5th grade on only reading at a 3rd grade level and never having ever read a chapter book himself, on his own; it has been such a struggle to get him to do his assigned 20 minutes of reading and reading log each day. So, I thought that maybe if I took the initiative and try to find a chapter book series that centers around some of the things that he enjoys himself, that maybe... hopefully... he might be able to begin to actually get even just a little bit of enjoyment from sitting down with a good book and just read. After a bit of searching and a TON of reading, scouring of reviews and with a wish and a prayer I decided on giving the Trapped in a Video Game series a try, starting with book 1. I was met with hesitation and the look of fear when I gave him the book but after providing him with a brief, yet enthusiastic, description of this series and a promise that if he doesn't like it or finds it too advanced that we can find another book series. He gave it a shot for his daily reading and not only did he enjoy his 20 minutes of reading (and asked to read longer, so that he could at least finish the chapter he was on) but he also actually understood what he was reading. His Dad was floored when he got home and his son was able to sit down and tell him about character's names and what he read in the 1st 2 chapters, including the little details that he typically has missed in the past. Our boy has since finished with the whole 1st book and has moved on to the 2nd. He genuinely enjoys his reading time now and to see the confidence he has gained from such a simple thing such as reading and comprehension is absolutely priceless!!!

Grandson enjoyed this book. He is 7

I run a small book club for my grandson, nephews and some of their friends. All the boys are 8 or 9 and this was the first book they chose. They also all love video games. The book is action packed and the dialogue is hilarious. There are even some fun (non-video) games in the back of the book. The boys loved the action and the characters and most of them have read book two and even book three. (I sure want to!) After we read the book, I reached out to Mr. Brady to see if he would join us for a meeting (we meet by Zoom). He responded quickly and joined us on Nov. 1. He was FANTASTIC! He was so kind to all the boys, talking to each of them in turn and making sure they all had a chance to have their questions answered. He talked about how he came up with the idea for the book and how he got it published. He talked about what he liked to read when he was their age and even gave advice to one budding storyteller. We're hoping he makes an appearance near us soon so we can all meet him in person.

My 9 year d grandson is finding the book an interesting read. Seems age appropriate.

Great book for teen and pre teen books. Great for boys. Easy to read and looking forward to next book

Excellent reading for boy's who enjoy gaming

Great series for kids. Got my nephew reading again. Stalls use of electronics

Very fun book. The graphics were really nice. I like how they made the book setting a fantastic video game with great characters. My favorite character was Jessie.