Player vs. Player #1

April 1, 2022
In the online world of Affinity, gamers play to win. Four exceptionally talented and highly ranked Affinity players have just learned that the game will be hosting a top-level team tournament with incredible prizes. Though each of the tweens is individually a skilled and successful player, they'll need to rely on one another to win. Personal issues threaten to get in the way of each team member's tournament performance. Josh, their leader, has a dad who can't stand his passion for video games. Larkin is gaming behind her parents' backs--her home has a strict no video games policy--but she wants nothing more than to become a professional gamer. Hannah's mom works long hours but still can't afford high-speed internet, so Hannah games mostly at the public library or at school. Wheatley is hiding a huge secret that may change the way his teammates feel about him and jeopardize his spot on the team. The stakes are high, and the competition is fierce. Each member of the newly christened Weird Ones team must slay their own demons in order to rise to the top. The characterizations and the world of Affinity are well developed and compelling in this ode to virtual gaming and real friendships. Danger's dynamic artwork adds to the sense of excitement. Josh is Chinese American; other characters are assumed White. A highly readable blend of gaming action and real-world problems. (game manual, character illustrations) (Fiction. 9-14)

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June 1, 2022
Grades 5-8 Hurricane Games announces they're starting a professional e-sports league for their online role-playing game, Affinity. Participants enter in teams of four, and the invitational tournament offers winners opportunities to turn pro. The protagonists in this fast-paced, action-packed story about friendship, responsibility, self-image, and leadership include Josh, whose dad wants him to stop wasting time online; Hannah, who practically lives at the public library because it's the only place she can get internet; Larkin, whose parents have forbidden electronics in their home after Larkin's older brother got into trouble with online gambling; and Wheatley, a mysterious assigned partner who quickly becomes part of the team. The four kids take turns narrating first-person chapters, expressing self-doubts, dodging parental interference, and describing the action of the onscreen bouts in glorious detail. The characters (especially the adults) are stereotypes, and the results predictable, but the story is a thrill ride, and the book ends on a cliff-hanger. This is a great selection for action-oriented readers and dedicated gamers.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 27, 2022
England’s (Spellhacker) action-packed series opener follows four intrepid gamers teaming up in a virtual tournament for a mysterious grand prize. As some of the top-ranked players of Affinity, an online pvp game, Josh, Larkin, Hannah, and Wheatley are invited to compete in an e-sports tournament sponsored by the platform’s creators, Hurricane Games. Though they barely know one another and are considered the underdogs among their competitors, some of whom are pros, the group, who have dubbed themselves the Weird Ones, is confident in their individual abilities. But real-life interpersonal challenges beyond Affinity threaten their chances at winning. Josh’s father disapproves of his constant internet usage; Larkin, who lives in a video game–free household, plays in secret; Hannah’s financial precarity makes playing difficult; and Wheatley is hiding a troubling secret. Danger’s graphic maps and intricate avatar design expertly complement the high-stakes thrills, written with an infectious passion for gaming. Conversational prose, imaginative worldbuilding, and the cast’s respective struggles balancing their e-sports dreams with reality add nuance to this fast-paced escapist adventure. Josh is a “skinny Chinese kid with glasses”; most other characters read as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Eric Smith, P.S. Literary.