Chell (hard “ch”) Park isn’t happy to be starting a new middle school away from her friends. She’s even less happy that her parents are breaking up, and that she’s primarily living with her mom, who doesn’t want her playing video games. It’s somewhat understandable, though; Chell’s father liked to stream video games, and even named her after a character in one, but was irresponsible about helping to provide for the family and care for her.
A chance meeting outside the principal’s office puts Chell in contact with three other kids who like to game: quiet Josh, aloof Alyx, and injured athlete Mario. In an attempt to make friends, Chell tries to organize them into their school’s first esports team, even though she has to lie to her mom to do it. The group finds a sponsor in Sam Keene, the school librarian, who used to play competitive esports, but stopped for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, at least in this first volume of a planned series.
Sam is also nonbinary, and while their gender identity is incidental to the plot here, it offers author E. C. Myers a chance to model seamless inclusion by the other characters, who effortlessly use they/them pronouns and the title “Mx.” (Add this, too, to the growing number of LGBTQ-inclusive kids’ books featuring awesome librarians.)
Chell works to bind the group into a team for an upcoming competition (loosely based on the real-life game Overwatch)—but can she hide the lie that allowed her to participate in the first place?
The story arc broadly follows that of many other books (and shows) on sports, showing disparate people coming together to form a team despite obstacles. That doesn’t make it any less compelling, particularly because Myers, a gamer himself, knows the subject matter well. He incorporates exciting scenes of game play and tidbits of gaming history, and a group of characters diverse in racial/ethnic identities and circumstances. Importantly, too, the book underscores the many positive aspects of gaming, such as making friends, learning to face challenges, and problem solving. We see Chell evolve as a person and a leader, while the other members of the team also grow in positive ways.
Notably, there are no hints of crushes or romance in this volume. Not that those are bad—but so many middle grade novels incorporate them into their plots that it’s kind of refreshing when one doesn’t. (I should be clear: There’s no sense of whether any of the characters are asexual/aromantic; romance just happens to be irrelevant to the story Myers wanted to tell here.)
Avid gamers will likely love the story, while others may be inspired to play more (and even to try out some classic games that their parents may remember). I look forward to the next volume in this recommended series.
Chell’s dad is Korean American; her mom reads as White. (Myers is similarly biracial.) Josh is also White (and wears hearing aids); Alyx is Black, and Mario is Latino.
