Monday, November 16, 2020

LEVEL UP - CRAIG ANDERSON

 

Level Up by Craig Anderson

Level Up - Craig Anderson

What if your life turned into a video game...the question all of us have asked ourselves at some point right? Well, Anderson's book Level Up is one version of that. A fun, witty, adventure that had me levelling up through the pages late into the night. It was one of those books I ripped through b/c I couldn't put it down.

Level Up reminds me of  Ready Player One, a book I read a few years ago and loved - I still think it is one of the best books I've read this decade. Both stories are full of out of this world - literally they take place in a video game type of world - adventure. Level Up is lighter, and full of laugh out loud moments. There is maybe a tad too much 'ball humour' for most folk if you get my drift, but I still laughed at all those jokes - what? A squirrel named nutsack is funny on so many levels! 

The overall story is what really kept me reading. It is a fast paced quest full of exciting fights and mystery items that make the impossible seem possible - just like any good video game. 

The problem I sometimes have with books like this is the transition between the real world and the fantasy world - books like Magic Kingdom For Sale - Terry Brooks did a wonderful job of making the transition seem believable. Anderson does that in this book. I didn't miss a beat when Marcus went from the real world being, um, real...into the 'real' world being a video game version of the real world. What I'm saying is that the story makes sense and is believable. 

I also liked that it was written in the first person. At some points I'd find myself thinking I was the hero, that I was the one telling the story. That perspective worked really well with this book.

Overall, this is a book I'd pass along to friends...which is a way of saying I really liked this book.

Thursday, November 5, 2020

SLAPSHOTS - THE STARS FROM MARS

 THE STARS FROM MARS - GORDON CORMAN

Gordan Korman - SLAPSHOTS 1 The Stars From Mars

A classic Cinderella sports story. These never get old. 

This book reminds me of the Mighty Ducks movie. A ragtag team of hockey players that inherit a strange coach and a star player who used to play the rival team.

They start out rough, but with some help and determination they get better. Of course it all comes down to the final game against the best team in the league. Will they work out all their problems and win?

This is by far the best hockey book I've read for kids. There are all kinds of players, so easy to relate to at least someone even if you are not a hockey player. There is a lot of actual hockey action, which seems to be missing from other 'hockey' books. And, the story moves along at a good pace to keep you reading...it might be predictable, but there are some twists along the way.

If you want a copy, or you want the entire series you can get it on Amazon - https://amzn.to/2GwB1DM