Dino Trouble (Arcade World #1) Nate Bitt. Illustrated by Glass House Graphics. 2022. [February] 144 pages. [Source: Library]
First sentence: Okay, welcome to Normal. I should probably explain a few things first. That's me, Travis Better. And that's my best friend Journey West.
Premise/plot: Dino Trouble is the first in a new graphic novel series for young readers. Travis Better (the narrator) and Journey West (the best friend sidekick) find themselves IN the video game. Arcade World is the name of the town's arcade. It is relatively new to town, but has quickly become the IT place to be for all the kids. [I believe each book will focus on one arcade game coming to life.] There are some indications that there is a bad guy with a master plan... but this book doesn't really answer questions about the bigger picture.
My thoughts: Travis and Journey battle video-game villains (and face video-game challenges) in the real world. Usually before or after school. They recognize the levels from the game they are both addicted to. There aren't any actual (satisfying) explanations as to why or how. (Except that the owner of the arcade is more likely than not Evil and has a Master Plan.) The book highlights the game-playing aspects of the game.
Dino Trouble--this fictional game--is ridiculous almost to the point of obnoxiousness. Though perhaps that is a form of parody??? I don't know. It involves dinosaurs, glitter (which is obnoxiously called shine-shine), ice cream, etc. This one goes full out for embracing the whimsy.
ANY book that gets a kid to read has some merit. Perhaps not every book is going to be perceived as "high quality" by adults, but few books (if any) merit being labeled NO quality. Any book could have the potential to be the one book that turns a kid onto reading and leads to other books...and years (if not a lifetime) of reading.
© 2022 Becky Laney of Young Readers
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