Tag: game show

Posted in Science Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Dungeon Crawler Carl: Trust me, it’s a YA Crossover

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman, (Aug. 2024, Ace), $30, ISBN: 9780593820247

Ages 14+

Folks, trust me on this one: it’s not listed under Teen/YA, but your gamers, your tabletop fans, your D&D crowd, your SFF readers, all will love this straight up hilarious, wild ride. Originally self-published, Penguin Random House finally got hold of this series and now we can all rejoice that it’s available on more shelves.

It’s the apocalypse, kinda: Carl is a guy going through a break-up when the world ends. No, literally: he’s in a tree, trying to catch his ex’s prize-winning show cat, when he sees his building just… crumbles. Every building is gone, and whoever’s left learns, via a message in the sky, that they’re the newest contestants on an intergalactic game show. Think Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy meets Running Man, and you’re on the right track. Carl enters a tunnel with Princess Donut – of course, he’s taking the cat with him – and learns that the two have to survive a fantasy-type dungeon, complete with power-ups, monsters, and other humans. And Princess Donut can talk now. Dungeon Crawler Carl is nonstop adventure with moments both gross and laugh-out-loud hysterical. Carl isn’t some meathead, blundering his way through a dungeon, nor is he super nerd guy; he’s an ordinary guy trying to keep himself, his cat, and maybe another couple of humans alive until the next level, at least. The book is part of a the LitRPG subgenre, with gamelike elements and full character awareness powering the narrative. I loved this book and can’t wait for the next two – luckily, Carl’s Doomsday Scenario just pubbed last week, and The Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook is coming in October.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Uncategorized

Ready, Set, Sleep! The World Sleep Championship of Animals is on!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The World Sleep Championship of Animals, by Daniel Napp, (March 2023, Kane Miller), $15.99, ISBN: 9781684644964

Ages 4-8

Set in a game show sleeping competition, this bedtime story may have readers laughing too hard to go to bed… but it’s an excellent Pajama Storytime choice! Viktor Frog is your host and Heinz Boar is your judge as they put five animals to the test: can they fall asleep in the wackiest conditions? Who will sleep through the loud construction, steamy sauna, or raucous roller coaster challenges? Read like a sportscaster narrative, this amusing story will keep readers giggling as they see the animals doze off or stay awake in a frazzled panic. A scoreboard pops up throughout the story, providing a good opportunity for a feltboard storytime and some counting and predicting skills. Colorful cartoony artwork is kid-friendly and the animals are expressive, allowing readers to connect with them. Who hasn’t tried to sleep in complete silence and found themselves wanting? We’ve all been either too hot or too cold to fall asleep, so you’ll find readers who can relate. A good purchase for a fun readaloud.

 

Posted in Post-apocalyptic/Dystopian, Science Fiction, Tween Reads

Book Review: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, 2008)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 12+
Welcome to Panem, the post-apocalyptic United States of America, divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Every year, two “tributes” between the ages of 12 and 18 are selected from each district to take part in a brutal contest called The Hunger Games, where they fight to the death. There is only one winner. Sixteen-year old Katniss volunteers to her district’s tribute after her 12-year old sister’s name is drawn.

The Hunger Games is the brutal version of a reality game show – think of Stephen King’s (written as Richard Bachman) novel, The Running Man and you’ll have a good frame of reference. The tributes are given mentors – former winners, condemned to preparing future tributes for the games – and stylists to make them look good. The contestants have to project personality in the week of interviews and preparation so that they have a chance at receiving help from sponsors, who can send food, medicine, and supplies to their contestants during the games. The games are televised for all the districts to watch. Katniss struggles to keep her humanity in the midst of the game and rails against being the Capitol’s pawn.

The book moves at a breathtaking pace with an intensity that starts mere pages in and doesn’t let up until the book’s end. The main characters have a good base for character development that will likely continue in the two following books in the series, Catching Fire and Mockingjay; the others are as developed as they need to be in order to further the story and keep the pace. Ms. Collins makes her point about valuing bloodsport over humanity as eloquently as she is brutal in several key scenes in the book. With a strong mix of violence and compassion, boys and girls have both seized on this series and catapulted it to the top of their reading lists. Katniss emerges as a heroine not only for her strength but her ability to retain her sense of self in the middle of the games. She is a complex, conflicted heroine who resonates with ‘tweens and teens alike.

The Hunger Games has won multiple awards and honors. It is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal besteller, and was one of Kirkus and School Library Journal‘s Best Books of 2008. It is an Americna Library Association (ALA) Notable Children’s Book and one of the Young Adult Library Services Association’s (YALSA) Teens Top Ten for 2009. Lionsgate Studios will release a movie based on the book in March of 2012.

A comprehensive wiki exists for the series and the author’s website offers author and book information. There are many teacher’s resources for teaching the series available on the Web, including Scholastic’s and Hunger Games Lessons.