Josh Baxter Levels Up

November 16, 2015
Josh sees life through the lens of video games—a useful coping mechanism for someone starting at his third middle school in two years, where he immediately gets on the wrong side of a bully. His school year only gets worse when his mother forbids him from playing video games until his grades improve. In response, Josh fully commits to the life-as-video-game mindset, determining to do what it takes to “become the hero who could get the grades, beat the bullies, and maybe even impress a princess.” Along the way, Josh connects with some fellow geeks and video-game lovers, including classmate/crush Maya. Brown includes countless gaming references that will delight in-the-know readers (at various points, Josh contemplates how heroes like Mario, Link, and Sonic the Hedgehog would react to situations), and each chapter ends with an update on Josh’s health status, remaining lives, and other stats (he unlocks the “Summon Bully” skill after the first chapter). It’s a light, fun approach to typical middle-school struggles from an author who gets his audience and knows his games. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from November 15, 2015
A video game-obsessed middle schooler tackles his third new school in two years. Josh Baxter has had a hard time since his father died. His mother works around the clock, and his older sister has thrown herself into school, sports, and the social scene. Josh finds refuge in the video games he and his father played together, letting his social life and grades fall by the wayside. When an abysmal progress report makes Josh's mom lock his consoles in her closet, Josh has no choice but to grapple with his crummy middle school experience. Brown paints Josh's middle school as if it were a hazardous level of "Star Fox," filling the novel with references to video game culture, leaning particularly hard on Nintendo imagery. The author also wisely pushes the overused bully storyline to the background. This isn't yet another story of a weird kid standing up to a bully. This is the much more interesting story of a kid standing up to the worst aspects of himself. The author paces the book like a "Legend of Zelda" quest, complete with sages, allies, and a damsel. These tertiary characters are more complex than simple avatars, fleshed out with just enough inner life that they aren't completely subservient to Josh's arc and providing some multiethnic counterpoint to white-kid Josh. Smartly paced and emotionally engaging, a book even those who have never held a controller will enjoy. (Fiction. 10-14)

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January 1, 2016

Gr 4-7-Replete with gaming metaphors, the otherwise typical plot of a boy grappling with challenges at home and at school is given fresh appeal. Josh has had to move and attend three different schools within two years of losing his father. He relies on his favorite video games to distract him from real-life difficulties. But things seem to take a turn for the worse when Josh starts at a new middle school, becomes the target of a bully, and has his treasured video game collection withheld due to sinking grades. Josh realizes that he needs to take the strategies learned in his games and apply them in life: he evaluates what the heroes of his games would do and makes a plan to "level up." Each chapter ends with a video game-style update of the protagonist's level, health, lives, and new skills unlocked. Readers will be engaged in this likable lead's quest to solidify burgeoning friendships via a school video game decathlon. Secondary peer characters of both genders and diverse backgrounds add texture. Josh's mother and teachers are supportive secondary characters, demonstrating positive relationships between youths and adults. As a video game designer, the author understands the games in detail and what they mean to enthusiasts, rendering the gaming analogies relatable to the intended audience. VERDICT Recommended as an enticing addition, especially for middle school gamers and reluctant readers.-Suzanne LaPierre, Fairfax County Public Library, Burke, VA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2015
Grades 5-8 Underachiever Josh sees the world as a video game. He is entering his third school in two years, and it's game on. Unfortunately, he unlocks two useless skills: Summon Bully and Impenetrable Aura of Stupidity. Worse, a dismal school progress report prompts his widowed mom to take away his computer privileges. But Josh is determined to climb up from noob level. An attempt to stand up to hulking Mitten Monster (aka football star and school bully Henry Mittens Schmittendorf) earns him an in-school suspension, but when he teams up with classmate Punk Princess Maya, a fellow gamer, he unlocks numerous useful interpersonal skills, improves his study habits, and takes on the Mitten Monster at the school's Video Game Decathlon. His progress is tracked on scoring charts throughout, and by the end, Josh has climbed to Pencil-Slinging Hero and maybe found the skills he needs to ask Maya to the holiday dance. The gamer theme and the inclusion of various digital diversions add a charge to this upbeat fitting-in story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2016
Josh's mother takes away video games for bad grades, so he decides to "level up" on studying and making friends at his new school; he finds gaming companions but also contends with a bully. Gamers will appreciate the references to famous video games and Josh's "level" stats at chapter ends. The story's genuine character relationships ultimately compensate for the clichid family arguments.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)