Glitch

March 18, 2019
Izzy, 14, promises her friend Eric that she will wait to play Dungeon City until the weekend, when they can enjoy it together. But when the video game arrives, she opens it up and gets sucked in—literally. Inside, robot guide Rae befriends Izzy and leads her through the different levels, but spending time in the game’s world takes a toll on Izzy when she returns to real life. Zapped of energy, she worries her parents and teacher and fights with Eric. Even worse, she discovers that a component of the game may have a terrifying agenda, and both girls need to work together to make it to the next level of their friendship. Art by Graley (Kim Reaper) reflects the gaming world with blocky characters, eight-bit-style lettering, and iconic visuals, including character profiles, health meters, and mission screens. Graley’s comic includes a thinly veiled criticism of the addictive nature of video games and electronic entertainment, but readers will likely focus less on the message and more on the absorbing art and the story of incidentally diverse friends navigating worlds and growing closer along the way. Ages 8–12. Agent: Steven Salpeter, Curtis Brown Ltd.

April 1, 2019

Gr 5-8-Izzy and her best friend, Eric, are stoked for the new release of Dungeon City. Even though Izzy promises Eric that she'll wait so the two can play it together, she can't resist the temptation when her game shows up early. To Izzy's surprise, she gets sucked into the game and a helpful robot companion named Rae informs her that she is the chosen one who must defeat the Big Boss. Soon, Izzy is spending all of her time in the game instead of hanging out with Eric, who starts to feel betrayed. Izzy must figure out how to save Dungeon City and her friendship with Eric, but unexpected obstacles crop up. Izzy and Rae's growing friendship meter provides a direct contrast to the fallout of Izzy and Eric's relationship in real life. The pacing sometimes feels a little off, but a major twist near the end will keep readers turning pages. Graley's artwork is richly detailed, especially in Dungeon City. (A particular highlight is when Izzy gets to choose her character type and obtains cool new powers and a space witch costume.) The characters' expressions are often humorously exaggerated. The focus on girl gamers is refreshing, and there are video game in-jokes galore. VERDICT A fun and vibrant adventure comic for fans of video games, adventure, or friendship tales.-Gretchen Hardin, Sterling Municipal Library, Baytown, TX

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2019
A gamer levels up her space-witch powers to save the world, but along the way she finds the strength to save her friendship too.As the chosen one, gamer Izzy feels a responsibility to fight alongside her robot friend Rae, who uses the pronouns they and them, to protect the digital world of "Dungeon City" against the threat of a great evil hidden deep within the code. Before Izzy received her copy of the game in the mail, she promised her friend Eric that she would wait for their video game sleepover so they could start playing together. However, when temptation gets the better of her and she boots it up, the game pulls her inside it. Izzy worries Eric won't believe her, so she lies and tries to carry the secret of her destiny on her own. The bright, rich color palette matches the upbeat and zany personality of the characters, game world, and conflict. The paneled page layouts are equally animated. Graley plays with tropes to create a comical, over-the-top villain. Izzy's real growth comes from admitting her wrongs to her friend and learning the power of teamwork rather than from defeating a bad guy. Izzy has pale skin, but that her parents seem to be a mixed-race couple suggests she is biracial; Eric has brown skin and uses the pronouns she and her.While the friendship conflict and virtual-world-come-to-life are both familiar plot elements, the immersive art and silly humor level up the appeal of this video game adventure. (Graphic novel. 8-12)

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April 15, 2019
Grades 3-6 Best friends Izzy and Eric are excited to play the new Dungeon City video game together, but when Izzy literally gets sucked into her TV, she skirts all her responsibilities and relationships to try to save the imaginary world. Things aren't what they seem in Dungeon City, however, and soon Izzy realizes she must turn to Eric and her family for help before she is stuck in the virtual world forever. Those looking for adventure will not be disappointed?there are many dungeons to pillage and monsters to defeat for our protagonist?but the story's greatest strength is Graley's strong sense of humor, as Izzy's hilarious commentary on everything from her parents to video-game culture is spot-on and delightful. Graley strikes a nice balance between the comedy of wacky scenarios and random jokes and the earnest, heartfelt story about a conflicted girl drifting apart from her friend. Graley's bold, playful artwork keeps the humor front and center with over-the-top facial expressions and cartoonish character design. An epic win.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)