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3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
My kids, both under-10 Minecraft players, loved it. On the other hand, I found myself growing impatient with how straight the protagonist played their predicament, and found myself thinking more about the narrative techniques more than I found myself engaged by the narrative itself.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I would say it’s just okay? The middle grade-ness feels very apparent (in that, yeah, a middle grader would probably enjoy this a lot more than I did). Also wasn’t a complete fan of the weird total warfare shift in the last few chapters.
Still probably the only Minecraft book I’ll enjoy to some degree though.
Still probably the only Minecraft book I’ll enjoy to some degree though.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Violence
Would've loved this if the author didn't squeeze in some weird alt-right "no safe spaces" message at the very end... What the hell??
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Violence
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I'm not going to lie, this book was endearing. The perspective is that of a person from the real world more or less being brought into the world of Minecraft which, I think, is very funny. There is a lot of mention about how things are square and all the mechanics in the book work the same as the game. I think I was more invested in the way the author crafted the literary world of Minecraft more than I was invested in the story, but for a midgrade novel, it was pretty average. For anyone that enjoys bot Minecraft and reading? This is definitely a must if only due to how funny it is to hear the reaction of someone realizing they don't have fingers and are, in fact, a square person.
Also the audiobook is narrated by Jack Black, which I didn't let affect my rating, but it was a nice bonus.
Also the audiobook is narrated by Jack Black, which I didn't let affect my rating, but it was a nice bonus.
I understand why this is popular and I think it could be a great option for reluctant readers. But to me it felt mostly like painstakingly boring Minecraft crafting directions in novel form. I was hoping for something reminiscent of Hatchet or Island of the Blue Dolphins but it was too literal.
adventurous
funny
reflective
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
one of the best books related to Minecraft that I've ever read (well, not really 'read' but I did listen to the audiobook version)
if I could go back in time to listen to this again, I most likely would.
if I could go back in time to listen to this again, I most likely would.
4.5/5
My 7 year old and I listened to the audio book and followed along with the book. I only casually play Minecraft with my son because he's obsessed and he loved the book! I thought it was made better with Jack Black's narration and the sound effects/music from the game. There were a few jokes for the parents thrown in. Otherwise, as a parent, I would've found a few parts to be dull. If my kid loves it, that's a win for me though!
My 7 year old and I listened to the audio book and followed along with the book. I only casually play Minecraft with my son because he's obsessed and he loved the book! I thought it was made better with Jack Black's narration and the sound effects/music from the game. There were a few jokes for the parents thrown in. Otherwise, as a parent, I would've found a few parts to be dull. If my kid loves it, that's a win for me though!