Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

Cute, fun, touching, and interesting. This is going to fly off the shelves at any library with Dungeons & Dragons fans, especially those who are not quite ready for more of the YA fare.

Roll For Initiative by Jaime Formato follows sixth grader Riley Henderson as she tries to navigate her life being flipped upside down. Living with a single, working mother, Riley has always depended on her big brother, Devin for everything. From taking her to school to making her food to doing her laundry, Devin has always been there to do it. Now Devin is across the country at his dream college and Riley is left trying to figure out how to do everything. Riley feels very lost and alone until she meets Lucy, another nerdy girl that helps Riley come out of her shell. Riley and Lucy decide to start playing Dungeons and Dragons, a game that Riley often played with her brother. When they really get into it and two more girls join their party, Riley finds that she doesn’t need her brother quite as much as she thought. When Devin comes home for a holiday break, Riley begins to see that maybe Devin is the one who needs her.

Roll for Initiative was a fantastic story of growing up, finding independence, and family. I loved Riley's character arc; her growth was great. Seeing her navigate needing her brother and finding her own way through not only Dungeons and Dragons, but life itself. The friendships she cultivated along the way were inspirational to say the least. Their willingness to communicate and problem solve with each other is something I think we all can learn from. I don't think there was a single character that didn't experience growth and I loved it so much. You know a character's arc is well executed when you start out the book not liking them and by the end they're one of your favorites. Devin was that for me; especially in the scene where he DMs for Riley and her party. By the end, I went so soft for him.

I think this would be a fantastic novel for children and adults alike, and I'm excited to see what comes next for Jaime Formato.

This debut by Jaime Formato plucked every heartstring in my nerdy, TTRPG-loving soul.

While this middle-grade novel has plenty of wonderfully accurate and authentic details about D&D, this really a story about self-confidence, friendship and one family learning to truly support each other, that just happens to use dice and dungeons as a way of getting people out of their shells.

I adored how the characters find each other and all take turns being there for each other, and appreciated the overarching message about creativity coming from being who you really are and loving what you really love. Extra kudos to the author for using her debut to smash a bit of the patriarchal vestiges of gatekeeping within the tabletop gaming community.

This one is a Critical Hit!

This was a lovely read, one I’d have loved it even more when I was a kid. To have someone you can relate so much in the book you’re reading is truly an amazing thing. Loved everything, especially the general nerdiness.

A different take on a coming of age novel and I adored it! I loved that Roll for Initiative for Dungeons and Dragons centric (and it featured girl gamers!) and Riley's growth throughout the book was so heartfelt. Themes of friendship and family and growing up, this book would be perfect for middle age readers!

I LOVED THIS.
So cute, so heartfelt, so wonderful.
Riley Henderson is just trying to figure out middle school. Her brother is off at college and she feels alone and abandoned. She finds Lucy and begins a D&D campaign, finding friendship and trust in herself. Until Devin returns home and Riley finds she has to fix everything.
Seriously amazing, I recommend this to everyone.

Roll for Initiative by Jaime Formato is a delightful and fun novel.
While the book is geared to a younger audience, I still had a lot of fun reading it and the characters were quirky and amusing enough to keep the pages breezing by--
While the book is listed as being about the relationship of Riley and her brother Devin it is actually in the relationships of Riley and her friends, Lucy, Hannah, and Jen that the book really sparkles. As a gamer it was fun to see the characters make the game their own and I have to think that there may have been a little of the author creeping in at points. :)
Thank you #Netgalley, #Running Press, and Jaime Formato for this much needed breath of fresh air--#RollforInitiative.

A fantastic read for young children going through a big change. This books gives a realistic look into friendships, family dynamics, and how to bend the rules to make things more fun.

Riley's older brother Devin has always been in charge. When he heads off to California for college, Riley is left adrift until she makes a new, nerdy friend. Through playing D&D with her new friends, Riley begins to thrive. At Thanksgiving, Devin unexpectedly comes back and throws a wrench into everything Riley had been working on. Can Riley figure out a way to fix things?

This was a really cute book and exactly why I have grown to love middle grades books. Riley and her friends were completely believable and relatable. They were there to support each other when there were problems and talked through conflict- a great example for anyone. I loved how Riley adapted to change and always wanted to help the people around her. I see some of myself in her with the wanting to help and things sometimes not working out how she intended. The only character I didn't particularly care for was Devin. While realistic, he seemed a little too controlling which made me uncomfortable. It was evident that he loved Riley and their mom but he just took things too far.

Overall, great representation of girls in gaming (and diversity in general). While it would be more enjoyable for gamers, non-gamers would like it too. It may even serve as a gateway for non-gamers to venture into gaming.

Thanks to Running Press Kids and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It is the perfect middle school book for gamers and non gamers alike. And I love the female representation in comics and video games.
I really related to Riley, and I think a lot of girls are going to. She’s shy and feels helpless. I loved watching her grow into herself and also figure out who she was without Devin. Personally, while I liked her journey of self growth, I don’t think she should have helped Devin in the way she did. I think since the book focused on how Devin didn’t really respect Riley’s boundaries, Riley should have respected his. But I get her frustration with Devin. The kid definitely needed a push. I’m just not sure if she should have done it the way she did.
I adored Devin! I think he was such a sweet kid who really didn’t want to end up like his dad. He was overzealous and didn’t always make the right decisions, but his heart was in the right place. His story was a good lesson about learning how to fail and get back up again too.
I loved all the different female characters in this book too! You have the single, struggling mom, the shy one, the one hiding behind their smile, and the super smart one. I think all of these amazing female characters were different and unique. They didn’t feel like stereotypes either.
I would definitely recommend this fun, kids book! It’s a clean read with no innuendos or language. And also no romance! I love romance, but I do think middle school is a little young to be thinking about boys.


Highlights:
Amazing, unique female characters
Conventional family values
Learning how to be independent
The importance of different strengths
Learning how to fail
Healthy, female friendships!
Strong, caring men: dads, uncles, and brothers
Found family
Focused on friendship not romance

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

Riley is bummed that her brother has gone away to college, and she has no one to play DnD with. However, she soon finds fellow players, and friends, in her apartment building and school. Although there are ups and downs, the friendship they forge while playing DnD is a true one. Even when Riley's brother unexpectedly comes home, she finds herself more drawn to playing with her friends, where she can truly be herself.

This book started a bit slow for me but then it got so cute! As a fellow DnD nerd, I appreciated all the references and how the game brought the friends together. There were also so many good topics covered well in this book.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As always with reviews of ARCs, we begin with the heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Running Press Kids, for giving me the opportunity to read this book early. Now onto the review!

Sometimes, writing a review is like pulling teeth. It’s like, I have feelings and thoughts about a book, but I have no idea how to put them into words. I’ve had three reviews in my drafts because I’ve just been unable to get over that hump of actually writing the “why you should read it” portion of the review. The first half of a review for this blog is always easy–title, author, synopsis, and genre are given to me by the book itself, and I keep track of the content warnings as I read so it’s really easy to get those down too. But then I get to “Why You Should Read It” and it’s like all of the energy and words I thought I had for this review dry up and I’m just…stuck. So I click save draft and come back one week, two weeks, three weeks later. I’m telling you this because this is not going to be my best review by any means of the word “best.” In fact, it’s probably going to be incredibly subpar, but I’m going to try my best to do this book justice with whatever words I am able to conjure up.

So, Roll for Initiative. One of my favorite things about this book was how well it represented social anxiety. Riley’s anxiety about making friends, about looking stupid in front of peers, about just about everything related to socializing, was so very real, and so very relatable. Formato did a great job of putting the stomach-churning, face-heating feeling of it all into words, and I was so very grateful for that. I also really liked the whole message of the book, which was basically “believe in yourself,” though in a less cheesy way. It was more like, “you don’t always recognize your own worth, but, trust me, it’s there.” But it’s also like, “when you have trouble believing in yourself, there will be people who believe enough to help you get there again.” I don’t know; I told you I’m struggling with words.

I also really liked the characters–the main character, Riley, annoyed me at times because I felt like she was making bad choices, but those choices I thought were bad ended up working out for her so maybe they were good choices and I just didn’t understand the situation. I think a big part of it was I kept imagining myself as being the person on the receiving end of those choices, and I knew I would not be happy. And while the recipients in the book were also not happy, they came around, so that was nice of them I guess. I really enjoyed the side characters though, especially Lucy. I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t mind follow-up books that focused on the other girls as the main characters rather than Riley. Riley was an interesting main character, for sure, but I think that Lucy, Jen, and Hannah contain multitudes as well, and I’d be really interested in seeing them get an opportunity to be fleshed out more.

I think my absolute favorite part of this book, though, was the D&D. Specifically, it was the comparison of how Devin plays D&D (very rules oriented) to how the girls play D&D (much more homebrew, go with the flow of the roleplay). It was really interesting to me to see this contradiction in playing styles in the book because it is very real in D&D circles. On the one hand you have the rules-followers who want everyone else to “play it right,” and on the other you have the go-with-the-flow types who are just looking to have fun. I felt like in the end the book tried to show you that however you play it, official rules or house rules, is playing it “right” as long as you have fun the way you do it.

Again, apologies for my inability to put thoughts into words properly today. I really hope this review suffices in telling you that this is a good book despite my inability to string sentences together. Because this is a good book; I’m just having a bad brain.

Roll for Initiative is a fantastic debut novel about a young girl who starts her own D&D party and it was such a fun read! The complexity of the relationship between the main character and her older brother tugged at my heartstrings. Being a little sister to an older brother myself, I loved seeing the initial dependency reflected and just how the main character slowly gained her own independence and confidence. Also, these D&D girls are the coolest and I wish I had such cool friends when I was in middle school! I absolutely loved every minute in this story and cannot wait until it is released! Thank you so much to the publisher for letting me read an e-arc, it was awesome!

I really want this book in my collection. It was a breeze to read, the main character was relatable. There were multiple different characters from different economic backgrounds. And it speaks on a lot of different issues that I think a lot of children don't get exposed to very often.
Riley's brother Devin has gone off to college in California, leaving her to sit in Florida and figure out how to function without him, and she's not doing too well. Devin has always been there for everything and now Riley has to depend on herself because she can't bother her mom, she already has too much on her plate. But when Riley finally starts making friends with Jen, Hannah and Lucy she finds herself coming out of the nest that was built to protect her. Suddenly her brother is back and he's here to stay forcing Riley back into the nest she's outgrown. Can she show him that she's responsible and that he doesn't have to coddle her? Or will she be stuck under his wing for the rest of her life?
Overall 5/5
Story/Plot 5/5
Social-emotional 5/5
Thank you to Jaime Formato, Running Press Kids, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Plot: Reading about Riley gaining confidence in herself, making friends, and helping her brother was a great a read! I don't know much about D&D, but I enjoyed reading about Riley and her friends playing campaigns, and creating their characters. Each of the girls has their own things and issues going on, and I liked reading about their stories, and how they helped each other,

Characters: Riley was a fantastic main character, and her friends were all great! I liked how her family played a big role in the story. And I liked all the supporting characters, too!

The Cover: I like it!

Overall: This was an unexpected new favorite for me! I thought it sounded good, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. The opening scene made me laugh because of Riley's thoughts, and she had a great voice in the book. This was a fantastic contemporary Middle Grade book, that I highly recommend reading!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Roll for Initiative is a book about a shy middle-school girl who ends up making some good friends and forming a Dungeons and Dragons group. This book was very entertaining and I found myself smiling every time I picked it up to read. I consider myself a pretty nerdy person and while I am not an avid D&D player, I have sat in on sessions that my friends and husband have played. This book captures the fun that happens during a session and I loved the creative campaigns that the girls did. I also loved how this book addressed issues dealing with homes with divorced parents, low self-confidence, and overcoming a perfectionist mindset. This is definitely a good book to read for kids and adults who enjoy nerdy things, especially D&D.

Sixth grade is not starting out as well as Riley Henderson would prefer. Her brother, Devin, has abandoned Riley to attend college on the other side of the country, and with their mother working long hours at her retail job, Riley is more alone than she has ever been. Forgetting what bus she rides is only the beginning of the challenges Riley faces, and she is counting down the days until Devin comes home for Christmas vacation and can continue their most recent game of Dungeons and Dragons. But time and loneliness have a way of bringing people together, and as Riley begins to make friends with others who enjoy the same games she does, she begins to trust herself in a way she never has before.

This beautiful story is a fantastic balance between true-life difficulties and the excitement of creating an immersive, fictional world. Riley’s life is far from perfect, and as a sixth-grader, she is being asked to manage her needs in an intense and all-inclusive way. Thanks to a series of happy circumstances, though, Riley ends up meeting three other girls who each have their own challenges, and their shared struggles help their friendship blossom. Dungeons and Dragons is a game into which each of the girls can escape, and as the campaigns continue, their real-life capabilities grow along with the stats of their characters.

Readers will appreciate the smooth flow of the story, especially as the believable dialogue brings all aspects of Riley’s life to the foreground. Riley narrates the book in the first person, giving readers a strong glimpse into her feelings as she matures from a young girl to a more self-sufficient teen. Occasional illustrations enhance the quality of the writing while also providing a visual respite, helping to make this an excellent selection for middle grade readers who can benefit from some additional support in the books they read. Filled with heartwarming interactions, quirky characters, moments of weakness, and celebrations of strength, this story is one that will resonate with readers of all ages. It is a necessary addition to library collections for younger middle grade readers.

Middle school is hard enough, but when her older brother Devin goes off to college in California to learn to design video games, Riley is left in Florida with her mother to navigate things without his support. Her mother works long hours, since her father is not always reliable with his child support, and Devin has always driven her to school and helped her with homework. After a disastrous first day riding the school bus, Riley does manage to meet another girl who lives in the same apartment building she does, and despite her mortification, starts up a friendship with Lucy. Devin and Riley often played Dungeons and Dragons, and Riley and Lucy are soon developing a game. They also include Hannah, who also lives in the building and finds them playing in the creepy basement laundry room, and Jen, who is devoted to her schoolwork and thoroughly researches the game and her character. The campaigns are fun, but when Riley tells Devin about them, he scoffs at their relaxed attitude towards the rules and canon of D&D. Riley, who has learned to do laundry, make snacks, and help out her mother with the assistance of her friends, doesn't appreciate his comments, and also worries about his progress in college. The other girls have problems of their own; Lucy lives with her father and uncle, and her mother is too busy with her new boyfriend to make much time for her; Hannah struggles academically, and her parents feel she is taking too much time playing D&D; Jen's parents are also worried she's spending too much time away from her school work, but their concern is that she isn't spending her time working on activities that will look good on college applications. When Devin comes home at Thanksgiving and surprises Riley and her mother with the fact that he is staying home and applying to community college, Riley begins to realize that she has flourished without her brother and that they both need to be more independent. She secretly releases a video game Devin is working on so that he can see how good it is and have the confidence to return to college, but will he be able to get over the anger at her betrayal to move on?
Strengths: Even though students will be drawn to this because of the D&D details (and there are many), I loved the depiction of family life. Riley has to come home by herself once Devin goes to college, get her own snacks, and even do laundry. There's not enough of this kind of activity in middle grade books, and it's a time in real students' lives when they have more and more responsibilities. The fact that Riley's father isn't in the picture is also reflective of what life if like for many students. I appreciated that she was understanding of her mother's struggles and tried to help out. Devin's reaction is a bit more extreme, but also understable considering his struggles in college, which is also not often something that is depicted. Her new friendships are supportive but not without a touch of drama, and Riley navigates them well. D&D players will love the creation of characters (including Lucy's father's cupcakes for their "birthdays"), the designing of campaigns, and the details about following the rules or deciding to break them in order for the game to be more fun. I probably should buy two copies, because I forsee high demand for this new title.
Weaknesses: The last third of the book was slow; it concentrated more on Devin and his return home because of his own issues and his worries for Riley and his mother when what I really wanted to read was more about Riley and her group of friends.
What I really think: As someone who is D&D adjacent (I've had friends who play, as does my daughter), I can appreciate all of the creative work that goes into a D&D campaign, as well as the friendship that it engenders. There has been quite an uptick in the number of students who voice an interest in the game, and they will adore this book. This is a geat addition to D&D related books like Mancusi's 2008 Gamer Girl, Anderson's The Dungeoneers, O'Donnell's Homerooms and Hallpasses, and Markell's The Gamemasters of Garden Place.