Luca doesn't get much screen time at home, but what he does have has made him an ace computer game racer, and a natural pick for the new school e-sports team the college librarian has set up. Or he would be a natural were he not rather on the shy side, if not on the spectrum for disliking noises, novelty, people and so on. Can he get past his PE teacher dad's aversion to anything not involving a ball, and coach his new mates to success, or will he deserve his place in the shadows and nothing else?

This is one of those hi/lo novels in verse – a short story more or less, across enough pages to look like a novel. It's one where half the page titles are important and in the flow of the text, and the other half are a waste of ink, so that's annoying. But little else is – this is a very decent drama, all told. I did certainly think at times that verse was not the way to convey the drama and kinetic action of a Super Mario-styled racing game, but the character and emotion and that surprise – well, they all work.

If anything it shows its flaws too much with how little there is about what it is that keeps Luca in the shadows, and there could easily have been more about how a few weeks' e-sports make him more OK with the pressure, the judgement of an audience, and so on. But it certainly shows enough merits to be a book that any e-sports fan should feel happy to pick up. While Luca was underdeveloped the story was still a brisk read, and a pleasurable one. You too see enough of the gaming life to pick up a controller, find some friends, and root for yourself – and of course for Luca.

Looking to sneak a little poetry into your favorite gamer kid’s life? Look no further. Cheat Code: Friend is an easily accessible story about a shy student who tries out for the school’s new eSports team. The poems are short, but interconnected, making the book hard to put down. If you have fond memories of MarioKart, you should enjoy this one as well.

My favorite poem was “Good At It.” Once the book comes out, I’ll doublecheck that there were no last minute changes and add a quote.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rosen Publishing Group, and West 44 Books for the ARC. All reviews are my own.

#CheatCodeFriend #NetGalley

Thank you so much to West 44 books and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

What an absolutely incredible book for any child that is a gamer and loves playing videos games like the characters in the book do. I am not a gamer at all, so I was very surprised when I was really enjoying this book. I wasn’t sure I would understand it or enjoy it, but I was wrong I did enjoy it and I understood pretty much all that was going on within the gamer world.

I really enjoyed that the characters were all so unique and different it added so much to the story and how they played the games together, sharing and highlighting each one’s best skills. I also really enjoyed how they went from not being an actual team to finding their grove together on what the best defences were and how to get that win for the whole team.

The characters were great, the connection they built together were great and the way they progress in the event was really fascinating. I loved that our protagonist went from being a recluse not really wanting or needing friends and then making them and being a great captain.

I can honestly say I really liked this, it was easy to get into, it was on a topic I didn’t know anything about, nor that gaming is now an e-sport and can compete with other schools. It was really so informative and made it even more fascinating to read as I was learnings I never thought about before nor knew about. A really great read that I know young readers will throughly enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rosen Publishing Group, West 44 Books, and David Aro for the opportunity to read Cheat Code: Friend in exchange for an honest review.

Cheat Code: Friend is a middle grade novel-in-verse following eleven-year-old Luca, who can't seem to get away from screens and video gaming. His dad would love nothing more than for him to play on a sports team at school. Too bad playing video games isn't a sport. Or is it?

Luca's school is starting its first ever e-sports team. Surely that will appease his dad while also allowing him to do what he loves. Luca has a talent: he basically has a photographic memory, remembering everything he reads. This leads to him being able to see patterns within video games. That's great for being on an e-sports team, but making friends isn't one of his skills. Becoming captain, he learns how friendships are made, and also how to make the hard choices, even when you don't want to lose your friends.

I thought this was a very fun novel for a contemporary middle grade audience. E-sports is a big aspect of today's culture, and many schools are picking up on it, creating e-sports teams for elective credits, playing various games like League of Legends, Rocket League, Overwatch, and Brawlhalla, to name a few (that my school has taken part in). The game Luca's school does is like a Mario Kart racing type of game, and the overall placements of each player is how the points are calculated to the teams scoring metric. The story explores father/son relationships, friendships in a technology-driven world, and leadership, making for a great set of connectable lessons for middle grade readers.

Luca loves video games and learns about a new e-sports club at school. His school librarian convinces him to join a team and names him captain. He becomes friends with the kids on his team, but when he finds out that one cheated during the final race, he has to decide between being a responsible captain and reporting it or being a friend and ignoring it.

I didn't particular care for this book. It felt like it jumped around a lot and the plot was very fast and felt like key moments were quickly skipped over (such as the moment the cheating happened). However, this being a hi/lo book and about gaming, I can see how it might interested quite a few middle grade or even elementary aged readers.