Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Light-skinned, bespectacled Travis Better and light brown--skinned Journey West are best friends and video game fanatics. When Arcade World, a "magical and mysterious" new video game center where "everything's free," suddenly opens in a formerly abandoned building, the child population of the town of Normal is eager to start playing. Travis and Journey quickly ascend to the top two spots on every game except for Dino Trouble, but with the encouragement of Mr. E. Miniboss--the arcade's sinister-seeming, top hat--sporting proprietor--the pair manage to secure the coveted spots. Soon, reality begins to mimic the game aesthetically and otherwise, and the duo must complete levels IRL, taking on glitter dactyls, ice cream iguanodons, and other cute-but-deadly dinos. While an abrupt end to the gaming quest stunts the story, energetic, candy-colored spreads by Zod, reminiscent of the chunky character style of Sarah Graley, enliven debut author Bitt's comic dialogue bubbles throughout this straightforwardly plotted series opener. Ages 5--9. (Jan.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Travis and Journey's new normal is life inside of a video game. When strange newcomer Mr. Miniboss shows up in town and turns an abandoned building into a magical, mysterious, free-entry video game center dubbed Arcade World, all of the neighborhood kids immediately become obsessed. But the arcade soon turns sinister when all of the video games come alive. The story centers on Travis and his best friend, Journey, who realize that they have been transported into their new favorite game, Dino Trouble. They must survive numerous threats--including being chased by glittery dinosaurs--as they try to figure out who really owns Arcade World and how to get back to Normal, which happens to be the name of their town. Travis is White, and Journey has light brown skin. While the dynamic comic-book graphics deliver an action-packed romp, character development and dialogue are a bit shallow and shaky. Some plot points can serve as springboards for conversations about screen time and healthy use of online technologies. The funny cliffhanger ending does its job--young readers will want to read the next installment to find out what happens next. An entertaining series opener whose simple storyline can be forgiven. (Graphic novel. 7-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
