Thrash Force

Debut author Sidhu’s good-humored and gleefully self-aware fantasy adventure draws on familiar gaming tropes and mechanics to offer an epic, comedic tale of good vs. evil. Seventh grader Riley Singh would rather use his academic aptitude and computer skills to play online RPG Dungeon Brawl than apply himself at school. Though his parents assert that he’s one bad report card away from being sent to boarding school, he takes comfort in his steadfast relationships with his friends: intellectual Simon Plotts, fiercely athletic Georgie Chen, and Georgie’s exuberant younger brother Jasper. Upon beginning a new Dungeon Brawl game, however, the group is transported into the virtual landscape by the video game’s antagonist, the dark necromancer Lord Doomface. Trapped in an alternate dimension with only a few spells and tricks to their names, Riley and company must complete quests, fight evil, level up, and defeat Lord Doomface if they want to get home in time to intercept their report cards. Dungeon Brawl’s lively and vibrantly rendered setting provides the ideal backdrop for a satisfying story across which tween characters kick butt and uncover previously untapped self-confidence. The cast is racially diverse. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Agent: Emilie Burl, Susan Schulman Literary. (July)