Available:*
Library | Audience | Home Location | Material Type | Shelf Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Children's Museum of Houston | Kid/Juvenile | Fiction | Kids book | DAO | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Henington-Alief | Kid/Juvenile | Fiction | Kids book | DAO | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Hillendahl | Kid/Juvenile | Fiction | Kids book | DAO | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Kendall | Kid/Juvenile | Fiction | Kids book | DAO | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Oak Forest | Kid/Juvenile | Fiction | Kids book | DAO | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Park Place | Kid/Juvenile | Fiction | Kids book | DAO | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Robinson-Westchase | Kid/Juvenile | Fiction | Kids book | DAO | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Walter | Kid/Juvenile | Fiction | Kids book | DAO | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
A rollicking, action-packed adventure of laser tag and fierce sibling rivalries, Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena is the first book in a commercial middle grade fantasy series by Julie C. Dao.
Clip and Sadie Chu couldn't be more different. Popular, athletic Clip wants to become his school's first seventh-grade soccer captain, while brainy star student Sadie is determined to prove that she can do anything her boastful brother can.
They have just one thing in common: they love laser tag. Like, really love it.
When the Blackwood Gaming Arena comes to town, bringing virtual reality headsets and state-of-the-art courses, they couldn't be more excited--or competitive. But then a mysterious figure appears and claims to be a part of the game, forcing the Chus and their friends to save themselves from a sinister force lurking inside the simulation. Together, they must fight their way through epic battlegrounds that will test their speed, skills, and smarts . . . but will Clip and Sadie learn that they're far better off working together than competing for the ultimate victory?
A 2023 CBC Teacher and Librarians Favorite
Author Notes
Julie C. Dao is the critically acclaimed author of many books for teens and children including Forest of a Thousand Lanterns and Broken Wish . Her novels have earned starred reviews from Booklist , School Library Journal , and Publishers Weekly , won recognition as Junior Library Guild Selections and Kids' Indie Next List picks, and landed on multiple best-of-year lists including YALSA and the American Library Association. A proud Vietnamese-American who was born in upstate New York, she now lives in New England.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Vietnamese American siblings Clip, 12, and Sadie Chu, 11, have always been competitive with each other. Avid laser tag players, they're thrilled when the state-of-the-art Blackwood Gaming Arena opens near them. It offers virtual reality--enhanced scenarios with a leaderboard that promises great prizes, such as a month of free games--and it ramps up the siblings' rivalry. While in the game, the two encounter white-cued Tom, a boy who's trapped within the arena's ever-evolving code. After Clip becomes trapped as well, Sadie and their friends must work together to successfully play through all six courses and win their way out. Through the siblings' alternating perspectives and respective internal struggles, such as Clip's jealousy of Sadie's laser tag prowess and Sadie's frustrations with heteronormative gender roles at home, Dao (Song of the Crimson Flower) delves into the Chu's intergenerational dynamics, pressures, and expectations. The spirited narrative explores how Clip and Sadie relate to each other and their passions via virtual reality escapades, clever puzzles, and friendly sibling rivalry. A rousing adventure and heartwarming series opener. Ages 8--12. Agent: Tamar Rydzinski, Context Literary Agency. (July)
Kirkus Review
Laser tag becomes more than a game for two rival sibs in this series kickoff. Even though it gives them even more opportunities to snipe at each other, the opening of a big new gaming arcade with multiscenario virtual-reality laser tag is exciting news for both cocky seventh grader Clarence "Clip" Chu and his hotly competitive younger sister, Sadie. The stakes ramp up far past just high scores and bragging rights, though, when the two meet Tom, the son of the game's designer, who has been trapped in the game's virtual worlds and can't leave without help from a team willing to join him there--to tackle not only suddenly all-too-realistic monsters, but changing hazards and brain teasers posed by the ominously intelligent software. By the time the Chus have led Tom and assembled allies into and past the Swamp of Despair, a Haunted Castle, and other battlegrounds, their bitter rivalry has been transformed into respect for each other's complementary abilities and their own familial relationship. The apologies and gestures of reconciliation do get a bit heavy-handed toward the end, but the messaging doesn't impede the tale's quick pace or focus on action. Dao brings to life the foods, values, generational differences, and general rhythms of life in the Vietnamese American Chu household. There is racial diversity in the supporting cast. A heady mix of personal growth and high-speed gaming action. (Adventure. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
This middle-grade fantasy-series starter follows siblings Clip and Sadie Chu as they bond over laser-tag games. Though Clip and Sadie are polar opposites, they both love laser tag more than anything, as it gives them a fun way to spend time with their friends and each other. When the Blackwood Gaming Arena mysteriously arrives in their hometown, Sadie and Clip are ecstatic about the opportunity to compete in VR laser tag, but when a nefarious figure shows up inside the game, they must do everything in their power to save themselves and the rest of their friends. Are the siblings better off working together than seeing who will win? Chapters alternate between sports-loving Clip's voice and academically inclined Sadie's point of view as the siblings unravel the mystery in the most challenging--and imaginative--game of laser tag they've ever played. Young gamers, and readers who enjoy rooting for a strong sibling relationship full of competition and support, will revel in this fun, fast-paced adventure.
