Minecraft

February 1, 2021
Grades 3-5 The A Great Game! series (4 titles) gives a broad overview of some of today's most popular game franchises, offering each subject's history, evolution, basic gameplay functions, player engagement, and innovative use of technology. Minecraft features the digital sandbox's myriad uses, including various educational applications. Each volume holds to the same four-part structure: the game's history and development, rules, competitions and events, and finally, future prospects, making for well-rounded coverage that will hold interest for readers new to these games as well as for experienced players. The books draw interior-design inspiration from their subjects, though the layout is generally straightforward, with alternating text and full-color photography broken up only by occasional fact boxes and time lines. Back matter includes a glossary and further resources. Lowe's text is somewhat stilted but accessible. While paragraphs can be lengthy, the simple prose--along with the widely popular subject matter--offers high/low reading potential and will draw the eager attention of many browsers.

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April 1, 2021

Gr 4-6-Readers will be eager to learn the backstory of their favorite games (and one toy!) in this informative series. It took Epic Games six years to develop Fortnite and less than two years for it to become the most popular game in the world. LEGO was first made in 1949 and is still one of the most recognizable brands around, spawning films, theme parks, and video games. Ignoring the one time line error in Minecraft, fans will love to learn about the evolution of the successful video game. "Did You Know?" fast facts sections will fascinate with tidbits such as: playing Fortnite and performing surgery use the same part of a person's brain; there are more LEGO bricks on Earth than people; and players can now catch 640 unique Pok�mon. Each game has community events, like tournaments and conventions, that keep them popular. VERDICT Lots of information and solid writing make this series a worthy purchase.

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