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Player Attack
This 100% unofficial Minecraft chapter book is packed with all the action, adventure, and humor a young gamer could wish for! The first in a new series featuring classic Minecraft characters, creatures, and quests! Winston is a Minecraft wolf on a mission! The problem is that he's not very good at fighting crime, and the infamous Baby Turtles are forever scheming, creating all manner of chaos across the Overworld. Then Winston has the brilliant idea of taming a Minecraft player to be his secret weapon. Can Winston and his pet player finally reveal the true evil nature of the Baby Turtles, or will they be defeated by these lovable critters over and over again? Read and find out in this unofficial Minecraft series that features illustrations throughout!
- GenresChildrens
128 pages, Paperback
Published December 26, 2023
20 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 12, 2024
This book is a sure fire way to get your Minecraft obsessed reluctant (and not so reluctant) readers off the computer and into a great story.
Winston the Minecraft wolf pup is determined to become a GUARD - Guardians United Against Real Danger - the best wolf squad around! The only problem is that training isn't going quite as well as he thinks it is: He has fallen off the obstacle course, chatted through silence training, and managed to help the other team to victory in capture the flag! When an unexpected attack leaves the headquarters underdefended Winston is the first to volunteer to help patrol the area to keep everyone safe. When his team leave him behind Winston spots the masterminds behind all the disturbances he realises it is up to him to stop them - and it is Winston's special skills that will save the day. Because Winston doesn't think like everyone else, he can see what no-one else can!
I am sure every ADHD kid will relate to Winston's enthusiasm and unintended chaos. And Minecraft fans will love this take on the other side of their favourite game. Recommended for 6-10 year olds.
Winston the Minecraft wolf pup is determined to become a GUARD - Guardians United Against Real Danger - the best wolf squad around! The only problem is that training isn't going quite as well as he thinks it is: He has fallen off the obstacle course, chatted through silence training, and managed to help the other team to victory in capture the flag! When an unexpected attack leaves the headquarters underdefended Winston is the first to volunteer to help patrol the area to keep everyone safe. When his team leave him behind Winston spots the masterminds behind all the disturbances he realises it is up to him to stop them - and it is Winston's special skills that will save the day. Because Winston doesn't think like everyone else, he can see what no-one else can!
I am sure every ADHD kid will relate to Winston's enthusiasm and unintended chaos. And Minecraft fans will love this take on the other side of their favourite game. Recommended for 6-10 year olds.
March 17, 2024
My 5 year old loves reading chapter books with me and this was the first one that had fewer pictures than what she was used to. She surprised me by being totally fine with it and loving the story! It definitely helps if you have a basic understanding of how Minecraft works to understand a lot of the humor in it. But she and I both enjoyed it a lot! We're looking forward to continuing the series together!
June 21, 2024
I LOVED this book. I loved how Winston befriended a player and gave him a name (brian) when he had a name already. I also loved how the baby turtles were evil it was perfect.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2023
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Winston Wolf is very excited to start his training for the wolf guard; after all, his mother, Wendy Wolf, is a high commander. Winston, however, doesn't pay very good attention and finds himself biting one of his friends instead of sticks during training, and doesn't seem to understand what "silence" means. Some of his friends, like Felicia Fang and Lobo, are very understanding and long suffering, but even his mother is beginning to wonder if he is really cut out for any of the jobs the wolf pack has. When there is a threat to security, High Commander Okami decides to send the wolf scouts out of the den to see if they can figure out what is going on. Winston heads out with his friends, having stopped by Edwina's shop and picked up some of her technological inventions that the wolves don't like to use. When the group arrives, they wisely tell Winston to stay in one location and watch for suspicious things. When a player comes into his area, he decides that he will tame him, and gets the player to throw him lots of bones. When the two finally talk, Winston tells the player that he will be called Brian; of course, the player thinks that HE has tamed Brian. Something has gone wrong with the other wolves, and Winston's guess that the threat is coming from the baby turtles is correct. He thought that they were criminal masterminds. Luckily, one of Edwina's inventions is an anti-adorbs collar, so Winston is immune to their cuteness. He manages to save his friends and get them back to the den, where he tells his mother that the job he will be best at is secret agent, and that secret agents don't have to worry about their social skills because they don't work in packs, they work alone.
Strengths: This is written in 30 point font, with many bold words (think Geronimo Stilton) and pictures, and presupposes a really good working knowledge of the Minecraft game and universe. Winston's goofy enthusiasm and his habit of misbehaving because of this enthusiasm will be seen as amusing by the target demographic. This was a nice deep dive into the inner workings of an underrepresented Minecraft subgroup. Their heirarchies, acronyms, and training are well described. Winston "taming" a player was interesting, especially when the player said that his mom told him it was time to stop playing the game, and Winston wasn't quite sure what he was talking about. I can see this being hugely popular with younger readers who enjoy Minecraft.
Weaknesses: Since I have never played Minecraft, I found this very confusing. I didn't really remember the wolves having any role other than just menacing in the background of games. I'm sure that the average 8 year old Minecraft enthusiast could get me up to speed.
What I really think: This series will be perfect for readers who love Barnett and Lowery's Mac Undercover (Mac B., Kid Spy #1), but are a tiny bit below the reading level required by Cube Kid's Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior series. (Which I not only purchased, but purchased a second time in better bindings because they were so popular.) I'll probably buy these (if they are available in prebinds) for my school library for the struggling 6th grade reader, but most of my students will prefer the DelRay Books/Mojang Minecraft novels like The Haven Trials.
Winston Wolf is very excited to start his training for the wolf guard; after all, his mother, Wendy Wolf, is a high commander. Winston, however, doesn't pay very good attention and finds himself biting one of his friends instead of sticks during training, and doesn't seem to understand what "silence" means. Some of his friends, like Felicia Fang and Lobo, are very understanding and long suffering, but even his mother is beginning to wonder if he is really cut out for any of the jobs the wolf pack has. When there is a threat to security, High Commander Okami decides to send the wolf scouts out of the den to see if they can figure out what is going on. Winston heads out with his friends, having stopped by Edwina's shop and picked up some of her technological inventions that the wolves don't like to use. When the group arrives, they wisely tell Winston to stay in one location and watch for suspicious things. When a player comes into his area, he decides that he will tame him, and gets the player to throw him lots of bones. When the two finally talk, Winston tells the player that he will be called Brian; of course, the player thinks that HE has tamed Brian. Something has gone wrong with the other wolves, and Winston's guess that the threat is coming from the baby turtles is correct. He thought that they were criminal masterminds. Luckily, one of Edwina's inventions is an anti-adorbs collar, so Winston is immune to their cuteness. He manages to save his friends and get them back to the den, where he tells his mother that the job he will be best at is secret agent, and that secret agents don't have to worry about their social skills because they don't work in packs, they work alone.
Strengths: This is written in 30 point font, with many bold words (think Geronimo Stilton) and pictures, and presupposes a really good working knowledge of the Minecraft game and universe. Winston's goofy enthusiasm and his habit of misbehaving because of this enthusiasm will be seen as amusing by the target demographic. This was a nice deep dive into the inner workings of an underrepresented Minecraft subgroup. Their heirarchies, acronyms, and training are well described. Winston "taming" a player was interesting, especially when the player said that his mom told him it was time to stop playing the game, and Winston wasn't quite sure what he was talking about. I can see this being hugely popular with younger readers who enjoy Minecraft.
Weaknesses: Since I have never played Minecraft, I found this very confusing. I didn't really remember the wolves having any role other than just menacing in the background of games. I'm sure that the average 8 year old Minecraft enthusiast could get me up to speed.
What I really think: This series will be perfect for readers who love Barnett and Lowery's Mac Undercover (Mac B., Kid Spy #1), but are a tiny bit below the reading level required by Cube Kid's Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior series. (Which I not only purchased, but purchased a second time in better bindings because they were so popular.) I'll probably buy these (if they are available in prebinds) for my school library for the struggling 6th grade reader, but most of my students will prefer the DelRay Books/Mojang Minecraft novels like The Haven Trials.
November 5, 2025
Randomly stumbled across this lighthearted scherzo of an adorable wolf. Despite being an adult already, the book drew my attention as someone who is looking for material that paints dogs/wolves in their best glory. Hugely because I am working on a Minecraft Java wolf overhaul mod, and trying to give the wolves personality so each wolf sings rich and different. So if anything, I could learn a thing or two from the author’s creative interpretation of the wolves to improve the project.
Got jolted on the very first page. Not gonna lie. I was not expecting the book to subtly nod to the cult classic Ōkami, a game that I cherished deeply. Imagine my delight when I met High Commander Okami! From that point on, I started putting on the Ōkami soundtrack while reading to accompany the rest of the book, and it fit perfectly! “Issun’s Theme” matched Winston’s clumsiness so well it felt almost intentional. And then, a few pages later, Okami is described as having a samurai sword strapped to his back. At that point, I just laughed. Looks like our high commander furball would get along very well with No-Bath Ammy *wink wink*.
I really love the author’s charming interpretation of the Minecraft wolves. Here, every wolf has a duty, whether as a GUARD, or Guardian of United Against Real Dangers, or an investigator (or, Winston would call it, a spy). I truly enjoyed the personality the wolves had. Found myself especially drawn to the charm of Winston. His hilarious nosiness and clumsiness are the engine of the story’s scherzando tone. He's ambitious but constantly tripping over his own paws, misunderstanding commands, and failing at the exact moment he tries to be heroic. This lovable, goofy energy makes him the perfect narrative “clumsy student”, creating a necessary counterpoint to the disciplined world of the HOWL Council. Yet underneath that lies an observant and curious self waiting to be discovered. I was especially fascinated by the creative game mechanic interpretation, the classic red collar that appeared with the hearts popping up, that seemingly useless accessory that Edwina invented turned out to be an intuitive (and hiddenly life-saving) device!
As I finished the book while listening to "Good News for Kokari", I was struck by a beautiful parallel—and counterpoint—to a storyline from distant mythic Nippon, where No-Bath Ammy lives. Winston, a clumsy wolf, discovers his purpose with the help of Brian, his player; meanwhile, Kokari, a clumsy child, finds his destiny with the help of his faithful dog, Ume. It's a mirror image: in one story, the wolf needs the human; in the other, the human needs the dog. Both tales celebrate how companionship helps the uncertain find their path. The book even inspired me to arrange the piece for piano, which I dedicated to Winston *wink* *wink*.
Overall, I adore this little charming book… and honestly, I just want to pet that goofy Winston.
Got jolted on the very first page. Not gonna lie. I was not expecting the book to subtly nod to the cult classic Ōkami, a game that I cherished deeply. Imagine my delight when I met High Commander Okami! From that point on, I started putting on the Ōkami soundtrack while reading to accompany the rest of the book, and it fit perfectly! “Issun’s Theme” matched Winston’s clumsiness so well it felt almost intentional. And then, a few pages later, Okami is described as having a samurai sword strapped to his back. At that point, I just laughed. Looks like our high commander furball would get along very well with No-Bath Ammy *wink wink*.
I really love the author’s charming interpretation of the Minecraft wolves. Here, every wolf has a duty, whether as a GUARD, or Guardian of United Against Real Dangers, or an investigator (or, Winston would call it, a spy). I truly enjoyed the personality the wolves had. Found myself especially drawn to the charm of Winston. His hilarious nosiness and clumsiness are the engine of the story’s scherzando tone. He's ambitious but constantly tripping over his own paws, misunderstanding commands, and failing at the exact moment he tries to be heroic. This lovable, goofy energy makes him the perfect narrative “clumsy student”, creating a necessary counterpoint to the disciplined world of the HOWL Council. Yet underneath that lies an observant and curious self waiting to be discovered. I was especially fascinated by the creative game mechanic interpretation, the classic red collar that appeared with the hearts popping up, that seemingly useless accessory that Edwina invented turned out to be an intuitive (and hiddenly life-saving) device!
As I finished the book while listening to "Good News for Kokari", I was struck by a beautiful parallel—and counterpoint—to a storyline from distant mythic Nippon, where No-Bath Ammy lives. Winston, a clumsy wolf, discovers his purpose with the help of Brian, his player; meanwhile, Kokari, a clumsy child, finds his destiny with the help of his faithful dog, Ume. It's a mirror image: in one story, the wolf needs the human; in the other, the human needs the dog. Both tales celebrate how companionship helps the uncertain find their path. The book even inspired me to arrange the piece for piano, which I dedicated to Winston *wink* *wink*.
Overall, I adore this little charming book… and honestly, I just want to pet that goofy Winston.
March 22, 2025
This one was a cute read. My 7-year-old son and I read this together, and every night he kept asking me to keep reading. I read book 3 first, and once I got a had a proper feel for the "voice," it was actually pretty fun to read aloud. The plot is easy to follow and Winston Wolf is a likable character.
November 3, 2025
I really liked when Brian and Winston defeated all the baby turtles with the Trident…that part was awesome! But I felt sad when Winston fell off some of the obstacles in the obstacle course. I really wanted him to win. If I illustrated the story, I would draw Winston beating all the obstacles and looking super proud at the end!
October 30, 2024
I read this with my son when I found out he had a book report due this week. It was cute, I recommend for kiddos who love Minecraft. It also created some mommy and son time. Very quick read. Less than an hour
Read
March 6, 2024I'm reading every day in March for school and read this in two days.
December 19, 2024
Cute book with some funny moments and lots of Minecraft references. Second grade reading level.
January 22, 2025
Minecraft loving 10 year old really enjoyed this and raced through the first three books!
Read
February 3, 2025Read with my son. We really enjoyed Winston and his story.
February 7, 2025
Jerome: “I liked how the boy made a new friend. I also like that the wolf made a new partner. And I like that the wolf said he was a detective. I like that the baby turtles were the bad guys.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 6, 2025
Read aloud with Harry. He enjoyed it, I didn't so much ☺️
September 3, 2024
I think this is a great book for kids like me. This book is filled with Action, Mystery, Good laughs and many more. I think this book is that great because I loved the plot and how the story went. I Also liked how when Winston thought that the baby turtles were the villain's but nobody believed him. Then we find out that it Is the cute NOT-innocent baby turtles.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews