Dylan Alcott Game On (Dylan Alcott, #1): A fun and empowering new illustrated children's novel by Australian Paralympian

by Dylan Alcott, Fiona Regan

Simply a great middle-grade read for all kids -- fun, funny, relatable and a little bit cheeky. Just like Dylan.


'My life so far has been pretty primo.
At home I've got a great family (sure, even my big brother, Jack, when he's not being a total pain) and my pet legless lizard, Pogo (she can lick her own eyeballs, really).
At school there's my awesome friends Yusuf, Gemma and my best mate, Hannah. In between there's coding, mixing tracks and shooting hoops.
Now it's time for something new -- high school.
Confession, I'm not always a fan of new things.'

When old friends and new collide, a teacher called Grumps is on your tail, and the school talent show looks like turning into a real-life drama, twelve-year-old Dylan discovers his family motto is going to come in handy -- it's not all about you.

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2024

About the author

Dylan Martin Alcott OAM is an Australian wheelchair tennis player, wheelchair basketball player, radio host and motivational speaker. Alcott was a member of the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team, known colloquially as the Australian "Rollers".

Dylan is the 2022 Australian of the Year ~Wikipedia

Reviews

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on the cover, Game On looked to be a new book in the tradition of the many sports stars who have written books for kids - Sam Kerr, Tim Cahill, Mitchell Starc etc. However, this one aims a little older, and has a focus well beyond sport.

It tells the story of Dylan, a 12 year-old boy in a wheelchair, and his friends as they start the transition into high school. I love the representation and normalisation of disability this book provides, something Dylan has done a fantastic job of for as long as I can remember.

From time to time Dylan recounts the questions people often ask him, followed by his response. This exchange right at the start revealed one of my own misconceptions about people in wheelchairs:

Do your arms get tired?...
Do your legs?

I've often had that thought myself, without ever making the connection to legs!

The story shows some people who are mean to Dylan because of his disability, some who are thoughtless, some who are well-intentioned but not actually helpful and some who treat Dylan the way he wants to be treated.

But this book is about much more than Dylan and his disability. "It's not all about you, Dylan!" This book is about the struggles we all face at times in life, about friendship and about being aware of what others are going through.

Dylan finishes with another of his exchanges:

What's it like being different?...
We're all different. Haven't you noticed?

Are you going to get better?...
I don't need to get better. Mate, I love just how I am.

I really enjoyed this story. I think many students will find it very relateable and I look forward to seeing what happens in the next instalment.

[Gemma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook was slightly hard to follow. Great to put this content into accessible kids stories. I think the writing style could be improved upon to make the concepts, language, and messages more clear and consistent to the target audience. This would have eased the reading as well.

[Teacher Librarian Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dylan Alcott is an absolute gem! This is a much needed series - for kids with disability to be represented in a novel and for others to learn from their perspective. I learned a lot from this book and hope that it will open doors for greater accessibility. It shouldn’t be requested - we as a society should make accessibility part of everything we build from the start and not an after thought. I also enjoyed following the journey of all the characters transitioning to high school, it is a difficult time and it was captured well.

[Morgan the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you Harper Collins Australia for providing me a copy for my honest review.

A new series from the perspective of a twelve-year-old with a disability starting high school. This follows Dylan and his friends and follows the emotions of starting high school and having a disability is done with a humorous light-hearted tone while still exploring all the anxiety and hardships this change children face.

I was thrilled to see a new series wth disability representation and to read from that perspective too was eye-opening. The friendship group tried to represent different types of personalities but I feel fell short and would loose interest in some readers.