Piece Out

by Alex Willan

Toy Story meets Traction Man Is Here! in this picture book that offers a fresh spin on a universal the secret action-adventure story of a toy.

When Red, a game piece, is accidentally left out of the game box, nothing—not a hungry robot nor ferocious Lady Flufferton—will stop Red from reaching home.

The unthinkable has happened! Red is alone on the living room floor, far from the safety of the game closet and best pal, Yellow. After almost being devoured by a ravenous robot (a.k.a. the vacuum cleaner), Red embarks on the dangerous journey home. There will be perils—a transparent cliffside to climb, hanging forests to conquer, and the beastly Lady Flufferton (a.k.a. the family dog) to escape. And there will be setbacks—as when Red is found and carelessly tossed into the junk drawer. But in this action-packed, humorous story, Red learns from mistakes and discovers that with perseverance and resourcefulness nothing is impossible.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Adventure, Childrens, Games

40 pages, Hardcover

Published May 20, 2025

Reviews

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this one!! It has a simple message: hard work, perseverance, and a desire to do something make you stronger, smarter, and eventually get you where you want to be.
What’s unique is that it’s all from the perspective of a game piece lost from a board game!! There are adorable pages of the piece navigating the living room (quite intense if you’re only an inch tall!), adorable references about discovering your own strengths (and weaknesses); and the perfect reunion/next adventure moment at the end.
This is a very safe book for any age group. It’s also very innocent so you can gift it to anyone at all without concern they might be offended. Plus, it encourages family game nights (and really who doesn’t love a good game night, especially when you’re younger, it’s such a treat when the adults play kids games!)
I highly recommend Piece Out for anyone!

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

[Sarah BT]

This would be a fun book to read for a gaming program. It's Toy Story meets family game night and has great humor for kids and adults.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED it! The story and pictures were perfect! Creative idea!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Copy provided by the publisher

When the red piece from the Kaflooble game gets knocked off the table on family game night, he waits for someone to pick him up. Instead, he finds himself fleeing from a loud and hungry robot, and ends up under the sofa with other missing toys. They offer him refuge, but he is determined to make his way back to his best friend, Yellow. Slowly making his way across obstacles on the ground, he encounters Lady Flufferton, a poodle, and decides it would be safer to travel the higher ground. After a perilous trip through the fish tank, he arrives at the bottom of the game shelf and sees his box, only to be whisked away and thrown in the junk drawer. Still determined, he organizes supplies and makes his way back, where he tells his friends about his adventures. When Yellow goes missing, Red is prepared to go and save his friend.

The digitally rendered illustrations are clear and bright, and show ordinary household objects from the view point of Red, which is charming and had a similar vibe to Mary Norton's classic The Borrowers, especially with the paperclip mountain climbing equipment. I also enjoyed the map at the front of the book that labeled things like "cascading cliffs" (stairs) and "swishy washers" (washer and dryer).

This also had a good message about perseverance, even if I found it a little hard to believe that someone would have found a game piece right in front of the boxes and not returned it. The junk drawer was a fun place to visit, though, and the one depicted looked pretty much like mine!

I like the idea of an adventure starring toys, but the books I'm familiar with usually involved stuffed animals, which makes sense. Red's journey will be a great read for imaginative children who wonder about the sentient quality of their toys and who enjoyed Deacon's While You are Sleeping or Jenkins' and Zelinsky's Toys Go Out.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Piece Out" is a story of adventure, bravery, and bettering yourself. The cover art and title will likely bring the reader a nostalgic feeling of playing board games with friends and family or interest in beginning this tradition in other households. The story follows "Red Piece" as his family finishes an exciting and competitive night of games and fun; unfortunately, he finds himself outside the box and is left to fend for himself in a strange and scary world of humans and their items. Red Piece uses his skills, problem-solving, and bravery to travel across rooms with obstacles, such as the family dog and vacuum cleaner, all threatening his goal of finding his way home.
Giving Red Piece human characteristics allows any reader to understand what is happening; making shoes into hills and building blocks into ruins adds to the excitement and imagination found throughout the story. My 9 and 10-year-olds (and myself) found it to be an enjoyable read and worthwhile to have in any home library. The overall story gives vibes of Disney's Toy Story, sure to excite readers of all ages.

Thanks to NetGalley, Astra Publishing House, and Alex Willan for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

[Pamela Hatch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family game night - the same as every week -- except this time a game piece is left out of the box being left behind -- lost and alone. The red piece gathers up his courage and uses his problem solving skills to find his way back to where the board games are stored. But just as his goal is within his reach - things change as a family member notices him and transports him to the "junk" drawer. Red piece bids his time with learning and strategy until he is ready with a plan to return back to where he belongs sharing his amazing adventure with the other game pieces.

Very creative story -- notice the little details along the way -- especially the map. The bright, glossy pictures by the author provide a wonderful element to enhance the story.

A common topic where toys come to life when the humans are not there - and where the toys themselves teach us valuable lessons.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the free eARC.

This is the story of the piece left out of the box! After family game night, the red token rolls under the table and gets left behind. After scurrying under the sofa to hide from the scary vacuum cleaner, he goes on a daring adventure to return to his friends in time for the next family game night. The story itself is pretty much what you would expect, but the illustrations are a delight. There are so many little jokes and Easter eggs for readers to pick up on. This will definitely be a fun one to display for summer reading, given that the theme is all about games and gaming.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this title. What a fun story for both kids and their caregivers. Being a family who loves games, and family gamenights, this book hit home. Illustrations are well done, and story is well told and creative. Highly recommend.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For more reviews and discussions, listen to my podcast The Honest Book Reviewers with Nate and Emma.

https://open.spotify.com/show/3H3ugH4...

[Kaitlyn Bieszk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely cute book about a game piece being left out of the box by accident and his adventures to get back home to his "box". This was a perfect book to read to my kids and they event created some stories of their own of what could happen to that piece that is left behind. Our favorite part was when the piece was put in the junk drawer. We will be adding this book to our physical library upon publishing on May 20, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for the advanced reader copy.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a review copy from Astra Books for Young Readers through the PW Grab-a-Galley Summer 2025.
The Red piece accidentally gets left out of the game box after game night. Readers travel with him on adventures as he moves through the house to find his way home. Be sure to check out the map on the opening pages and use it to follow along as you read the story. Fortunately, he makes it home just in time for game night but the ending offers a surprise and Red may have to set out again. I love the character development as he learns along the way.
Terrific read together.

[Tina Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG. This is the most adorable and fun book I have read in a while. The perspective of the house through the game piece's eyes is so creative and definitely taps into that childhood whimsy of naming things that you don't know the names too. This book is full of adventure, perseverance, and fun.
I love the main characters confidence. Definitely a perfect book for a read-aloud or Storytime.

Thank you to Netgalley and Astra Young Readers for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Binxie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, poor red piece, left out of the box on family game night. Very fun and clever book about red's adventures in trying to find their way back to their game box. The illustrations have a CGI quality to them that lends itself to a game themed book. Kids will enjoy the ingenuity of red as they navigate common objects found in most homes. Think this will be a good one for secret readers to share.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read-aloud to include on family game night! It could be a fun guessing game, too, to see if young readers can figure out what the "smelly hillsides" are or what the "transparent cliffside" really is. Fun reading for all!

A must-have addition to any library, especially to add to your Alex Willan collections!

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This witty adventure of a game piece that is not put back in the box on game night and the harrowing adventures that await that game piece. I laughed out loud often and cannot wait to share this one with my students. This is a first purchase book and I will buy it for both of elementary school libraries!

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so cute! I love all the illustrations and the story. I laughed several times and found myself guessing which games were in the game closet. I think I got most of them correct. Puppy Bomb was my favorite play on a real game. The under the couch experience looked very realistic as well. Oh, and the scary vacuum! lol.

Mia’s 2nd Year of Books: Day 155

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good play on words, so I was ecstatic to receive a review copy of Piece Out!
The illustrations were super colorful and detailed. Seeing the household items from the game piece's point of view was fantastic! I adored this picture book, and readers of all ages will enjoy Piece Out!

[Michele Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex Willan brings his humor to a new story and ponders the question, what if there is a piece out - a game piece is not put back into its box... will it be lost forever? Not for Red, it makes sure it will find its way back! A quest to return to the box - and help others!

[Miss Janis the Storytime Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for older pres. funny. littles were kind of lost, but the bigs were all in and got the humor and liked talking about what things *actually* were and guessing what other things might be called if they were that size.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A game piece gets left on the floor after family game night. It was funny to see normal stuff from the perspective of a tiny game piece. As a mom, I never would have picked a game piece off the floor and put it in the junk drawer. That's something my husband would do. 😆

[Alison Strandell · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the funniest children's books I've read in a long long time!! It speaks to me. The adventure of a game piece through the house, when the kids lose the piece, and of course the house is a messy trek... <3

[Christa Thrasher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious! Following the red game piece as he searched for his way back to his game was so fun! I loved the map of the house and the way the book ended. So so so much fun!

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Young readers will love the adventure and the illustrations.

[Morgan the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a fun plot but the art wasn't very attractive (to my eyes, at least) and I found it pretty long. I probably would skip over this one if I came across it on the shelves.

[Dolores · Rating 5 out of 5]

When red finds himself left behind after Friday Family Game night, he is determined to find his way home. Humor and adventure. Great fun!

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s quite interesting and good. I also like how Red will work on saving Yellow at the end. 💛 Love the board that comes with the book!

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"My time outside the box had changed me." A funny, clever story about a game piece who is determined to get back to his game box.

[Jill Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book! Can’t wait to share with my grandchildren!

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

[Christi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This needs to be made into a movie like yesterday.

[Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Doll People meets The Days the Crayons Quit!