Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries meet Minecraft in this first-of-its-kind story.
Gerald Creeper Jr. is a self-proclaimed pacifist (which, by the way, has nothing to do with a pacifier), but he finds himself in the war zone when he starts his first year at Mob Middle School. At his new school, every monster in the Overworld is jockeying for power, and the skeletons seem to have it out for him.
Armed with a 30-day plan (he can thank his mom’s self-help obsession for that), Gerald makes it his mission to use his brains—instead of his blasts—to survive the school year. It all starts with:
Day 1: Come up with a nickname. (Gerald is not gonna cut it.)
Day 2: Keep a low profile. (Not easy when your new best friend is a super bouncy slime!)
Day 3: Avoid being target practice for skeletons, and somehow get in with super-popular Eddy Enderman. (Easier said than done.)
The first book in this laugh-out-loud funny, heavily illustrated, diary format series for Minecrafters follows the most misunderstood hostile mob in the Overworld. It’s not easy being green . . . or explosive!
This adventure series is created especially for readers who love the fight of good vs. evil, magical academies like Hogwarts in the Harry Potter saga, and games like Minecraft, Terraria, and Pokemon GO.
This was a great book to read if you want to take a break from reading a big book and if you like Minecraft. It’s cool because some people that are first going into Middle School can relate to this book (not in the game sort of way, but more of in the middle school bully/best friend moving away/new school type deal). I myself didn’t have to go through bullies (yet), and I just don’t really relate to this book. It is still good though! Also, I may look around and see if I can find the second book in this series.
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets the world of Minecraft.
This book reads exactly like a Wimpy Kid book, even with same type of illustrations and notebook type pages. It's all about Minecraft characters and middle school and all the pitfalls & characters you would encounter in both of those worlds. My 5th grader is currently reading this. He's enjoying it. I'm fine with it because it has a good finding yourself and dealing with bullies message.
I read a lot of children's books and books for all reading levels but I will admit that since my own children are now adults I am not as familiar with children's entertainment (television, video games, etc) as I once was. This book appears to take off on the popular 'Minecraft' gaming series. It's a game I've seen played (briefly) but know nothing about it.
However...a good book should have certain qualities no matter what the themes and story-lines and this one just doesn't have what it takes.
I'll start with humor.... This is intended to be funny - to appeal to the same reader that would laugh uproariously over a fart or belch - but I found nothing here that even had me crack a smile (I admit...I'm a tough audience). The book starts with our central character introducing himself (Gerald Creeper, Jr.) and complaining that his mom makes him eat brussels sprouts and then he and his mother do a rap song. And then there are the 'laugh out loud passages' such as:
Dad says I'm a "pacifist." The first time he said it, Chloe laughed. "Gerald sucks a pacifier," she said, pointing at the rubbery thing Cammy sucks on.
Despite being a Creeper, Gerald has many of the same problems that our average fifth grader might experience - bullies, being given awful nicknames ("Itchy"), and having to deal with affectionate cows.
Bottom line - I was bored and not amused. I can't recommend this. I give it as much as two stars because I'll consider that there's something important I am missing by not being familiar with Minecraft.
Looking for a good book? Mob School Survivor by Greyson Mann is targeted toward elementary school readers who enjoy computer gaming, but doesn't reach up to their level of interest.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelwiess, in exchange for an honest review.
(We didn't actually read this series for school, but as a little enjoyable evening reading.)
My Minecraft-obsessed 6-year-old and I have now read everything "Minecraft" themed on the market, I think, and while most of the literary tie-ins to the game are insipid and tedious to read, this series was actually a lot of fun for both of us.
Designed in journal fashion, complete with ruled pages and a typeface that looks like hand printing, these diaries detail Gerald's many 30-day plans to accomplish some goal (usually impeded several times by bullies at school or his evil twin sister.) The majority of the conflicts are related to middle school, but even my little guy could appreciate Gerald wanting to be the "cool kid" at school and finding his "coolness" offset by his own anxieties and his complex relationships with his parents and other school kids.
What's cool about the books is that while the characters and situations come out of Minecraft, the stories are straight out of any middle school kid's life. There are no crazy battles with enchanted swords. Just kids having the kinds of troubles kids have -- and eventually figuring out the right ways to solve their problems. The books don't preach. They're written well. The characters are believable and interesting. Don't let all the "media tie-in" hype fool you. These books are simply good childrens' literature disguised as Minecraft fiction.
BTW: "Creeper" is a Minecraft character, not any kind of weird stalker -- I'm adding this to the review because Grandma started to read these with us and was confused.
This isn't my favorite reluctant reader book, but fans of Minecraft will love it. It's full of the Minecraft characters. The story is told from a Creeper's point of view. Creepers blow up when they get mad. Gerald is a pacifist creeper, which is unusual, but he's proud of it, because his grandfather was a pacifist. Gerald is starting middle school and he wants to get things off to a good start, so he makes a list of things he needs to do to make it happen. One by one he's failing at his list and middle school is not looking good.
Other Minecraft characters in the book are zombies, skeletons, slimes and witches. I could care less about Minecraft, which may be influencing my opinion, but I don't think this book would stand a chance without its association with Minecraft. It's a typical storyline and the whole diary thing is starting to get annoying. But I'm a grown-up. What do I know?
I'm not a big fan of zombies and Minecraft but this was a good children's book. Gerald,the main character has to deal with a new school, making new friends and putting up with his evil twin sister as he likes to refer to her. Sam gets a crush on Willow who is a witch and his sister Chloe has a crush on a human named Steve. Just everyday life for Gerald.
This book is a really cool book for upper elementary and middle school boys. All minecrafters are likely to love this book, but it does have some components that go against what really happens in Minecraft, so that is why I am rating this four stars instead of five stars.
Such a goofy read. I guess I didn’t like it much just because there wasn’t much happening. Or maybe there was too much happening. Maybe I would’ve liked it more if I was into Minecraft still. Also if I was younger.
I bought this book for my 10 year old from his schools book fair and he read it within the first day. He loves this book and is looking forward to reading the rest in this series.
i think itchy the creeper and his freind sam make a perfect team together but along the way ithchy and sam disconect from one a nother so itchy becomes freinds with ziggy zombie
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was a fun read-aloud. The minecraft theme is secondary to the story, but it made my 7-year-old stay very invested. We will probably read the next one in the series.
This is the best Minecraft book I have ever read! It's about a kinda dorky Creeper named Gerald with a wacky family who is just surviving Mob Middle School. . . Things got a little crazy!
I liked it a lot, especially when you play Minecraft you know what each mob (Minecraft monsters) does, he explains the mob jobs in other ways instead of saying it directly, a very good book.
I won my copy from a Goodreads sweepstakes. I am always on the lookout for books for my students. Although I wasn't sure I would like the book, it did impress me on the lessons taught. It is written like a Diary of a Wimpy Kids book with illustrations on most pages. Gerald Creeper, the main character, is starting middle school along with all the other monsters, like slime, skeletons, witches, zombies, etc. Gerald has a plan how to survive the first thirty days. Things don't go exactly as planned. This book is Gerald's diary.
I personally did not read this book, but it is the first time my eight year old son has enjoyed reading a book and read it cover to cover, so it's a win for me!