Into the Game!

Minecraft Woodsword Chronicles #1

by Nick Eliopulos

The first official chapter book series based on Minecraft!

Five young Minecraft players in the real world find themselves transported inside the game they love. But now it's not a game--and they will have to use everything they know to explore, build, and survive! This illustrated hardcover series will thrill and engage fans of Minecraft and action-packed fantasy stories alike.

Genres: Childrens, Chapter Books, Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Adventure, Science Fiction, Juvenile

139 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2019

About the author

Nick Eliopulos was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida, where he grew up on a steady diet of super-hero comics and “non-fiction” books about alien abductions, psychic phenomena, and Sasquatch. He was fortunate to have parents and teachers who encouraged his off-beat reading habits, which ultimately led him to pursue a degree in cultural studies at the University of Florida.

Shortly after graduating, Nick moved to New York to work in publishing. In the course of his thirteen-year career as a children’s book editor, he had the opportunity to write for a number of licensed properties, from Thomas the Tank Engine to DC Super Friends and Scholastic’s New York Times bestselling multiplatform series Spirit Animals. His original comics work has appeared in anthologies Stuck in the Middle and First Kiss (Then Tell).

Nick’s debut novel, The Adventurers Guild, will be published by Hyperion in October 2017. Co-authored with his best friend Zack Loran Clark, the book is heavily inspired by the duo’s collaborative storytelling experiences with tabletop role-playing games; they’ve been in the same weekly gaming group for nearly a decade.

Nick lives in Brooklyn with his husband, a fellow editor, author, and Southern transplant. He’s currently employed as a narrative designer for an indie video game studio. He still reads super-hero comics and harbors an ever-dwindling hope that Sasquatch might be out there.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't give too much personal information for HIPAA reasons, but I work as a registered behavior tech. That means I spend a lot of my job tutoring children with autism. I absolutely love my job, but teaching reading to a kid who hates reading can be challenging. I teach a child whose parents never read much to him because he has a short attention span. He wouldn't sit down and listen to five minutes of Harry Potter or The Hobbit, so his parents gave up. Reading is a non-preferred activity, so he simply never learned how to read and now feels frustrated that he's academically behind his peers. However, he absolutely adores Minecraft. This book series has been a godsend! My child LOVES listening to this series. He gets so excited that he's actually starting to take reading seriously so he can read these adventures himself! I buy each book on Kindle for 10 dollars a piece out of my own pocket and I'm absolutely thrilled to get such a deal! It's worth every penny. For any of my friends who teach small children and know a reluctant reader, I highly recommend this!

[Yochi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the format of this book. Changing fonts, lots of illustrations throughout. We read a fair amount of Minecraft novels with no illustrations and complicated text, so I loved there was an option for my 6 year old's level. We are also reading The Notebook of Doom which is a similar format, so I couldn't help but compare the two. In Into the Game I found following the characters difficult. There were a lot of them, with so many names that can fit with either male or female that I frequently forgot the characteristics of the kids I was following. Their backstories also weren't compelling enough for me to care about them or find any of them to be memorable. At the end of the book it left it open-ended, forcing you to get the next book to find out the outcome. My son rarely chose this book to read at night, favoring Notebook of Doom, which is a lot to be said as the NoD series is not Minecraft and my child is obsessed! Great concept, but fell short on the story itself.

[Orion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am 7. I read this book when I was punished and couldn’t use any electronics ALL DAY! It was a great book, my favorite character was Doc Culpepper. She is a scientist and thats what I want to be when I grow up.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eindelijk dan het eerste boek gevonden! Ash is voor het eerst op de school en ik vond het erg leuk om te zien hoe ze zich motiveerde en hoe slim ze was. Ik vond het super hoe Jodi meteen haar onder de vleugels nam en ze best goede vrienden werden. Ik moest wel even schakelen want opeens is het een tijdje later en is er een wetenschapdingetje. Ik vond Jodi en Ash project echt fantastisch. Een exploderende Creeper pinata? Hallo, wil ik ook! Ik vond Morgan vanaf het begin gewoonweg strontvervelend. Ah, boehoehoe, iemand anders moet ook zorgen voor de klassenhamster, wat heb je het zwaar. Oh nee, iemand vindt een spel leuk dat jij ook leuk vindt, dat kan natuurlijk niet hé Morgan. En zo zit hij wel vaker te zeuren of haar expres niet bij dingen toe te laten. Wat een prut zeg. Gelukkig ziet hij wel in dat hij gewoon gemeen was. Uiteindelijk. *rolt met ogen* Ik vond het erg leuk om te zien hoe de kinderen in Minecraft kwamen en hoe ze probeerden uit te vinden hoe alles werkte en natuurlijk, heel belangrijk, hoe ze eigenlijk uit de wereld komen. Want probleempje... ze krijgen de VR niet af omdat ze die niet voelen. Oepsie. Ik vond het leuk om te zien hoe ze samenwerkten en hoe ze iets geweldigs bouwden. En dan is er natuurlijk ook het mysterie dat er gebeurde, iemand anders is ook in het spel. Dum dum dum.

Ik zal de reviews voor boek 1 + 2 ook op mijn blog posten combined.

[Sarah Monzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

8 year old who loves Minecraft loved this book. He can’t wait for the next one.

[Jemily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud with my boys! It was a cute book; much better than I expected. We will get the second one for sure.

[Ezra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really awesome book about MINECRAFT!!!!👍✍️✍️✍️✍️📕📝🖊

[Amna 🔖 · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rate for this book is 3.8-3.9...
I like the idea how they entered minecraft world using VR i hope there will be a real VR minecraft game someday it will be incredibly amazing 💫

"four eyes are better than two"
"Just beacuse it's challenging doesn't mean it's hopeless"

[Luca Paolo Cardile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED it!It is my favorite in the series!!!I think I might buy it with my mom,Laura!!!

[Justine Cucchi-Dietlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be recommending this chapter book to reluctant readers at my workplace. I appreciated that it actually took direct references from the game.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I liked the glasses they wore in the book.” -Robert
“Nothing.” -Theo

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

good book. already want to read the next book. —Newton

[Brittany H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listen if I’m reading these out loud to my kids I’m going to count them 🤣

[Manaal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was astonishing, brilliant, joyful, and delightful. This was a cute book. I am 13 years old so this is a little underage for me. But I decided to pick it up because it looked cute and it was enjoyable, kinda kiddish but that is why it's a children's book. But it is really enjoyable for any age!

The characters in this book are Morgan, Ash, Jodi, Po, Harper, Ms. Minerva, and Doc Culpepper. So Doc Culpepper gives the kids VR goggles to transfer to a game called Minecraft. They're in Minecraft and build and see some cool stuff. The new girl at school joins them as well and help them survive.
This book was amazing. It made me want to read more of the series because it left on a to be continued. But I do not have the series on me. But overall I would give it 4/5 stars. There are somethings I would change, like maybe knowing the characters more and who they are. And plot it better. But it was cute and simple, easy to read and I enjoyed it!

[N.L. McFarlane · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you could go into a game, actually into one with the help of VR, would you, and what would it be?... I personally would love a set of VR goggles to take me into a book world, I will await that invention xD
This was a great little read, it's a little basic in the beginning with most of the minecrafty bits towards the middle and the end but it has great world building and characters, with plenty of cute little illustrations. My boys loved it and were very much disappointed that after an hour past bedtime we couldnt start the next in the series so if there's any minecraft lovers out there, then it's well worth a read.

[Book Wyrm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for minecraft fans. Hardcover, high quality, awesome pictures. The font has some bold lines/words and some in a different font. That actually helps to keep the young reader from skipping lines/losing their place. Love it.

[Suzanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought it best to read so I can talk to (Quiz) my son on what he's reading. Surprisingly good book. If you enjoyed ready player one or sword art online you will find something to love about this story.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this aloud with my 7 year old daughter who like many kids her age is obsessed with Minecraft. We both really enjoyed it. It is well written, the characters are interesting and the action held our interest. The illustrations and interesting fonts interspersed throughout mean this works well for younger kids. So many Minecraft themed books are too wordy for the 6-8 year old range. We are excited to continue on with the series.

[Iys rAngel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, since my seven year old sister said it was great, and it *certainly* delivered.

To any of you mc obsessed out there, THIS is the book for you.

We have adventure. We have friendships. We have gaming. We have a diverse, lovable group of preteens nerds. We have fear and excitement. We have problem-solving. We have Minecraft.

Anyone want to hop on the craft with me? You only can if you read this first.
Also- I have five more books to go! Lucky me.

[Tiffany C · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 4 Year Old's Review: "That was the best book ever that I've read in my whole life." He said he loved the ending. "Dr. Culpepper was my favorite character. She was funny." He liked that they were stuck IN minecraft, and he has been turned off of VR goggles. He said it was fun, not scary, and he's excited to read the next one. :)

It was all appropriate, and it was a quick and fun read, perfect for a level 2 reader with assistance from a parent for the big words.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Son (9 years) started reading this first with dad. They both loved it. Then daughter (7 years) and I started reading the book. We almost finished the entire series. The story involves 5 friends who go to school together and they experience Minecraft adventures while forming new friendships (with the new girl in school), solving problems, as well as exploring each others strengths and trysting one another.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading this series with my son, Z, and we both enjoy it. As a parent it is a rarity to find a book that catches my interest as much as my 6yo son's. I didn't expect that this would be one of those reads - minecraft isn't my thing at all - but the writing is well done, the characters are lovely and the premise is clever enough to keep me interested. Thank you Nick Eliopulos!

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son started reading chapter books and has eventually made it to these. He likes them, but the simple writing, mixed with a high number of characters makes the dialog a bit hard to follow when everyone is in the game and trying to interact. Harper and Ash and Jodi all kind of mix together at times. Interested to see how things progress with the gang.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, but engaging. Read this to a 4/5 class and I think the Minecraft element of the story added to the interest level for the kids. You definitely need to keep reading the series because the book abruptly ends as if it were a chapter. There is really not too much to say about the story, it is basically your learn to get along and acceptance type of message, but not too preachy.

[Samantha George · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read with my two Minecraft crazy boys (8 and 10)
We all enjoyed the book, and it was funny how they could both predict what the characters would build from what materials they found! Lots of great pictures with lots of details throughout.
This is book one in the series and we can’t wait to start book two to continue with Morgan, Jody, Ash, Harper and Po’s adventure!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My almost 7 year old is just starting to get into Minecraft and I have been hunting for a series that captures his attention the way The Bad Guys books have.

I think this might be it.

I appreciated that it was diverse without being preachy or obnoxious. It had solid messaging around making new friends and teamwork.

Hopefully the rest of the series is the same!

[Margaret Boling · Rating 4 out of 5]

10/22/23 ~ I was pleasantly surprised with this "fan fiction" style chapter book for & about kids who are really into Minecraft. The five characters were distinct with relatively good characterization. Recommended for kids who love Minecraft and for those who might be difficult to entice into reading.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m loving reading this book with my Minecraft, obsessed son! It’s helping me to learn more about the world that he loves and help me understand when he wants to share his excitement about the game with me. He is enjoying the characters and how they explore their Minecraft world. We love the cliffhangers and twists in this series.

[Kelen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t usually write reviews, but this series deserves a shout out. If you’re a parent like me who would rather not read a book about Minecraft…give these books a chance! They’re intelligent, kindhearted, and fun. Definitely vocabulary building for my seven year old in the best way with lots of little plays on words that were fun to break down for him.

[Cayleigh Stickler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with/to my 8 year old, and it was so good we finished it in one sitting. My kids usually read comic stories (think Dog Man), which are still okay, but I've been trying to find something a little more chapter book-y for them to practice reading more. I love reading (and writing) litRPG stories, so I was delighted to see it's litRPG-esque to introduce them to the genre.