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Official Minecraft Novels #6
Minecraft: The Shipwreck
Unravel the mysteries of an extraordinary underwater world in this official Minecraft novel! When three kids discover a mystery in an abandoned Minecraft server, they must race against the clock to uncover its secrets.
Jake Thomas is always the new kid. His family moves so much for his dad’s work that it’s easier to keep his head down and not get attached to anyone. He’ll be gone in a few months anyway. But when they end up in Los Angeles, Dad promises this will be the last time they move. The Pacific Crest Apartments are home now . . . which means it's time for Jake to finally make friends.
Jake isn’t sure he should count the two kids he meets at the apartment’s community center as friends, though. Tank Vuong is a large and intimidating boy who hangs with a tough crowd, and Emily Quesada is a fashionista who’s quick with a sarcastic remark. But when he discovers an old computer lab in a forgotten corner of the community center, with a strange Minecraft server containing cryptic riddles, he realizes he's going to need help cracking the code—because at the end of the summer, the community center will be demolished, and all hope of solving the mystery will go with it. Following the hints left by an enigmatic figure known as The Wizard, the trio journeys into the dangerous depths of the ocean, where uncanny creatures lurk and untold treasure awaits. . . .
Jake Thomas is always the new kid. His family moves so much for his dad’s work that it’s easier to keep his head down and not get attached to anyone. He’ll be gone in a few months anyway. But when they end up in Los Angeles, Dad promises this will be the last time they move. The Pacific Crest Apartments are home now . . . which means it's time for Jake to finally make friends.
Jake isn’t sure he should count the two kids he meets at the apartment’s community center as friends, though. Tank Vuong is a large and intimidating boy who hangs with a tough crowd, and Emily Quesada is a fashionista who’s quick with a sarcastic remark. But when he discovers an old computer lab in a forgotten corner of the community center, with a strange Minecraft server containing cryptic riddles, he realizes he's going to need help cracking the code—because at the end of the summer, the community center will be demolished, and all hope of solving the mystery will go with it. Following the hints left by an enigmatic figure known as The Wizard, the trio journeys into the dangerous depths of the ocean, where uncanny creatures lurk and untold treasure awaits. . . .
368 pages, Hardcover
First published November 3, 2020
257 people are currently reading
724 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
March 29, 2023
This book is absolutely 💯 % amazing! And it’s not ALL about Minecraft either! Love it so much!
October 19, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
it was SO WHOLESOME PLEASE😭💞🙌🏼
vraiment les 3 personnages principaux sont ADORABLES, ils ont tous leur petit truc et on voit bien que le livre donne plusieurs leçons à travers chacun d’entre eux et j’aime TROP
bon au final pas de romance mais c’est bien comme ça aussi, tous les personnages, même secondaires ont leur place (à part Shark et leur bande bon)
ça me donne vraiment envie de faire une survie là HUMMMMM 👀
bref 3e livre/9 de la série minecraft et mon préféré pour l’instant :))
it was SO WHOLESOME PLEASE😭💞🙌🏼
vraiment les 3 personnages principaux sont ADORABLES, ils ont tous leur petit truc et on voit bien que le livre donne plusieurs leçons à travers chacun d’entre eux et j’aime TROP
bon au final pas de romance mais c’est bien comme ça aussi, tous les personnages, même secondaires ont leur place (à part Shark et leur bande bon)
ça me donne vraiment envie de faire une survie là HUMMMMM 👀
bref 3e livre/9 de la série minecraft et mon préféré pour l’instant :))
May 12, 2021
This book isn't given as much credit as it deserves!!! I went into this book expecting another huge spin-off type story, but to my delight, it came out with a refreshing story about breaking stereotypes and staying true to you. The book portrayed everything in such a new and fantastic way, and I was in love with each and every character by the end! The twist was so exciting, and I had so much fun with such a satisfying ending. Woohoo!
February 22, 2022
This story was amazing! At first, I thought it was gonna be one of those stories that focused on three different "mini-stories", but as the story progressed, I realized that they were all connected! The adventure was thrilling, and everyone felt relatable to me. This is by far one of my favorite books of the series. :)
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October 8, 2023"I devoured this book in record time! The story line was absolutely captivating, and I found myself rooting for the characters throughout their journeys. The author's storytelling ability is truly commendable. I can't wait to read more from them."
July 16, 2025
This was a story that went on too long and wasn't strong enough to make me care about the story. Not to mention that this is among the Minecraft Novels that take place in the real world instead of in the Minecraft universe. That kind of story never hits the same way an in-universe story does.
October 20, 2023
Good book. All of the characters are interesting. The mystery was well developed and it was an overall good story.
August 20, 2024
It’s been a while, but I read this book in 5th grade and enjoyed it
October 10, 2024
It was a really in-depth story. Highly recommend
October 17, 2024
SO GOOD
🤯🤯🤯
Update:
STILL GOOD, GOT EVEN BETTER!! 🤯🤯 I don't understand how this is so good.
🤯🤯🤯
Update:
STILL GOOD, GOT EVEN BETTER!! 🤯🤯 I don't understand how this is so good.
April 16, 2021
This book was very different from the other Minecraft novels I’ve read so far because this book takes place in the real world. I entered this book kinda worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it (just coming from reading The Island and The Mountain, my favorite of the novels so far), but it wasn’t that bad. I thought that it felt a little odd reading about characters playing the game Minecraft, but there were a few times I forgot this book DID take place in the real world. And like the book kept stating, “I forgot the real world even existed”. The things that took place did feel a little TOO convenient and set up, and everything felt described to be more dramatic than it really was. I would have rated this book as 3 stars, but decided to give it one extra since this book isn’t exactly aimed towards my age group anyway. But it still was a interesting book to read and kept me wondering what was going to happen next.
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March 3, 2025Amazing book very intruiging and fun to read again and again.
March 4, 2022
It was very good and had a lot of team spirit.
April 21, 2022
This is by far, without a doubt, the best official Minecraft novel I've ever read. I think I liked this one because it was different from every other novel (keeping in mind, I've not read all of them) and that was it was story about kids playing Minecraft instead of a story based on characters within the game. In a way, it was better to connect yourself to the characters, especially for the target audience, which I am not a part of.
The story follows three teens during their summer before high school. We have Jake who's moved across the country for the last couple years. He's insecure and shy, doesn't really like making friends knowing he'll move again in a matter of months. Next, we have Emily, the "popular" girl who doesn't want to admit she's living a double life and trying to hide to fact she's not a high-class citizen. Last, we have Tank, who's known for riding with the bullies, though he's being bullied into being among them. They all share one thing in common and that is they love to play Minecraft. After being caught in a restricted area, they are sentenced to community service to clean up the very place they were caught trying to sneak into. Within this building, a Minecraft server is a heavily modded and a series of riddles leads to an underwater city that promises great treasure.
As I said, this was the best book and I even found myself relating to the characters. I feel like I sit right between Jake and Tank as a person. I moved around a lot as a kid and I always tried to make new friends, but it usually never works because they're rather hang out the people they knew since they were six. But I was also a quite tall and heavily built, so I often received the tag of "bully" not because I did anything but because smaller kids knew they could pin the blame on me to the adults. It's always hard being the big kid.
I will admit the story was pretty predictable and I figured out the "mystery" a third of the way through but knowing what would happen didn't make it any less exciting to read. I really enjoyed it and I'm glad I paid for it.
The story follows three teens during their summer before high school. We have Jake who's moved across the country for the last couple years. He's insecure and shy, doesn't really like making friends knowing he'll move again in a matter of months. Next, we have Emily, the "popular" girl who doesn't want to admit she's living a double life and trying to hide to fact she's not a high-class citizen. Last, we have Tank, who's known for riding with the bullies, though he's being bullied into being among them. They all share one thing in common and that is they love to play Minecraft. After being caught in a restricted area, they are sentenced to community service to clean up the very place they were caught trying to sneak into. Within this building, a Minecraft server is a heavily modded and a series of riddles leads to an underwater city that promises great treasure.
As I said, this was the best book and I even found myself relating to the characters. I feel like I sit right between Jake and Tank as a person. I moved around a lot as a kid and I always tried to make new friends, but it usually never works because they're rather hang out the people they knew since they were six. But I was also a quite tall and heavily built, so I often received the tag of "bully" not because I did anything but because smaller kids knew they could pin the blame on me to the adults. It's always hard being the big kid.
I will admit the story was pretty predictable and I figured out the "mystery" a third of the way through but knowing what would happen didn't make it any less exciting to read. I really enjoyed it and I'm glad I paid for it.
August 16, 2023
A story of three kids, the summer before high school, learning what it means to be friends.
This book absolutely evokes what it felt like when I was a kid, and random kids bonded over geeky subjects and video games, but with all the concern and internal arguments of "will this kid like who I am" voiced out, from very different perspectives. As an adult, it was charming, and I think it'd be a great book for any age kid navigating friendships. Though different, it felt very Ready Player One for me, I think because it evokes the same nostalgia.
Plus, it has great descriptions of playing Minecraft, using a mystery and riddles built by another player. It also encourages different types of Minecraft play. (Combat, planning, farming.)
This book absolutely evokes what it felt like when I was a kid, and random kids bonded over geeky subjects and video games, but with all the concern and internal arguments of "will this kid like who I am" voiced out, from very different perspectives. As an adult, it was charming, and I think it'd be a great book for any age kid navigating friendships. Though different, it felt very Ready Player One for me, I think because it evokes the same nostalgia.
Plus, it has great descriptions of playing Minecraft, using a mystery and riddles built by another player. It also encourages different types of Minecraft play. (Combat, planning, farming.)
April 9, 2021
This book was fine. It has a good story just not as Minecrafty as the other ones.
My favorites in order:
#1 The Crash ★★★★★
#2 The End ★★★★★
#3 The Island ★★★★★
#4 The Voyage ★★★★☆
#5 The Shipwreck ★★★★☆
#6 The Lost Journals ★★★☆☆
My favorites in order:
#1 The Crash ★★★★★
#2 The End ★★★★★
#3 The Island ★★★★★
#4 The Voyage ★★★★☆
#5 The Shipwreck ★★★★☆
#6 The Lost Journals ★★★☆☆
July 14, 2021
This book hit me in the feels. The characters were very likable, and it actually made me tear up towards the end. It’s a story about the difficulty of being a kid and young teen, making friends, parent/child relationships, and bonding with people over Minecraft. What could be better?
December 4, 2020
pretty good. i now want to take some of the game stuff in this book, like the riddles, and use it on my realm.
February 5, 2021
Minecraft books are really cool and I don't think I will ever get board of them. This was a fun book and I think all Minecraft fans should read it.
December 7, 2024
Belki haftada on iki (bu benim için çok fazla demek) saat Brawl Stars oynamak yerine Minecraft'a başlasaydım bir şeyler anlayabilirdim
January 8, 2023
E ARC provided by Edelweiss
Jake and his father have moved around quite a bit after the death of his mother. His father is a project manager who oversees renovation of public housing complexes, and their latest move has landed them in a somewhat rough Los Angeles neighborhood that is being gentrified. While his father claims that since Jake is entering high school they will make this their final stop, Jake doesn't believe him and prefers to spend his time in the world of Minecraft rather than trying to make friends in the real world. Living in the complex is Thanh, who is Jake's age and who is called "Tank" by the group of kids he hangs around with, including Shark, who is usually up to know good, and Emily, who is ashamed of her larger family because she has friends whose lives are devoted to Instagram, YouTube, and shopping. Tank doesn't play Minecraft much, preferring only the gardening aspect of the world building, although his younger sister Viv does. Emily plays, but is ashamed of the geekiness of the pursuit. The three meet up when they are all caught after hours in a restricted area of the construction zone by a guard. Jake's father, along with community advocate and overseer Ellen Jenkins. Instead of calling the police, Mrs. Jenkins ask that the teens be remanded to her care in order to help clean up the community center that is going to be turned in fancy shops. The kids aren't thrilled, but glad not to be in more trouble. Jake has found an old version of Minecraft on the community center computers, and it involves a mystery that he hasn't been able to solve on his own. He gets Emily and Tank involved, and in between cleaning out sentimental items from Mrs. Jenkin's office, they work their way through the game. Time is not on their side, but they find an unlikely ally, as well as a surprising enemy, to their investigation of the mermaid themed world of the game and the history of the community center. Will they figure out the game before the cord is literally pulled on it?
Strengths: This was a fantasy book involving a game that makes absolutely no sense to me, but I was able to remember the story line and even characters' names, which says to me that this is really strong writing! The parts that I like best were the real life worries. Tank's concern about his father's employment and Tank's willingness to take small jobs to help the family while grappling with issues of personal identity and trying not to get sucked into a life of crime by Shark could have been a book all on its own. Emily's desire to please her friends even though she doesn't really enjoy their activities was nicely balanced at the end when her friends didn't care that her family's abode wasn't as picturesque as their own. Jake's disbelief in his father's promises was well founded, and it was good to see that his father did make progress to giving Jake more stability, and his new friend group was quirky but based on a common interest. Even the story with Mrs. Jenkins was touching. In short, this was a solid, middle grade novel with appeal for students even in high school who are fans of the video game. There are plenty of details about that, but I have to admit that I skimmed most of those!
Weaknesses: Come on, people. There are NO other reviews on Goodreads of this book? This series has been super popular in my library, and this volume is the best of the bunch. Adult librarians and teachers, go read this NOW!
What I really think: Definitely purchasing. The Shipwreck is definitely a whole grain, fiber added Pop Tart of a book!
Jake and his father have moved around quite a bit after the death of his mother. His father is a project manager who oversees renovation of public housing complexes, and their latest move has landed them in a somewhat rough Los Angeles neighborhood that is being gentrified. While his father claims that since Jake is entering high school they will make this their final stop, Jake doesn't believe him and prefers to spend his time in the world of Minecraft rather than trying to make friends in the real world. Living in the complex is Thanh, who is Jake's age and who is called "Tank" by the group of kids he hangs around with, including Shark, who is usually up to know good, and Emily, who is ashamed of her larger family because she has friends whose lives are devoted to Instagram, YouTube, and shopping. Tank doesn't play Minecraft much, preferring only the gardening aspect of the world building, although his younger sister Viv does. Emily plays, but is ashamed of the geekiness of the pursuit. The three meet up when they are all caught after hours in a restricted area of the construction zone by a guard. Jake's father, along with community advocate and overseer Ellen Jenkins. Instead of calling the police, Mrs. Jenkins ask that the teens be remanded to her care in order to help clean up the community center that is going to be turned in fancy shops. The kids aren't thrilled, but glad not to be in more trouble. Jake has found an old version of Minecraft on the community center computers, and it involves a mystery that he hasn't been able to solve on his own. He gets Emily and Tank involved, and in between cleaning out sentimental items from Mrs. Jenkin's office, they work their way through the game. Time is not on their side, but they find an unlikely ally, as well as a surprising enemy, to their investigation of the mermaid themed world of the game and the history of the community center. Will they figure out the game before the cord is literally pulled on it?
Strengths: This was a fantasy book involving a game that makes absolutely no sense to me, but I was able to remember the story line and even characters' names, which says to me that this is really strong writing! The parts that I like best were the real life worries. Tank's concern about his father's employment and Tank's willingness to take small jobs to help the family while grappling with issues of personal identity and trying not to get sucked into a life of crime by Shark could have been a book all on its own. Emily's desire to please her friends even though she doesn't really enjoy their activities was nicely balanced at the end when her friends didn't care that her family's abode wasn't as picturesque as their own. Jake's disbelief in his father's promises was well founded, and it was good to see that his father did make progress to giving Jake more stability, and his new friend group was quirky but based on a common interest. Even the story with Mrs. Jenkins was touching. In short, this was a solid, middle grade novel with appeal for students even in high school who are fans of the video game. There are plenty of details about that, but I have to admit that I skimmed most of those!
Weaknesses: Come on, people. There are NO other reviews on Goodreads of this book? This series has been super popular in my library, and this volume is the best of the bunch. Adult librarians and teachers, go read this NOW!
What I really think: Definitely purchasing. The Shipwreck is definitely a whole grain, fiber added Pop Tart of a book!
May 20, 2022
Great book! I thoroughly enjoyed it. I do feel a few of the plot points were -too- convenient and coincidental to feel realistic in any way but I enjoyed the story regardless! It definitely captures the feeling of what it's like to create these kinds of big adventures in Minecraft. I also greatly appreciated that it showed that there's no"right" way to enjoy the game. It has someone who just enjoys farming, someone who enjoys redstone even if they aren't a genius at it, someone who enjoys pve. It's lovely to see that instead of a character who is perfect at everything in the game.
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March 19, 2021Jake is very brave. After many times of traveling around after his mom died he landed in LA. He broke into a place where they had a computer with a strange game on it, the game was Minecraft. Jake has never seen anything like it so he started to play. He was not aloud to be in the room where the game is but he wanted to play Minecraft till the end of summer when it computer will be used for scrap.
September 7, 2025
Great writing. My son requested every book with the word ‘Minecraft’ in it from our local library. He thinks he’s not ready for novels yet so I picked this up and started reading, thinking maybe I could peak his interest. No luck but it turns out this book is very well written with well-developed characters who learn and grow. I looked up the author and put some of her other books on my want-to-read list. Plus, now I’m curious about playing Minecraft with friends!
November 18, 2021
This was a great read; the kiddo loved it. Each of these books has something unique and fun, so many great stories to tell in this universe. The out-of-game storyline is the focus in this book and the characters are genuinely folks you want to root for. Better executed than "The Dragon" (which wasn't bad by any stretch, but the connections and characters here are more developed).
January 25, 2023
I read this with my three sons aged 6, 12 and 14. We've read almost all of the official Minecraft novels together, and I think we're in agreement that this is one of, if not the, best. It had a really interesting Minecraft-world adventure, and a lot of real-world heart, and even some real-world mystery, and struck a good balance between all that. Recommended.
January 12, 2023
La miglior storia di minecraft che abbia letto fino ad ora. Il libro è un misto di argomenti che combaciano perfettamente tra loro, come l'adolescenza, l'insicurezza, il bullismo, i problemi in famiglia e l'amicizia. Un opera d'arte.
January 25, 2021
This was a family read aloud. The boys loved it, age 8 and 11. I did too! Best of the series I'd say.
February 20, 2021
Its a good book, but not as good as the other minecraft novels.
April 13, 2021
This was a great book! Nice adventure components, things like that. Also not a huge downer like Minecraft: The Crash.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews