Crack in the Code!

Minecraft Stonesword Saga #1

by Nick Eliopulos

Get ready for next great adventure in the only official Minecraft chapter book series!

Based on the most popular video game of all time, this all-new chapter book series takes a group of intrepid Minecraft players deeper into the game than ever before. Someone--or something--has turned the Evoker King to stone. And now a new player, Theo, has joined the team on their quest to return their former enemy to normal. Theo's has coding skills that could come in handy, but does he have what it takes to be part of the team, or will his meddling put a crack in the game code that none of them will survive?

(c) 2021 Mojang AB and Mojang Synergies AB. MINECRAFT and MOJANG are trademarks or registered trademarks of Mojang Synergies AB.

Genres: Science Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Audiobook, Adventure, Middle Grade

142 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 25, 2021

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

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Children's book, adventure fiction. Though this book is #1, it would be more accurate to say it is #7, as this series spins off of the Minecraft Woodsword Chronicles: The Complete Series: Books 1-6. This book would not make as much sense without reading at least part of the first series. This book focuses a bit on Theo, who was added to the team for his coding prowess. But when his mods get a little out of hand and he tries to solve things himself, he is reminded what it means to be a team player.

[Hannah Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this was....a book.

My elementary-age kids are big Minecraft fans. We've read a bunch of Minecraft-themed books, and this one just wasn't as captivating as others. The back-and-forth between the real world and Minecraft world gave it a different dynamic. We hadn't read the Woodsword Saga and this was our first introduction to these characters, and it was a lot of indistinct characters that felt like it was trying to be an update on 80s archetypes, and the characters were mostly one-dimmensional. The occassional adults were the only ones that seemed to have any personality. The world was unremarkable. The plot was interesting, but moved at a weird pace. Again, having the kids go back and forth between the game and life broke up the flow of the Minecraft mystery.

Minecraft super fans will still enjoy this. It's definitely Minecrafty, and what gamer hasn't imagined what it would be like to live in the world.
My 7yo says he gives it 5 stars. "I really like Minecraft stories. That's why I would give it 5 stars. And I like when stuff goes missing and when stuff is interesting."
My 5yo says she gives it 154 stars. "Just because I like it a lot"

[Caleb Abel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I play Minecraft creative mode with the kids from time to time just to build with them and Minecraft Dungeons for hack and slash, so I'm not super familiar with the actual game rules in survival mode, but they are, and they seemed to enjoy this quite a bit.

There are better Chapter books I'd rather read to them, but if they wanted to read more of this to themselves, I wouldn't mind buying them more. I didn't get the vibe either of them liked it enough to do that though.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this is not a grand piece of literature, some kids who love Minecraft would love it. Special magical goggles allow a group of kids to become fully emerged into the game. When they play they are really in the game. But, weird stuff starts happening with mobs. Mobs that aren’t normally in the game are. Who added this mod?

[Levi Storm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book because it's a Minecraft book. Theo created mods with out telling his friends. The Evoker King was a stone statue but the statue broke and he was split into six different versions of himself.

[Nick Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun continuation of the WoodSword Chronicles. Good illustrations and fun variations in typography to keep younger readers interested - the characters are dynamic and believable. 8 and 5 y/o Minecraft fan love it.

[Emily Russon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to my 5y/o and I’m definitely counting it towards my reading challenge this year! 😂 He loved the illustrations and was engaged through the whole book. We can’t wait to read the next story!

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 7 year old rates this 5 stars. This book is fun and a great way to get kids interested in books. There are some bigger words, with explanations of what those words mean. I love that from a learning standpoint! Already picked up the next book in the series.

[Wendie Barney Boucher · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son, Leo, is really into Minecraft right now, so we thought he might enjoy this series. He loved it! We read it together and he really enjoyed the characters and was very excited when they entered Minecraft in the story.

[Annette Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Minecraft adventure, with Theo the new kid creating havoc in the game!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little Minecraft adventure book with some educational tid bits. It's fun and my son enjoyed me reading it to him.

[Tony CW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caleb gave it five stars and would like to read the next series.

[R.M. Methven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very fun minecraft adventure story, my 8 year old and I really enjoy these books! Just started the next one too.

[Susan Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

From my 6.5 year old son: It was good because I thought the Evoker King and Endermonster characters were cool. I hope we can read the next one too.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nik's Review

[Jackie]

Read along with my kids

[Patrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good story for the age level, paralleling real world difficulties with virtual ones in the game. It's a nice balance.

[Tiffany C · Rating 5 out of 5]

A 5 year old's review: It was the best book out of all of the books so far! I liked the friendship storyline. ⭐️

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this adventure story and my kid did too.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the messages about friendship and honesty.

[Courtney Dawson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oof 💀