School Library Journal (Thu May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Gr 4-6 Pete Watson is a gamer. When the latest hit game gets released, he has a plan to secretly buy ituntil he discovers that his mom has borrowed some of his money. Revising his plan, Pete holds a garage sale and sells anything in the house he can find, including his father's CommandRoid game console. This proves to be his biggest mistake as he discovers that his dad is really a super-spy, and is now trapped inside a video game due to Pete's poor decisions. Now the youngster has to pull together all of his skills to undo what he has done. The book's opening line, "On the Saturday morning that I almost triggered the end of the world, I woke up early," will hook readers immediately. Short chapters, engaging titles, lists, and several diary-type sketches will appeal to kids with short attention spans. The plot includes plenty of humor, mystery, crime fighting, and even a bit of romance. Another fun addition is the flip-book character at the bottom of each page, as well as the author's reference to the digital version of the book that doesn't exist. With so much discussion of coding and gaming in education, this is a timely addition, and it could lead to extension activities such as animation, game design, or transmedia projects. Andy Plemmons, David C. Barrow Elementary, Athens, GA

Kirkus Reviews

An adventure of video games and spies. On "Brawl-A-Thon 3000 XL" release day, Pete Watson makes a terrible discovery: His mother's borrowed his savings, leaving him without enough cash to buy the greatest video game of all time. To raise the money, he hosts an impromptu, unsanctioned garage sale. Desperate Pete puts out his dad's ancient game console, a CommandRoid 85. The mysterious Bug Man quickly purchases it, and Pete is all set to buy his own game. But then his dad shows up at the video game store, upset about the sold console, but before he can question Pete as to its whereabouts, he is abducted by suit-clad goons. Shortly after this, the president of the United States holds a press conference, spouting gibberish. To find out how the president, his father and the CommandRoid are connected, Pete reunites with ex–best friend Wesley and Wesley's sister, Callie. They've been on the outs since he catastrophically mishandled her discovery of his crush on her. Of course, by the time the conspiracy is unraveled, the only way to save the world is for Pete to win an epic, multilevel video game boss battle. The illustrations range from cartoons to heavily pixelated images, suited to the pseudo-multimedia book's hilarious references to the special features the digital edition will have. A progressively silly, retro-geeky action story for the YOLO generation. (Science fiction. 8-14)

Horn Book

When talented gamer Pete Watson sells a dated video-game console to get cash for the newest Brawl-A-Thon release, he unknowingly gets his father kidnapped and puts United States security at risk. With rapid-fire plot twists, slapstick comedy, and interactive illustrations complete with an "eight-bit" Pete animated through the page turns, this light read champions video-game history and skills.

ALA Booklist (Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2014)

Sixth-grader Pete Watson has been saving up and counting down for the release of Brawl-A-Thon 3000 XL, the latest version of his all-time favorite video game. When he goes to get his allowance and finds an IOU from his mom instead, Pete throws together a quick garage sale with junk from the basement to raise the missing funds. Incredibly, Pete's single sale s dad's old gaming console, the CommandRoid 85 ts into motion a plan to take over the world. Kidnapping, CIA agents, code words, disguises, and blackmail all come into play and come to a head at a gaming convention, where Pete's video-game skills are called upon to save the day in "the most epic boss battle of all time." Funny and fast-moving, Schreiber's (Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick, 2011) latest is ridiculous fun. Narrated and purportedly illustrated by Pete himself, the book has a conversational, almost interactive quality to it. Also included: good old middle-school awkwardness, a rocky friendship, and an embarrassing crush. A madcap adventure that leaves no doubt that "video games are serious business."

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

For kids raised on Xbox, is there anything more pathetic than an old eight-bit video-game system? Pete Watson certainly doesn't have any reservations about selling his father's ancient CommandRoid 85 at an impromptu garage sale, not if it means he can afford a hot new game, "Brawl-a-Thon 3000 XL," the day it's released. Unfortunately for Pete, selling the CommandRoid is the first link in a wild chain of events that involves his father being kidnapped, an evil exterminator, and a destructive computer virus. At stake are no less than a killion dollars ("a number so large it would literally kill you") and the fate of the free world. Schreiber (Lenny Cyrus, School Virus) remains talented at combining anything-can-happen action and on-the-mark humor ("This is beyond awful," says Pete's father, after being digitized into an eight-bit character by the bad guys. "I know," replies Pete. "These graphics stink"). Rash's spot cartoons are entirely in sync with the story's goofy, metafictional humor and deliver many jokes themselves, making the novel read like a distant action-oriented cousin to the Wimpy Kid books. Ages 9-12. Author's agent: Phyllis Westberg, Harold Ober Associates. (Mar.)