Product Description
From New York Times bestselling author Molly Knox Ostertag and critically acclaimed illustrator Xanthe Bouma comes an all-new Dungeons & Dragons graphic novel series!
Middle school is a dungeon… At least, that’s how Jess sees it.
Luckily, she and her best friend Olivia know how to escape into the sprawling worlds of their own imaginations. The two friends have always loved making up stories, first with little kid games of make-believe, and more recently with the fantasy roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons. When they play, Olivia runs the game as Dungeon Master and Jess is the solo party member, playing a take-no-prisoners, lone-wolf fighter of her own design named Sir Corius.
But when Olivia wants to add new players to their group, Jess finds herself struggling to share their game—and her best friend. Will their epic campaign withstand all this change, or has their adventure—and their friendship—finally come to an end?
From School Library Journal
Gr 4 Up-Jess Descheene and Olivia Aguilar have been best friends for years, but as eighth grade begins, their friendship is changing. Olivia runs their two-person Dungeons & Dragons game, but she wants to invite more players. Jess prefers stories to friends, but she gradually opens up to the idea of letting more kids play with them. The action happens between the real world and the imaginary one, but sometimes the worlds overlap. Jess sees school through a D&D lens, looking at other students and imagining their character sheets, using criteria like "popularity class" and "bully potential." In one of the most striking images of the story, Jess sees some other girls in the school bathroom, and in the mirror they are reflected as monsters. Bouma's artwork is very appealing, with colors ranging from cool earth tones to bolder and brighter shades, depending on the location and emotion of each scene. While this is an ultimately uplifting story, these students deal with absent parents, school bullies, and learning to be brave enough to stand up for their friends. Jess begins this book thinking that going to middle school is harder than slaying monsters, but she evolves over time and learns that both her game and her heart are big enough to make room for new people. VERDICT For readers who are fans of or are curious about role-playing games, or those seeking heartwarming stories about friendship and imagination.-Andrea Lipinskiα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review
An absolutely wonderful story that exemplifies the joys, challenges, and lifelong memories forged between friends in the creative furnace of roleplaying games. The vibrant, energetic art further elevates the beautiful dichotomy between epic, fantasy adventures and finding one's place in those awkward teenage years. I couldn't help but see much of myself and my own youth in parts of each character as they find their companions in real life through their imaginary adventures, and the sense of unparalleled bonding one finds within a good game group resonates deeply throughout this story. I absolutely loved it. — Matthew Mercer, creator of Critical Role
The power D&D has to help you explore and express yourself is on full display in this lovely story of friendship and growing up. — Kat Leyh, author of Snapdragon
Perfectly captures the magic when the world you create with your friends becomes as real as the world around you. — Tim Probert, author of the Lightfall series
A thrilling and gorgeous adventure that goes straight for your heart. — ND Stevenson, New York Times bestselling author of Nimona
What Molly Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma pull off in Dungeon Club is nothing short of astounding. Contained within these magical pages are not one but two amazing stories: fantasy and reality woven masterfully together by Ostertag's spellbinding storytelling. An adventure filled with fun, magic and deep insight into the trials and trib
