SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

March 13, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS

Teen Tech Week: More Than Just a Game

March 13, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS   2 comments

If you were to ask me to make a list of my Top 10 books, one of the books on that list would be Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.  I know that a lot of people are not fans of Card the author because of some of the statements he has made in the press (there is an overview of that discussion at Salon.com last week), but I am a fan of some of this book.  Ender’s Game has never let me down as a go to rec for male and female readers alike who are looking for some fast paced science fiction with a touch of heart.  And it is definitely a great read for Teen Tech Week.  But Ender’s Game is not the only book out there about video gaming gone bad.

Take 5: More Than Just a Game
What happens when you can’t get out of the game?

Erebos by Ursula Pozananski
Some games won’t let you stop playing, so it is better not to even start.  Unfortunately for 16-year-old Nick, he didn’t take that advice and now he is sucked in to an online game that appears to know things about him, almost like the game is watching him.  Fast paced, thriller and right on target for today’s gaming teens, a must read.
Insignia by S. J. Kincaid
Like Ender’s Game, Insignia is the story of a war fought by video games and technology, except here the teens involved absolutely know they are soldiers.  But there are some things they don’t know, and those things matter.  Tom wanders from casino to casino with his dad winning just enough to survive on virtual games when he is recruited to the cause. 
Brain Jack by Brain Faulkner
Vegas is destroyed, gone in a terrorist attack.  And the drug of choice is an online game.  Sam Wilson will do anything for a headset and to get him into the game, but once he is in he might wish he had never entered.  Once you enter in, your mind is linked to the system.
Doomed by Tracy Deebs
Beat the game, save the world.  Pandora receives a link to an online game where she releases a global virus that plunges the world into a panic never seen before.  The only way to restore the world as we know it is to beat the game.

BZRK by Michael Grant
I mentioned it in an earlier TTW post, but BZRK falls into this category as well. Also, it is the start of a new series that should prove to be really popular combining video games, nano-technology and evil geniuses trying to take over the world through politics.  What is not to love?

Filed under: Collection Development, Reader's Advisory, Technology, Teen Tech Week, Uncategorized, Video Games

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

March 2013

Take 5: Teen Tech Reads (Karen's picks)

by Karen Jensen, MLS

March 2017

Video Games Weekly Disney Emoji Blitz

by Karen Jensen, MLS

March 2017

Video Games Weekly: Abzu

by Karen Jensen, MLS

September 2016

Video Games Weekly: No Man's Sky

by Karen Jensen, MLS

June 2016

Video Games Weekly: E3

by Karen Jensen, MLS

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Sydney Taylor Blog Tour: THE TOWER OF LIFE by Chana Stiefel and Susan Gal

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Who’s In Rabbit’s House by Verna Aardema, ill. Leo and Diane Dillon

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Akim Aliu Dreamer | This Week’s Comics

by Lori Henderson

Heavy Medal

What’s Coming in 2023, A Feedback Poll, and Goodbye for Now…

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

I Spy Something Awkward, a guest post by James Ponti

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Books Restricted, Removed in MS, IA, OR, and FL Districts; 'Out of Darkness' Stays at NC High School | Censorship Roundup

Colorism, Internalized Racism, and the Power of Privilege: Malla Nunn Discusses "When the Ground Is Hard"

Debut YA Author Crafts a Fantasy Western That Empowers Readers

A Peek at the SLJTeen Live! Books

Q&A: Kacen Callender on Self-Love, the Pandemic, and 'Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution'

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brooke DelVecchio says

    March 14, 2013 at 10:07 am

    Ender's Game was not high on my list. I really didn't like it. I seem to be in the minority. I found it long and boring and had a really hard time getting through it. I also could not connect with any of the characters and found it unrealistic.

  2. Teen Librarian's Toolbox, Karen says

    March 14, 2013 at 1:15 pm

    Brooke, I am sorry you didn't like Ender's Game. What tech themed YA fiction do you like? I like to learn about new titles.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023