My favorite books for elementary students who love games

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been a gamer all of my life and am a teacher of elementary school students. After finding the LitRPG genre I wished to share this with other kids... like the one I had once been. Most parents in the genre push full 200k books on their children with an expectation of found love. While I imagine it works for a few of them, I rather expect that the majority of those attempts end in failure. Kids have their own world and their own sense of humor. I write to them, to inspire them and make them laugh, to make them entertained even as I teach them universal morals and lessons about the world.



I wrote...

Fairy Knights: The Beginning

By Dames Handsome, Warwick Wilson (illustrator),

Book cover of Fairy Knights: The Beginning

What is my book about?

Fairy Knights is an enchantingly childish fairy-tale adventure packed with unexpected plot twists that will make the readers turn the pages. While entertaining and fun, it also highlights problems children face in their everyday lives and confronts them in a manner that is both educational and comforting. Child-read and child-approved, Fairy Knights is a tale written by a father for his son to help him address the world that he lives in, and to show him ways in which to successfully navigate the complexities of real life.

It is the story of Ching Goo, Oma Bell, and Hamster Rick, together with their teacher, Dames Handsome, as they begin their adventures through the worlds of the multiverse, putting wrongs right and making tales end happily ever after.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Portal to a New World

Dames Handsome Why did I love this book?

I would personally recommend Isekai Kids because the characters are an adventurous and entertaining bunch whose antics really speak to children, especially gamers.

Ollie, Jimmy, and Grant activate a magical video game cartridge—and are transported to the land of Otherworld. The characters are realistic in their curiosity and desire to have a fun adventure in a place that is a mix of video game and amusement park with a strong dose of magic. Each of the characters has their own unique personality and approach to solving problems in Otherworld. Ollie is Courageous, Jimmy is Clever, and Grant is Smart as they work their way through the trick, traps, and battles of the Game World. 

Overall, it is a tale of teamwork, and an entertaining story of adventure and exploration.

By Thomas Shuler, Rachel O'Brien (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Portal to a New World as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Why do we love to play games? Because we are able to explore new worlds, go on adventures, and even come face to face with danger! And since games come with rules, it has to be safe, right?
Olivia Green loves games! She plays them all: Board Games, Table Top RPGs, and of course her favorites: Video Games!
But none of them were "real." That is until she stumbled upon a mysterious game at a garage sale. A game that was far more than any game she had ever played before. This game was magic!
Before she knew it, Olivia…


Book cover of The Accidental Minecraft Family Book 25

Dames Handsome Why did I love this book?

The fact that it is set in a highly recognizable franchise makes kids very excited to read it. But the text itself is great.

The story follows the rules of the game, staying true to the ‘universe’ in which it is set, and making the text relatable to children worldwide. It contains great humor for the K through 6th grade age range, and honestly, I got a real Disney sense when reading it before giving the book to my son. It swirls with happy-laugh energy, a key element in books these days since they must compete with video games and screen time.

By Pixel Ate,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Accidental Minecraft Family Book 25 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Accidental Minecraft Family has faced an army before, but nothing like this.

Ortho is back, and it looks like he’s collected every pillager in the world! Plus a powerful Omega Beacon he is using to enhance his forces. But that's not even the worst part. He and his pillagers have learned to mine and craft, taking away the family's biggest advantage.

How will The Accidental Minecraft save the village from such an overwhelming foe?


Book cover of The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

Dames Handsome Why did I love this book?

I bought the book out of curiosity not even knowing it was for kids. And once I realized what it was, I read it to my son. He loved it. Let me describe it in the style it is written:

High-energy text right from the beginning. Honestly the inspiration for my own series and its style of writing. The protagonist has special powers that are ranked in a game-like manner using levels. It appeals to the gamer youth of today, relating to the games that they play even now despite having been written thirty years ago. A solid A plus production.

By James Patterson, Michael Ledwidge,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Dangerous Days of Daniel X as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

Fifteen-year-old alien hunter Daniel X is on a mission to finish the job that killed his parents - to wipe out the world's most bloodthirsty aliens on The List. At the number-one spot, The Prayer is Daniel's ultimate target. With mind-blowing skills like telepathy and the ability to transform and create, Daniel's got more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Along with his friends Willy, Joe-Joe, Emma and Dana, Daniel hunts down the aliens on The List one by one. But as he battles towards his top target he can't forget one thing: he's got a host of aliens…


Book cover of Trapped in Roblox!

Dames Handsome Why did I love this book?

I write because I love to entertain children. Seeing a child write and publish at just ten years old is phenomenal and I fully support his endeavors. Not only that—I honestly enjoy the book. He writes well for his age and, better than that, he maintains the tremendous creativity of youth. The adult continuity that is set and made rigid by our years of getting older is not present in this story.

And many of the things that occur within will honestly make you laugh out loud.

As a book it was written by kids for kids, pretty obviously. But I guarantee it is fun for all ages.

By Dean Hanson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Trapped in Roblox! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Kids who love Roblox will love this. It is the story about 10-year old Dean Hanson and the wild adventures he has trying to escape from inside Roblox back to his parents and home.

Age Level: 7-11 Grade Level: 2nd and up

Dean Hanson loves Roblox and computer games. Almost as much as he loves his parents. But things go wild when he sneaks to his computer to play more Roblox after his mom and dad go to sleep. You see, it is a dark and stormy night and the adults always warn you not to play video games when…


Book cover of Flight from the Dark

Dames Handsome Why did I love this book?

Lone Wolf is a book that is also a game. A LitRPG for Kids, originally written in the 80s, it is the start of a wonderfully long series of illustrated books that both allowed children to choose their actions as the protagonist of the story and also gave them choices on how to develop the hero and make him progress.

It’s a model of book that I really would like to see more of today.

Lone Wolf might be the series that started me on my gaming path, and it is a magical and beautiful quest that teaches about honor, teamwork, and clever tactical planning.

Even better, the author made the series free online in 2015. So it is now available all over the internet and even as a number of free phone apps.

By Joe Dever,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Flight from the Dark as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

You are Lone Wolf. In a devastating attack the Darklords have destroyed the monastery where you were learning the skills of the Kai Lords. You are the sole survivor. FLIGHT FROM THE DARK You swear revenge. But first you must reach Holmgard to warn the King of the gathering evil. The servants of darkness relentlessly hunt you across your country and every turn of the page presents a new challenge. Choose your skills and your weapons carefully - for they can help you succeed in the most fantastic and terrifying journey of your life. The LONE WOLF adventures are a…


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Let Evening Come

By Yvonne Osborne,

Book cover of Let Evening Come

Yvonne Osborne Author Of Let Evening Come

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up on a family farm surrounded by larger vegetable and dairy operations that used migrant labor. From an early age, my siblings and I were acquainted with the children of these workers, children whom we shared a school desk with one day and were gone the next. On summer vacations, our parents hauled us around in a station wagon with a popup camper, which they parked in out-of-the-way hayfields and on mountainous plateaus, shunning, much to our chagrin, normal campgrounds, and swimming pools. Thus, I grew up exposed to different cultures and environments. My writing reflects my parents’ curiosity, love of books and travel, and devotion to the natural world. 

Yvonne's book list on immersive coming-of-age fiction with characters struggling to find themselves amidst the isolation and bigotry in Indigenous, rural, and minority communities

What is my book about?

After her mother is killed in a rare Northern Michigan tornado, Sadie Wixom is left with only her father and grandfather to guide her through young adulthood. Miles away in western Saskatchewan, Stefan Montegrand and his Indigenous family are displaced from their land by multinational energy companies. They are taken in temporarily by Sadie’s aunt, a human rights activist who heads a cultural exchange program.

Stefan promptly runs afoul of local authority, but Sadie, intrigued by him and captivated by his story, has grown sympathetic to his cause and complicit in his pushback against prejudiced accusations. Their mutual attraction is stymied when Stefan’s older brother, Joachim, who stayed behind, becomes embroiled in the resistance, and Stefan is compelled to return to Canada. Sadie, concerned for his safety, impulsively follows on a trajectory doomed by cultural misunderstanding and oncoming winter.

Let Evening Come

By Yvonne Osborne,

What is this book about?

After her mother is killed in a rare Northern Michigan tornado, Sadie Wixom is left with only her father and grandfather to guide her through the pitfalls of young adulthood.
Hundreds of miles away in western Saskatchewan, Stefan Montegrand and his Indigenous family are forced off their land by multinational energy companies and flawed treaties. They are taken in temporarily by Sadie's aunt, a human rights activist who heads a cultural exchange program.
Stefan, whose own father died in prison while on a hunger strike, promptly runs afoul of local authority, but Sadie, intrigued by him and captivated by his…


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