{"id":32681,"date":"2025-03-18T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T04:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/?p=32681"},"modified":"2025-03-04T21:27:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T02:27:00","slug":"books-for-minecraft-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/2025\/03\/books-for-minecraft-fans\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading Beyond the Blocks: Books for Minecraft Fans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In just a few weeks, A Minecraft Movie<\/em> will be playing in theaters. My patrons are super excited to see one of their favorite games come to life on the big screen. And what better way to celebrate a new movie than with a fantastic book? If your patrons also love all things Minecraft, here are some books to help them get ready for the new film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Insert Coin to Continue<\/em><\/a> by John David Anderson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What if one day you woke up to discover your life had become a video game? That\u2019s exactly what happens to Billy. Suddenly, his clothes come with power ups, and standing up to a bully takes on a new level of difficulty. But as the challenges he needs to complete keep increasing in difficulty, can he a find a way to get his life back to normal? This book is perfect for readers looking for a fast-paced read.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Insert<\/a>
Insert Coin to Continue by John David Anderson. Book Cover from Simon & Schuster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Trapped in a Video Game<\/em><\/a> by Dustin Brady<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Playing video games is fun. Being stuck in one with your best friend while a mysterious figure is chasing you? Less fun. After Jesse and his friend Eric get trapped inside a new video game, they need to find their way out without getting destroyed. There are five books in this series, all based around different styles of video games. Readers who are looking for a new series to start will find this series impossible to put down.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Trapped<\/a>
Trapped in a Video Game by Dustin Brady. Book Cover from Andrews McMeel Publishing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Minecraft: The Island<\/em><\/a> by Max Brooks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Of course no A Minecraft Movie<\/em> book list would be complete without the official Minecraft novels. In this novel, Brooks puts the reader directly in the middle of the action. It matches the tone and feel of playing Minecraft exactly. For fans who want to relive their favorite video game, recommend this title.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Minecraft:<\/a>
Minecraft: The Island by Max Brooks. Book Cover from Penguin Random House<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Slacker<\/em><\/a> by Gordon Korman<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Playing video games all day long is a dream come true\u2026 until your parents pull the plug. When Cameron\u2019s parents tell him he needs to find another hobby, he starts a fake club at school to fool them. But when the plan goes a little too <\/em>well and actual students start joining the club, can Cameron find a way to survive being a club president? This book is perfect for readers looking for a laugh-out-loud funny book.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Slacker<\/a>
Slacker by Gordon Korman. Book Cover from Scholastic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Last Gamer Standing<\/a><\/em> by Jake Maddox<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No one expected Thema Turner to become a gamer \u2013 least of all Thema herself! But Thema loves to read, so when she discovers a game that reminds her of her favorite trilogy, she can\u2019t stop playing! Can this new gamer find a way to win it all? Readers who are fans of Jake Maddox\u2019s sport stories will love his take on competing in esports.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Last<\/a>
Last Gamer Standing by Jake Maddox. Book Cover from Capstone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Sadiq and the Gamers<\/em><\/a> by Siman Nuurali<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sadiq is a proud member of his school\u2019s video gaming club. Together, the club plays video games and has a great time. But after the club members realize their club needs a service component, Sadiq finds a way to combine video games and service at the local retirement home. This is a great recommendation for readers who are members of video gaming clubs, or those who love giving back to their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Sadiq<\/a>
Sadiq and the Gamers by Siman Nuurali. Book Cover from Capstone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Camila the Gaming Star<\/em><\/a> by Alicia Salazar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Future superstar Camila needs new video equipment. How can she become the huge star she was always meant to be without it? But new equipment costs money, and Camila doesn\u2019t have any. Then, her brother comes up with a genius plan: win the money in a video game tournament! One small problem: Camila doesn\u2019t play video games. Can she practice enough to win the competition that\u2019s just one month away? This is the perfect book for patrons who not only love gaming, but also love gaming influencers and watching gamers on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Camila<\/a>
Camila the Gaming Star by Alicia Salazar. Book Cover from Capstone.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

These titles would be great in a Minecraft book display. They could also be featured in a larger Minecraft program. You can host a Minecraft game at your library<\/a>, or make Minecraft characters with LEGOs<\/a>! You can even use building detailed Minecraft universes as a launching point for a creative writing program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to Minecraft programs, just like building in Minecraft, the possibilities are endless. What books and programs does your library offer for Minecraft fans?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ann Baillie<\/strong> (she\/her\/hers) is the Youth Services Assistant Manager at the Alsip-Merrionette Park Public Library in Alsip, Illinois. She is a past-manager of the Illinois Library Association\u2019s Youth Services Forum. Her main interests are the connection between Readers\u2019 Advisory and technology, and how libraries can use technology to better reach patrons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post addresses ALSC Core Competencies<\/a> II. Reference and User Services and III. Programming Skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In just a few weeks, A Minecraft Movie will be playing in theaters. My patrons are super excited to see one of their favorite games come to life on the big screen. And what better way to celebrate a new movie than with a fantastic book? If your patrons also love all things Minecraft, here are some books to help them get ready for the new film.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":389,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[2869,64,210,1604,81,1606],"tags":[429,534],"class_list":["post-32681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogger-ann-baillie","category-bloggers","category-books-2","category-competencies-for-librarians-serving-children-in-public-libraries","category-gaming","category-reference-and-user-services","tag-minecraft","tag-readers-advisory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/389"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32681\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alsc.ala.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}