BOOK MARKED
14 Books for
Young Gamers
CELEBRATE NATIONAL VIDEO GAMES DAY ON
SEPT. 12 BY TURNING OFF THE ELECTRONICS
AND PICKING UP A BOOK
BY AMY K. ALAPATI, HEAD OF CHILDREN’S SERVICES AT THE DAMASCUS BRANCH,
MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARIES
Your kids have read and re-read all of the “Press Start” series, the Unofficial
Minecraft novels and the teen classic “Ender’s Game,” so what’s next?
Explore this selection of titles to satisfy gamers of all types.

PICTURE BOOKS
“Pokémon Primers ABC Book”
Written by Simcha Whitehill
Screen time is a no-no for babies, so this board
book ticks the boxes for avid gamer parents
who can’t wait for their tiny tikes to get started.

With over 100 flaps to lift on candy-colored
pages, your baby will discover a range of
beloved characters and alliterative vocabulary.

Collect all the primers in the series so that your
Trainers-in-training can learn shapes, colors and
numbers, too.

“Future Engineer”
Written by Lori Alexander,
illustrated by Allison Black
Who creates the video games we love to play
and the machines we play them on? Engineers,
that’s who! This board book explores various
engineering jobs and compares job skills
with baby’s skills: asking questions, building
and learning from mistakes. A diverse cast of
scientists and babies will spark confidence in
aspiring engineers.

“Rocket Says Look Up!”
Written by Nathan Bryon,
illustrated by Dapo Adeola
Rocket is always looking up at the stars,
while big brother Jamal is always looking
down at his phone. Can Rocket convince her
family and neighbors to unplug and enjoy the
natural wonders of earth and sky? The story
is interwoven with facts about space and
exploration, with expressive illustrations that
bring the characters to life.

28 Washington FAMILY SEPTEMBER 2021
EARLY ELEMENTARY
“Morgan’s Got Game”
Written by Ted Staunton,
illustrated by Bill Slavin
When all of the coolest kids bring their Robogamer
Z7s to school, Morgan is left out until he gets one of
his own. But when the class bully accuses awkward
Aldeen of having a fake Robogamer, Morgan finds
that some things are more important than fitting in.

The “Be Brave, Morgan!” series of chapter books for
young readers includes dyslexia-friendly features.

“Awesome Dog 5000” series
Written and illustrated by Justin Dean
In the first three books of this popular series,
video gamers Marty, Skylar and Ralph encounter
nosy spybots, an evil mayor and a supervillain
toy-designer with an army of robotic kittens.

Luckily, their superhero pal Awesome Dog 5000
is around to help them save the day. These
hilarious illustrated chapter books will appeal to
gamers and fans of Dav Pilkey’s “Dog Man.”
“The Boy Who Thought Outside
the Box: The Story of Video Game
Inventor Ralph Baer”
Written by Marcie Wessels,
illustrated by Beatriz Castro
Kids love to play them, but do they know how
video games came into our homes? A Jewish
refugee from pre-World War II Germany, Ralph
arrived in the United States and worked his way
up from radio and television technician to “The
Father of Video Games.” This nimbly illustrated
biography spotlights the creator of the first
console that connected video games to TV sets.