“Only three squads left.”

From Sam Nisson’s Power Up.

Miles has been playing the video game Mecha Melee with the username of Gryphon and with the help of fellow player Backslash, he has been able to move up leaps and bounds in the game. Unbeknownst to Miles, he attends school with Backlash, who in real life is the quiet new student Rhys. While Rhys knows that Gryphon is Miles in real life and tries to build up the courage to befriend him in real life, Miles is completely unaware of Rhys’ existence. Miles tries to befriend the school’s popular bully, who tolerates Miles except for his unending Mecha Melee talk, and Miles soon finds himself on the fringe of the popular kids. However, when that popularity pushes Miles to humiliate Rhys at school, Rhys uses Gryphon to destroy all of the duo’s digital achievements, leaving Miles with nothing in the game. As Miles tries to find joy in his favorite game again and Rhys tries to overcome the extreme hurt he’s experienced, a video game convention might just provide both boys an opportunity to discover the truth and the importance of doing what’s right for friends.

This video game centered story is fast-paced, genuine, and fun for young readers. Johnson’s illustrations are bright and captivating, especially the scenes set in the digital realm, but the book’s real strength lies in the message it promotes. While Power Up might not appeal to all readers, gamers will find this book impossible to put down.