Game On: Critters

What creature would you be if you could choose to live in another body? This is a decision continually faced by Max and his irritating younger brother, Liam, when they are trapped by an app on Miss McBoob’s phone. The boys have to work together to survive as the animals in the real world, learning about the species in order to level up into larger animals and return to human beings.

The author keeps the action fast paced and the writing exciting and descriptive, though simple enough that most middle and senior primary school students could read this easily and have fun, all the while picking up facts about the animals.

Max has to face his own insecurities and learn to listen to his brother in order to make it through the challenges. As a teacher, I could see how I could use it to teach about self esteem, communication and relating to others. It is the sort of thing I often use at the start of the year to engage reluctant readers, using descriptive, yet day-to-day language, many comic-like illustrations, and a lot of fun.

The book is the third in the Game-On series, following “Shrinkle” and “Glitched”.