The Nerdy Dozen

April 7, 2014
Thirteen-year-old Neil Andertol may get picked on by the school bully, but he gets to be the hero in his favorite online video game, Chameleon, a fighter jet simulator. Even better, the game leads Neil to help the Air Force find a real Chameleon jet—it turns out that Chameleon is actually a classified training device for high-level pilots. With those pilots missing, Neil and 11 other young gamers try to save them and the high-tech plane. After whipping through training, Neil and the other top-guns-to-be, including a competitive kid named Trevor who Neil gets stuck being co-pilot for, head off in the remaining Chameleons to complete their mission. Video game–like action sequences give the fast-moving plot unexpected (and often funny) twists. Neil is a wry, relatable narrator whose gaming obsession will resonate with like-minded readers. The premise of Miller’s debut novel is over-the-top, and that’s the point—it’s an entertaining dreams-do-come-true sort of novel for kids who, like Neil, find empowerment easier online than in real life. Ages 8–12. Agent: Joelle Hobeika, Alloy Entertainment.

May 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-Neil Andertol, 13, is an expert at video games, especially Chameleon, rumored to be a leaked military/flying simulator. While his eight-year-old sister competes at a karate tournament, Neil gets dropped off at his archenemy's house for the weekend. Unable to withstand the bullying from Tommy and his cronies, Neil heads home, only to be captured by the Air Force. Major Jones gathers him and 11 other kids who live vicariously through Chameleon. They embark on an important mission in which they will train to pilot real planes and locate a stolen jet. They soon find themselves on a remote island with a whopping dilemma. Harris, a frenzied video-game millionaire, has taken the plane in an attempt to steal the Chameleon's invisibility technology, the most advanced in the world. With the help of the island's natives, Neil and his friends use their video-gaming skills to thwart Harris's sinister plan. With a great variety of characters and their changable degrees of weirdness, the plot is well developed. Part action and part slapstick, the book will be savored by fans of video games and those interested in military aviation. However, reluctant readers might lose interest in the unusual occurrences of virtual ostrich racing and aviation lingo.-Krista Welz, North Bergen High School, NJ

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2014
Neil, a.k.a. ManofNeil, is a superhero when it comes to playing video games. In real life, however, Neil is considered a loser, the target of the class bully. Things change when Neil is recruited for a top-secret mission and must join forces with other superstar gamers to save the world. Contemporary tweens will relate to this fast-paced, accessible adventure.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

April 1, 2014
In this distant cousin of Ender's Game, a gaggle of young gamers get to display their virtual piloting skills with real jets. Also ostriches. Thirteen-year-old Neil does not spend his Memorial Day weekend in his bedroom in front of a screen as he hopes. Along with 11 other geeks who have earned top scores in the online flight simulator "Chameleon," he helps the U.S. Air Force recover an actual Chameleon, an experimental jet that can turn invisible and has gone down on a remote volcanic island. Over the course of the mission, Neil faces a series of character-building challenges ranging from the discovery that the only pizza available on the island is topped with pineapple to the even more harrowing revelation that his online best buddy, ShooterSam is actually Samantha. "Credibility" doesn't seem to be an item on Miller's priority list, but he does propel his assorted misfits through a series of silly set pieces and exciting aerial acrobatics on the way to a wild ride to the climax atop the aforementioned feathered steeds. Neil shows plenty of leadership ability in coping with each reverse and revelation too, and by the end, he can even share a victory hug with Sam without fantods. A feather-light, stand-alone series opener for readers who don't mind saying goodbye to their disbelief. (Adventure. 10-13)

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