This week for Bookish Wednesday I’m covering a new book I came across recently.Get ready for some fun with It’s All and Games by Dave Barrett!

Plot Synopsis: When Allison’s best friend, TJ, convinces her to come along for an epic game of LARP (live-action roleplaying), she reluctantly agrees despite her reservations about the geeky pastime. TJ’s weekends are filled with powerful wizardry, mystical creatures, and intense battles with his LARP group. Each adventure is full of surprises, but the goal is always the same―to defeat the monsters and find the treasure. Not long after their quest begins however, the friends discover that something has gone wrong…

Plot: This is pretty standard “Transported to another World” fare, but it was done well nonetheless. It wasn’t super original, but it was still a fun read. I’m looking forward to later entries in the series.

Characters: Allison is the sole female member of the group, which isn’t surprising considering that most people would rather not be lugging around fake fantasy armor in the woods and is the newcomer to LARPing. So she’s the readers view into the subject, if they aren’t familiar with LARP or RPGs. She’s also a pretty smart girl, although she definitely is a newbie when it comes to RPGs. TJ on the other hand is actually a pretty good male lead. TJ is funny and smart, but also kind. In general he’s a nerd, but than so is the rest of the cast. They are pretty good too.

Overall: If you want a short, Young Adult fantasy book, It’s All Fun and Games isn’t a bad one to pick. It just isn’t the best pick either.

For those who like: Fantasy, Magic, RPGs, Nerds, Fun Plot, Interesting Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.