Lists

Level Up: Pairing Video Games with Children’s and YA Books (Call of Duty)

August 11, 2016 / 23 Comments

Level Up- Video Game Book ListsEach Thursday this summer, I’ll be posting a video game and corresponding book list. This is just a fun, personal project that was actually the brainchild of my boyfriend who thought that A) it sounded awesome and B) that there are a lot of parents who would love to have some resources for those kids who would rather be in front of a screen than a book. I’m hoping these titles will appeal to both boys and girls who love gaming and who do love storytelling; they just need the right book to make them readers. Each list will include the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s (ESRB) rating for the game. I know that every family is different, but want to make sure this information is provided as I’ll be offering lists for games for younger kids as well as teens.

Call of Duty (Mature)

photoCall of Duty is a first-person shooter video game with a number of games in the franchise. The original game sequences started as a World War II story that combines infantry and arms warfare as you follow soldiers from the perspective of a variety of soldiers.  As the games have progressed,  The Modern Warfare story arc has moved into the modern era with modern equipment and new features to explore.  Now, moving into the future, Call of Duty, Infinite Warfare will be released in November as players are now looking to colonies in outer space as Earth has become overpopulated and stripped of all natural resources.  Although there have been changes to the game since its inception in 2003, this is one of the popular and long-standing videogames on the market.  Books chosen for this category are looking closely at the new games in this system with futuristic, science fiction titles on this list.

Little Brother by Cory Doctrow
Marcus is a whiz on computers and thinks he know how it all works, that is until the Department of Homeland Security whisks him away to a secret prison where he is interrogated for days following a terrorist attack on San Francisco.  For Marcus, it was all about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and when he is finally released from prison, the city is completely different – being operated as a police state with suspicion growing.  So Marcus does the only thing he knows – he takes to the online world to share his story and take down DHS.
Maximum Ride by James Patterson
A fast paced series how only James Patterson knows how, is about a group of six kids running for their lives with no homes or families to run to.  What’s more, the kids are genetically engineered and have the ability to fly, but now someone or something is after them, but without answers to the many questions they have, how will they survive and who will the trust?
Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
What happens when technology takes over the world?  You’ll find out in this thriller – a few people notice in the months leading up to the Zero Hour that technology has a had a few glitches, but it’s not until Archos, a massively powerful artificial intelligence machine takes over the global networks that the human race must come together to save themselves.
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
 Juan Rico signed up with the Federal Service at the spur of the moment, but as he learns about what it takes to be a soldier, he is determined to become a trooper.  But when war comes as it does eventually, Juan Rico must learn the reason why he’s become a soldier after knowing the how.  Battle scenes and high-tech weapons abound, but the story’s true bread and butter comes down to the people and the politics behind war.
World War Z by Max Brooks
A different take on a zombie apocalypse, this story tells the first-hand accounts of survivors of the Zombie War as Max Brooks travels from cities where thousands of people use to live to the far reaches of the planet to ensure that these stories survive, even if no one else does.

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