Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena

June 6, 2022
Vietnamese American siblings Clip, 12, and Sadie Chu, 11, have always been competitive with each other. Avid laser tag players, they’re thrilled when the state-of-the-art Blackwood Gaming Arena opens near them. It offers virtual reality–enhanced scenarios with a leaderboard that promises great prizes, such as a month of free games—and it ramps up the siblings’ rivalry. While in the game, the two encounter white-cued Tom, a boy who’s trapped within the arena’s ever-evolving code. After Clip becomes trapped as well, Sadie and their friends must work together to successfully play through all six courses and win their way out. Through the siblings’ alternating perspectives and respective internal struggles, such as Clip’s jealousy of Sadie’s laser tag prowess and Sadie’s frustrations with heteronormative gender roles at home, Dao (Song of the Crimson Flower) delves into the Chu’s intergenerational dynamics, pressures, and expectations. The spirited narrative explores how Clip and Sadie relate to each other and their passions via virtual reality escapades, clever puzzles, and friendly sibling rivalry. A rousing adventure and heartwarming series opener. Ages 8–12. Agent: Tamar Rydzinski, Context Literary Agency.

July 1, 2022
Grades 4-6 This middle-grade fantasy-series starter follows siblings Clip and Sadie Chu as they bond over laser-tag games. Though Clip and Sadie are polar opposites, they both love laser tag more than anything, as it gives them a fun way to spend time with their friends and each other. When the Blackwood Gaming Arena mysteriously arrives in their hometown, Sadie and Clip are ecstatic about the opportunity to compete in VR laser tag, but when a nefarious figure shows up inside the game, they must do everything in their power to save themselves and the rest of their friends. Are the siblings better off working together than seeing who will win? Chapters alternate between sports-loving Clip's voice and academically inclined Sadie's point of view as the siblings unravel the mystery in the most challenging--and imaginative--game of laser tag they've ever played. Young gamers, and readers who enjoy rooting for a strong sibling relationship full of competition and support, will revel in this fun, fast-paced adventure.

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Starred review from July 29, 2022

Gr 4-8-Clip and Sadie Chu may be siblings, but they have nothing in common-nothing, save for laser tag. But what their friends see as a fun game, Clip and Sadie view as a way to prove who is the best Chu. When the Blackwood Gaming Arena opens, promising the most epic virtual reality laser tag games ever, the siblings compete fiercely to reach the top of the leaderboard first. When they start seeing a strange boy in the laser tag arenas, they slowly realize he's not just part of the game: this boy is trapped in the game, and it's up to Clip, Sadie, and their friends to get him out-if they can get out themselves. Dao is a bright voice in middle grade fiction, crafting characters and plot in a way that feels effortless. The supporting cast is as well developed as Sadie and Clip, and the different laser tag games create vivid, immersive settings throughout. Clip, Sadie, and the dynamics of their Vietnamese American family work are just as engaging as the dramatic laser tag scenes, and the combination of these elements creates a well-paced story where readers are equally invested in the emotional growth of the characters and the action-packed plot. VERDICT A fresh title that weaves elements of sports stories and sci-fi with realism and beautifully developed characters, in a way that makes this story irresistible.-Kristin Brynsvold

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Laser tag becomes more than a game for two rival sibs in this series kickoff. Even though it gives them even more opportunities to snipe at each other, the opening of a big new gaming arcade with multiscenario virtual-reality laser tag is exciting news for both cocky seventh grader Clarence "Clip" Chu and his hotly competitive younger sister, Sadie. The stakes ramp up far past just high scores and bragging rights, though, when the two meet Tom, the son of the game's designer, who has been trapped in the game's virtual worlds and can't leave without help from a team willing to join him there--to tackle not only suddenly all-too-realistic monsters, but changing hazards and brain teasers posed by the ominously intelligent software. By the time the Chus have led Tom and assembled allies into and past the Swamp of Despair, a Haunted Castle, and other battlegrounds, their bitter rivalry has been transformed into respect for each other's complementary abilities and their own familial relationship. The apologies and gestures of reconciliation do get a bit heavy-handed toward the end, but the messaging doesn't impede the tale's quick pace or focus on action. Dao brings to life the foods, values, generational differences, and general rhythms of life in the Vietnamese American Chu household. There is racial diversity in the supporting cast. A heady mix of personal growth and high-speed gaming action. (Adventure. 8-12)

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