
Published by Random House Children's Books on May 14, 2024
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General, Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic, Juvenile Fiction / Humorous Stories
Pages: 448
Find the Author: Website, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon
Goodreads
"Ben may only be pretending to be the 'Chosen One'—but I’ve definitely chosen this one as my favorite new fantasy series.”
—Max Brallier, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Last Kids on Earth seriesHow far would you go to play the hero? One seventh grader gets way more than he bargained for when he is swept into the fantasy quest of his gaming dreams in this funny illustrated series full of adventure and twists.
It’s not so easy being the Chosen One (or in Ben Whitlock’s case, pretending to be the Chosen One). Sure, when you’ve been mistaken for a long-prophesied hero by a teenage girl/mysterious assassin and transported to a fantasy realm you're supposedly destined to save, you don’t have to worry about things like math homework. But when flying narwhals are trying to blast you into oblivion (gulp) and a bunch of old mystics in flip-flops want you to enter something called the Gullet of Eternal Torment (double gulp), suddenly a C in algebra doesn’t seem like such a big deal.
Back in the real world, Ben preferred to escape into fictional adventures and role-playing games. But the more he learns about his true quest, the more he realizes that being a hero goes way beyond rolling a few dice. . . .
Review:
The Not So Chosen One, the first book in the Spellbinders series, is a dream made real for any kid who grew up with a set of dice and a page of character sheets in front of them. Andrew Auseon sends his lonely protagonist, Ben, on the adventure of a lifetime, 100 times more unexpected and complex than any TTRPG he ever dreamt up for his friends (or former friends.) From flying Narwhals to Playstation-filled panic rooms in the castle, there is something original and familiar about the world Auseon creates. The book is a love letter to the power of creativity and the idea that we find the people we are meant to see in the strangest and most beautiful places. This book was like a breath of fresh air that reminded me how much I love books for kids. I instantly related to Ben and his friend’s problems, and the plot was fun and kept me turning the pages. There’s a good amount of humor, too, which is not easy to pull off. I loved how the book introduces gaming and lays out the rules of how things happen with excellent illustrations, just like you were looking up information in a gaming book. It is the perfect blend of gaming and fantasy for readers to get lost in. Highly recommend!
This has such a great cover that I can see kids being drawn to it just from that. Glad to hear the story is so good too!