Level Up by Gene Luen Yang

Level Up by Gene Luen Yang

Game on.  When Dennis was young he discovered Pac Man and it resulted in a passion for video games.  He had a big plans for his life that included studying hard, finishing high school and college and then becoming a doctor.  But like a video game, unforeseen difficulties come up to knock you out of the game and Dennis didn't foresee his dad's early death.  Video games held the right amount of escape for Dennis and his grades began to suffer.  He hit rock bottom when he got expelled from college.

He wakes up one day to find four pint sized angels have appeared to guide him back to sanity and to help get him back on the road to living his life.

Level Up is a graphic novel that tackles the problem of video game addiction for young adults.  It also highlights the important skills that gamers acquire.  The storyline is realistic with a bit of videogame magic thrown in.  I think this book would appeal to the gamer or young man in your life.  The artwork is just right as the author and artist take the reader to different levels.  Levels are like chapters and characters morph into video game mode, much like Pac Man.  Level Up is a metaphor for life because life is like a video game.

Game Over.