Table Titans Club

by Scott Kurtz (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Growing pains, adventure, and 20-sided dice abound in this new graphic novel series about a middle school Dungeon & Dragons club from Eisner and Harvey award-winning cartoonist Scott Kurtz. Valeria Winters has an easier time finding trouble than making friends.

A fantasy-obsessed nerd with the legendary confidence--and temper--of a Valkyrie, Val promises her mom that things will be different at her new school. "No more fighting!" As if by fate, she meets the Table Titans right away--Alan, Andrew, and Darius, who run the school's tabletop gaming club. Finally, Val has found her own adventuring party! And even better . . . a place where she belongs. So when the future of the club is threatened, Val makes it her personal quest to save the Table Titans. She'll have to face the fire-breathing wrestling coach and popular girl Kate, who seems out for revenge. Revenge for what? Val has no clue.

As the quest grows more and more complicated, Val wishes she was like her peaceful druid Lulani from the Table Titans' campaign, whose calm voice always prevails. If she loses her cool in real life, Val might lose more than the Table Titans club. She'll have to roll a natural 20 in charisma to keep her new friends together. Set in the same universe as the Eisner Award-winning webcomic PvP, Scott Kurtz's artwork blends zany, fantastical visuals with slice-of-life humor.

For fans of fantasy and coming of age stories alike, Table Titans finds humor, heart, and adventure in a tale of friendship and finding your people.

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Paperback
$13.99

Kirkus Reviews

Roll initiative and pick this one up.

Booklist

Starred Review
A must-read for readers in fifth grade and up seeking a heartfelt and magical journey of self-discovery, friendship, and the celebration of embracing your authentic self.

Publishers Weekly

Kurtz delivers a passionate ode to tabletop RPGs in this lively debut, adapted from a webcomic. Attending a new school after her mother changes jobs, 11-year-old Valeria "Val" Winters, rendered with pale skin, escapes into her favorite fantasy world, hoping it will give her the strength to brave her strange new school's halls and even stranger classmates. Her daydreaming nets her an invite to the Table Titans Club's next Dungeons and Dragons campaign--and puts her at odds with popular Kate, who finds Val's propensity to relate everything back to D&D annoying. In short order, Val's real life becomes as jumbled as a dungeon master's puzzle, with no dice in sight to help her navigate how complicated she seems to make things just by being herself. Leaning into Val's penchant for daydreaming, Kurtz depicts her imaginings as high-fantasy sequences, overlapping her everyday occurrences with her internal fantasy world and presenting a delightful juxtaposition that enhances Val's strengthening friendships, especially as others are brought in on her fun. The creator's palpable enthusiasm makes this an excellent read for young gamers or anyone hoping to share their love for D&D with the kids in their lives. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)

Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

A fun new series about friendship and the power of imagination. —Kazu Kibuishi, New York Times bestselling creator of Amulet
Scott Kurtz
Scott Kurtz is an Eisner and Harvey award-winning cartoonist who helped pioneer webcomics with his daily feature, PvP. Since then, Scott has gone on to produce podcasts, animated series, live roleplaying events, and much more. Scott can be found hiding from the coronavirus in the Pacific Northwest but occasionally leaves his studio to enjoy the dog park or visit his family. Find him @pvponline and @tabletitans
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780823456819
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Holiday House
Publication date
March 20, 2024
Series
Table Titans Club
BISAC categories
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV032040 - Juvenile Fiction | Sports & Recreation | Games - General
JUV008110 - Juvenile Fiction | Comics & Graphic Novels | Humorous
Library of Congress categories
Friendship
Schools
Graphic novels
Cartoons and comics
Clubs
Fantasy games
School comics

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