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In the real world, Leon isn’t built to be a hero, but he must become one when he gets trapped in a cutting-edge virtual-reality game.
Twelve-year-old Leon loves video games. When he plays, he feels confident and amazing for just a little while. The rest of the time he feels like a loser. So Leon is shocked when Nico, the coolest kid ever and the son of a video-game developer, invites him over to test out the newest game at his dad’s high-tech lab.
To play, they must submerge themselves in giant tanks filled with nanobots, which are programmed to interact with the players and form the physical gaming world. It sounds perfectly safe. But a glitch causes the tiny robots to start behaving oddly, putting the boys in real-life danger. Now it's up to Leon to slay a dragon, to beat the game and save Nico and himself...before the timer runs out.
"Themes of belonging, finding your people, and social acceptance, combined with a gaming-focused plot, will resonate with tweens… Since Leon negatively compares himself to others, this book could be used (…) in a unit about body shaming, as well as in discussions about the social-emotional effects of poverty, isolation of technology, anxiety, and the value of real friendship."
- School Library Journal
"Leon Levels Up is a must-read. There are many important lessons to learn about friendship, self-worth, what it means to be a hero, as well as a few cautionary notes about tech and the crossover between reality and the virtual world. Highly Recommended."
- CM: Canadian Review of Materials
