POWER UP

Two middle school boys with epic gaming skills face a new challenge—making friends.

Eleven-year-old gamers Miles and Rhys may not know each other in real life, but on Mecha Melee they make an unstoppable, platinum-ranked duo. They use strategy and teamwork to take on their enemies, and when one of them goes down, they won’t abandon one another. Despite their winning streak online, both boys struggle with parental expectations and friendships at school. While Miles falls in with the popular kids who make fun of anyone who’s different, Rhys, the new kid at his school, spends all his time alone until a group of bullies starts targeting him and decides to expose the secret of why he transferred in the first place. The students at their Phoenix, Arizona, school make up a diverse cast of background characters. Miles and his family are Black, and Rhys and his family have light brown skin and straight, dark hair. Their parents may push them to try new experiences, but they also display an earnest desire to support their sons. Bright, vivid colors and varied layouts communicate the intensity, high stakes, and drama of the video game sequences, making them all the more immersive. In the midst of the action, at the story’s core is a sensitive narrative about the desire to find belonging.

A high-scoring power combo of fast-action gaming and real-life friendship.