Norm Grock (Choose Your Own Adventure’s Fairy House series illustrator) makes his middle-grade graphic novel debut in GameLad, a boredom-busting story about leveling up and facing your fears, perfect for fans of Trapped in a Video Game and The Last Kids on Earth!

When twelve-year-old Nessa moves to the town of Boring, Oregon, she expects everything to be, well, boring. If she can just hide away with her dad’s retro GameLad console and play her favorite video games, maybe things won’t be so bad. But Nessa’s plans take a sharp turn when the console screen is cracked and she has no idea how to get it fixed.

That’s not all—strange things start happening all over town. Power-ups, gold coins, and all sorts of 8-bit pixel critters are popping up all over the place. When Nessa discovers that her favorite video games have escaped through her broken GameLad screen and invaded the town, she’ll have to do whatever it takes to collect the broken pieces and send everything back where it came from before Boring gets turned into a real-life video game for good.

Joined by new friend Dani, a few lost video game characters, and her trusty gaming guide, Nessa will uncover the truth behind the GameLad console and its mysterious creator. When she faces the final boss, defeating him won’t be as easy IRL as it is in the game.