Epic by Conor Kostick
Generations ago, violence was banned on New Earth. Society is governed and conflicts are resolved in the arena of a fantasy computer game, Epic. Everyone plays. If you win, you have the chance to go to university, get more supplies for your community, and fulfill your dreams; if you lose, your life both in and out of the game is worth nothing. When Erik, seeking revenge for the unjust treatment of his parents, dares to subvert the rules of Epic, he and his friends find themselves up against with the ultimate masters of the game: the Committee. If Erik and his friends win, they may have the key to destroying Epics tyranny over New Earth. But if they lose . . .

Crusader by Edward Bloor
Everything in Roberta's life seems plain and fairly boring. She works in a failing arcade in a mall that's seen busier days - her only excitement is the bit she finds in playing Crusader, a violent virtual reality game. But under the surface, Roberta is still struggling with the memory of her mother's murder years ago. When a surge of hate crimes suddenly erupts at the mall, Roberta has difficulty separating real life from her life in the game, but she resolves to find the perpetrator of the crimes and her mother's murderer.

Eagle Strike by Anthony Horowitz
Millions adore Damien Cray - he's the world's most famous vintage star and philanthropist. And he has a new video game venture that's sure to become a smashing success. But after fter a chance encounter with assassin Yassen Gregorovich in the South of France, teenage spy Alex Rider begins to investigate the pop star and discovers that he is an evil mastermind whose video game venture hides ominous motives concerning Air Force One, nuclear missiles, and the international drug trade.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Earth is under attack by the alien Buggers and the survival of Earth and the human race depends on a military master who can defeat them. Ender Wiggin has been recruited by Battleschool and proves himself again and again to be a tactical master, a ruthless and strategic genius. He excels in the military war games, achieving more than anyone ever has before. But these are just games - how will he perform in real combat situations where the pressure and the loneliness are even greater than at the military school he attends?

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde
Fourteen-year-old Giannine seems to be learning all the possible ways to get killed in the virtual reality game Heir Apparent, a total immersion game of kings and knights and intrigue. She wants to win, but can't seem to get the magic ring and find the stolen treasure and charm the army of ghosts and fend off the barbarians and defeat the man-eating dragon - and if she can't do all that and more, she'll never win. Then she learns that the equipment she is connected to has been damaged by demonstrators, and if she can't win the game quickly, she might die - for real.

Idlewild by Nick Sagan
When a young man opens his eyes, startled awake, he knows only five things: that he is alive, that he is around 18 years old, that he is a student, that Lazarus is dead, and that someone is trying to kill him. Unsure of whom to trust, he joins up with eight companions, all trainees of "Maestro." Reality is not reality in IVR and yet it is; transmissions come, and the enemy is invisible. As he gains skills he never knew he had, he realizes that there's more at stake than just his life.

Locked Inside by Nancy Werlin
Wealthy heiress Marnie Skyedottir refuses to participate in the oppressive activities of her exclusive boarding school, preferring instead to burrow into her favorite online adventure game, where she has started chatting with some of the other interesting players. But when she is kidnapped from her school and locked in a basement cell, she soon realizes that her gaming hasn't prepared her for real life desperate adventure. Marnie starts to rethink the relationships with her mother, while wishing for one more battle of wits with her gaming friends, and waiting for an unlikely rescue.

Oh My Goth by Gena Showalter
Jade is a nonconformist, the mocked goth girl at her school, but it doesn't really bother her because she likes being different. When she's trapped in a virtual reality game where she's normal and everyone around her is goth, it's her worst nightmare.

Spy High: Mission One by A.J. Butcher
Devereux Academy is not what it seems - the football practice is a hologram and the elderly school receptionist is highly trained in defense. The Bond Team, a group of students hand-picked to work together, is failing miserably at their virtual reality training program. Personality clashes threaten the group, so their senior tutor decides they need a bonding experience - something not nearly so virtual.

Time Hackers by Gary Paulsen
The ultimate hackers have decided to make Dorso Clayman and his best friend the target of practical techno-jokes. The gamesters have hacked into the timeline using futuristic technology and things from the past keep appearing in the present. But the pranks are becoming dangerous, and soon Dorso and Frank set off on a journey through space and time to try to break the code and stop the hackers from throwing the universe into total chaos.

Wizards of the Game by David Lubar
Shath'dra, an invincible warrior mage, was created to dominate the world of Zule - created by Mercer, an eighth grader who lives for his fantasy role-playing game Wizards of the Warrior World. When Mercer tries to bring a gaming convention to his middle school, a religious group protests the game for its simulated magic, and he soon finds himself being pursued by four real wizards who are trapped on Earth and want his help in returning to their own world.

March 2008