If you’re a parent with a young child, their sole interest in life may be video games. As much as you’d like them to stoptalking aboutMinecraft, at this point, you’ll take what you can get in terms of reading. Or perhapsyou’re a high schoolerdesperately trying to finish your summer reading assignments without being bored to death or ending up on TikTok complaining about your lack of media literacy.
Luckily, there are plenty of books that capture the same themes, and in many cases the same characters, as popular video games. Sure, standalone books likeMonster,The Road, andWorld War Zare great, but they may be one-hit wonders with your gamer kid. By choosing one of these great book series, even the most avid gamer will be hooked for weeks, months, or even years!
Discworld
The Murderbot Diaries
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The Best Books for Student Gamers in 2024
Wings of Fire
Wings of Fire begins with the book The Dragonet Prophecy, and is a perfect book series for fans of fantasy games such as Skyrim, Skylanders, and Dragon Age. The sprawling story spans many novels, though the first arc is only five books. The story follows a diverse cast of dragon characters in an intrigue-filled adventure!
Redwall
Beginning with a standalone novel of the same name, the Redwall series follows a fantasy world of various woodland creatures trying their best to survive through villains, new regimes, and beloved traditions. A classic fantasy series written for children, there are 22 books total, promising plenty of content for young readers.
Warriors
Erin Hunter’s Warriors series is a #1 national bestseller and spurred a whole trend of students finally diving into back-to-back reading. As the title suggests, Warriors is action-packed and focuses on warring groups of wild, sentient cats. Young gamers who enjoy Overwatch, Pokemon, and League of Legends should be easily hooked on this book series.
Minecraft: The Island
Minecraft: Wither Without You
Wither Without You is one of Mojang’s official Minecraft comic series and a rare YA title from the series. The story is about two siblings on a mission to save their mentor with the help of another teen with strange abilities. The art is highly detailed, but manages to have a cutesy element to it that cements it as a YA graphic novel.
Five Nights At Freddy’s The Silver Eyes
Considered one of the best FNAF book series, The Silver Eyes captures the same spooky vibes that made the game so popular. Written by the creator of the game, the FNAF Silver Eyes book series covers the events of the game and more across three volumes. Gamers who love Five Nights at Freddy’s will love this extension of that adventure.
Aliens Ate my Homework
A rare sci-fi story written for young readers, Aliens Ate My Homework is a comedic book perfect for kids who love to laugh and could do with a little less homework in their life. Of course, with the book series offering four hilarious volumes, they may end up reading more than ever before! Fans of games like Grounded and Hello Neighbor will likely enjoy Aliens Ate My Homework.
The Wild Robot
This mysterious story about a robot who wakes up alone in a forest is an excellent bridge between middle-grade and young adult books. The text is easy to understand, making it approachable for a wide range of ages, but the content is filled with dynamic themes that explore a variety of literary devices. Kids who enjoy quieter games, such as Minecraft, Valheim, and Stardew Valley might find The Wild Robot to be their next favorite book. The series includes three volumes.
Amulet
Amulet is a fantastic graphic novel adventure steeped in high fantasy, but written for middle school reading levels. If your child struggles with getting into traditional books, a graphic novel like Amulet could be just the thing they need. This series spans nine volumes and follows a brother and sister as they attempt to save a magical kingdom in the wake of a devastating loss.
Persepolis
Ideal for high school students who hate traditional books, this two-volume graphic novel series touches on very real issues through the eyes of its author. Persepolis is the true story of Marjane Satrapi’s unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution. While a nonfiction book is hard to sell to students, Satrapi’s artistic skill and lyrical writing make it one of the most approachable historical series available to high school students. Fans of Call of Duty or Life is Strange won’t be able to put this series down.
Log Horizon
Log Horizon follows a group of MMO players who are suddenly and inexplicably trapped in their game. While many isekai stories jump right to the players trying to escape, Log Horizon’s protagonists focus on organizing efforts between players. Featuring a ton of political intrigue, as well as in-depth MMO information and analysis, this light novel series currently offers 10 volumes of science fiction tailored to gamers.
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a classic more than 100 years after it was originally written for a reason. The mysteries solved by the greatest detective have been reused in all kinds of media, including video games. The older language is ideal for students trying to broaden their vocabulary, while the plot devices used have become staples of the writing world. Plus, the stories are genuinely very thrilling!
Halo: Glasslands by Karen Traviss
The first of the Kilo-Five Trilogy by #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Traviss, Halo: Glasslands is part of the expanded universe set in the year 2553. The Covenant has collapsed after a long, brutal war with humanity that saw billions slaughtered. Peace finally seems possible, but though the fighting has stopped, the war is far from over; it’s just gone underground. Now, a secret elite group called Kilo-Five vies with the Arbiter as the Covenant approaches a civil war.
Earthsea
Fans of games like Ni No Kuni and Spiritfarer, or any of the Studio Ghibli movies, may be interested to read Earthsea, which is well-known to have been a source of inspiration for many of Hayao Miyaki’s most fantastic films. Set in a world of island nations, wars, and wizards, Ursula K. Le Guin’s classic quartet of novels has enthralled readers around the world. Beginning with A Wizard of Earthsea, this book series is an easy entry into fantasy for middle and high school students.
The Arc of a Scythe
A dystopian view of the future, The Arc of a Scythe series imagines a world where death has been relegated to a rote task, much to the distaste of the main characters. Offering dark mysteries and moral dilemmas, The Arc of a Scythe is the ideal book series for players who enjoy games like Cyberpunk 2077, Bioshock, and We Happy Few. The series consists of three total books, starting with Scythe.
Warhammer 40k: Gaunt’s Ghosts
Fans of 40K will dive deep into this story which follows the Imperial Guard as they stand shoulder to shoulder against an invasion by heretical forces. Amongst the defenders of the Imperium are the troops of the Tanith First-and-Only, a displaced regiment forced to flee their home planet before it succumbed to the unrelenting assault of Chaos. Nicknamed ‘the Ghosts’, their specialist scouting role sees them thrown into the thickest of the fighting.
Saga
Saga is one of the greatest comic series ever written and follows a mixed family caught in the middle of a literal race war that has consumed the galaxy. Given the premise, the content is suitable for high school readers only, but the themes, art work, and writing are perfect for a gamer to finally immerse themselves in a good book.
Star Wars: X-Wing
Star Wars fans are spoiled for books, especially as young adults, but one of the best Star Wars book series ever written was the Star Wars: X-Wing series, which begins with Rogue Squadron. This fast-paced, action-packed series follow fighter pilots in space as they try their best to free themselves from the grasp of the Empire. Consisting of 10 books total, it’s easy for Star Wars fans to dive deep and immerse themselves in a galaxy far, far away.
Another classic series, Discworld begins with The Color of Magic and takes readers on a hilarious ride through a fantasy world built on the backs of four elephants riding a giant space turtle. The main characters has been described as “the world’s worst magician” and works as a tour guide in a crazy city of unchecked magic. Fans of games like Dragon Age, Baldur’s Gate, and The Elder Scrolls Online will love exploring Discworld through its many volumes.
The Muderbot Diaries is an endearing book series about an android who just wants to learn more about itself…and also murder humans. However, they aren’t very good at being a “heartless killing machine” and this makes what could be a terrifying horror story into a strange, and often hilarious, record of a robot gone rogue. Perfect for fans of Starfield or Elite Dangerous, this book is written at a high school level and currently has seven volumes.
Best Middle-Grade Book Series for Gamer Kids
Warriors was a world-wide phenomenon for years and though its influence has waned, it’s still popular with young readers, particularly young readers who struggle to feel engaged with books. The story follows a number of cat clans who are warring against each other.
The main series is only six books long, but there are dozens of other related stories, includinggraphic novels,manga, and evena guide book, so it’s extremely easy to get started and keep up with reading goals. Young gamers who love stories set in fantasy worlds, especially those starring animals, such asSpyroandStray, will likely find Warriors to be a thrilling series they won’t be able to put down.
Best Young Adult Book Series for Gamer Kids
So you think you know everything about MMOs? Great!Log Horizonputs all of that knowledge to good use in a very realistic way. When a video game trapped all active players in its world, all of the top players immediately thought of isekais and headed towards the game’s various bosses. But what is everyone else supposed to do in the meantime?
Log Horizonfollows a group of adventurers set on stabilizing their lives while they try to figure out how to escape. Tackling issues never addressed in most isekais, the group works to keep new players safe, correct daily issues facing players, and research why they are trapped and how they can escape. Filled with hyper-specific MMO facts and steeped in political intrigue, this book is perfect for strategic gamers who want to read something that feels true to life, at least as far as MMO gaming goes.
Editor’s Choice Book Series for Gamer Kids
Minecraft: The Island by Max Brooks
Max Brooks’Minecraftbook series, which starts withThe Island, is one of the best books for gamers of any age. Despite being written for elementary and middle school students, Brooks’ compelling storytelling has left more than a few gamer parents sneaking in chapters between school days.
Anyone who enjoysMinecraftwill love this book, even if older readers are able to speed through it. Consisting of three novels altogether, the story follows two adventurers essentially trapped inMinecraft. The main character doesn’t know anything aboutMinecraftat the onset, which makes it easy for kids to learn about how books explain concepts and allows for parents to enjoy the story without having much knowledge about the game. One of the best ways to get your kids reading is to read along with them, and this thrillingMinecraftseries by Max Brooks is perfect for the entire gaming family!
