Morgan’s Got Game. (First Novels). Ted Staunton. Illustrated by Bill Slavin. Halifax, NS: Formac, 2014. 55 pp., pbk., hc. & ebook, $5.95 (pbk.), $14.95 (hc.), $4.95 (ebook). ISBN 978-1-4595-0334-2 (pbk.), ISBN 978-1-4595-0335-9 (hc.), ISBN 978-1-4595-0336-6 (ebook). Grades 1-4 / Ages 6-9. Review by Lisa Case. **** /4 Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy.

Morgan and his friends love video games. Morgan is feeling a bit left out when his friends start bringing their Robogamer Z7s to school – Morgan does not have one. His parents don’t think he needs one. When Aldeen gets a Z7, Morgan steps up his efforts to convince his parents he deserves one as well.

On the wall hangs this big cloth thing with pockets in it, like my mom has for shoes. Everybody who has a phone or a game player gets their own pocket to keep it in. I watch Aldeen get a name sticker. She goes over to the cloth thing and picks a pocket. She sticks on her sticker and puts her Z7 inside.

At recess she goes to the library with the others. I don’t even look in the window.

Aldeen Hummel has a Z7 and I don’t.

     Morgan’s Got Game is the newest book in Ted Staunton’s mini-novel series about Morgan and his classmates from Grade Three. This is a book that many kids can relate to – everyone seems to love video games. Morgan is very relatable character – he pleads a lot and promises his parents everything he can think of in order to persuade them to get him his own game. He is even willing to give up cookies! However, Morgan soon realizes that things are not always fun and games.

     Ted Staunton is a wonderful writer for young people. He lives in Port Hope, ON, and has been writing for children of all ages since 1983. Many of his books have been selected as Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Books for Kids and Teens. His “First Novels” are entertaining and captivating. The black and white illustrations by Bill Slavin are drawn in a cartoon style which is perfect for this age group. The pictures help to tell the story and give depth to the characters.

     Morgan’s Got Game is a story told through short, easy-to-read chapters, each approximately 4-5 pages long. Each chapter has one or two of Slavin’s illustrations. The short chapters and easy language make this book ideal for children just beginning to read chapter books, but it is also a great option for older elementary students. Staunton, while writing an entertaining true-to-life story about a child, uses simple language that students will find very understandable. The illustrations help to make the story even more relatable as they focus on the content of that particular chapter.

     Instead of just reading this book on my own, I read it to my Grade 4 classes and asked for their opinion. The students were eager to continue on with the story each week and always remembered where we had stopped. They gave this Morgan story a big “thumbs up”, and they often ask for other books in the Morgan series. For children learning to read chapter books, and particularly for those that enjoy humorous tales, Morgan’s Got Game is definitely a great choice.

Highly Recommended.

Lisa Case is an elementary/junior high teacher-librarian from Calgary, AB.

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Updated: October 17, 2014 (hsd)