Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind

Gamer Squad #2

by Kim Harrington

Pokémon Go meets The Goonies in this exciting new adventure series!

First they took on monsters. Now they have to face ALIENS.
Come join Bex and Charlie on their second thrilling adventure in the GAMER SQUAD series!

After their scary adventure, Bex and Charlie have sworn never to play Monsters Unleashed again. Then Veratrum Games Corp releases a new augmented reality game featuring aliens instead of monsters, and the best friends just can’t resist. After all, everyone loves it, even their science teacher, because it includes real star charts. But when they go to an observatory on a class trip, and open the game near a radio telescope, they get more than they bargained REAL aliens. One is sweet and kind; the other . . . not so much. Can Bex and Charlie capture the bad ET before it destroys their town?

Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Adventure, Audiobook, Fantasy

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2017

About the author

Kim Harrington is the author of Clarity, Perception, The Dead and Buried, and Forget Me for teens and Revenge of the Red Club, the Sleuth or Dare series, and Gamer Squad series for younger readers. She lives in Massachusetts with her family.

Visit her website at KimHarringtonBooks.com.

Reviews

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fast-paced adventure about aliens and so much more.

After the dangerous adventures of book one, Bex and Charlie are done with games. Well, that's until the newest one comes out. Everyone in town loves Aliens--even the science teacher thinks it's great. When a trip to the observatory ends up creating a real alien invasion, Bex and Charlie have their hands full again.

Although this book is, in some aspects, similar to the first one, it's another exciting read. The aliens bring in problems, and the threat is a little different than before. Even the steps to defeat the evil alien take a slightly different path and give this adventure a completely unique twist into the fringes of coding. The dialogue, actions and scenes reflect a reality kids can easily relate to and flow from the pages. It's an adventure to get lost in and almost impossible to set down until that last page has been read.

The characters and their relationship shows hints of change as well. A few new faces hit the scene, and the question of finding true friendship past superficial aspects is also addressed. There's even a first hint at boy-girl relationships, although this never brushes past first, curious thoughts.

This book is as exciting as book one and is sure to grab the attention of kids ages 8 to 12. Even reluctant readers will love this series, not only because of the short length, but it's an easy read which hits on things kids love and relate can to.

I received a complimentary copy and found it so fun that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This time no monsters, but aliens who are teleported to this world.

And thankfully, well.. with the exception of Bob (I laughed so hard at that), the aliens are all quite nice, though very mischievous. :P

It all happens the same way as the previous book, Bex falls against some "special" machinery, her phone hits it or gets stuck, and voilà things get stuck in their world. I do hope that the next book won't have that happening, because I could use something different instead. And I also do hope that if it isn't Bex, that it isn't going to be someone else.

When our friends and their classmates go to an observatory, Bex accidentally does something that causes aliens to be teleported to her world! It is up to her (and her friends) to solve the problem, bring the aliens back home, and of course also get rid of Bob the evil alien. I just had such a big laugh at the fact the aliens loved math (ewww), oranges, and fell asleep when touched by a certain item. It was interesting that her phone/app worked as a translator as well.

It was all really exciting to read, and I was definitely rooting for everyone. I was laughing really hard at Jason and how much he didn't want to be involved. How he ran away, or how he just turned around and noped his way far away from things.

It was fun to see Bex do coding (it seems to be quite a hot topic this year to have girls code), though I had a laugh at how simple it was to fix things. Sorry, but that is not entirely how it works. Believe me. But I guess making it more complicated would be boring + would just draw away from the battle with Bob.

Next to the whole aliens are out on our planet including one very bad alien, and oh yes, people are following us (I also can't wait to see if that continues in the next book as I have lots of questions about it), we also have the friendship between Bex and Charlie. They are slowly drifting apart it seems or at least Charlie is having other things to do, and Bex is having a lot of trouble with it. Charlie is now spending more and more time with football, his brother, and other activities. I know the feeling that Bex had, my friends and I also drifted apart. :(
Plus we also have Willa and Bex and if they will be friends again. I was happy with how things turned out, I am glad Bex didn't make any rushed decisions, instead, she thought about it, and figured it out as the story went on.

I loved the Marcus x Bex stuff. I am definitely rooting for those two, they make a cute couple. <3

I did think it was a bit ridiculous that the observatory banned a whole class of kids (for life btw). Really? I get that they broke expensive things, but is that a reason to just ban everyone and then be very harsh about it when two kids come to you? Sorry, but this was just a bit too weird to me, but I guess it may be something typical to America. :|

I still think this book could do with illustrations, it would make the books even more awesome. Plus I just want to see the characters, the aliens (and in the other book the monsters).

All in all, I will be reading the next book soon (will be buying it after Christmas). I am really excited about it as it features zombies!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Kate Welsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was wondering how Harrington would keep this concept going without it feeling repetitive, but her solution here TOTALLY worked. (And I read books 1/2 back to back on a plane, so I would have noticed repetitive.) I really love the ongoing character development, too. (MIDDLE SCHOOL IS SO HARD.)

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 of Gamer Squad. This is a fun middle grade book that deals with that awkward starting middle school and protecting the town from aliens. This book brings our group into cohesion. It also deals with the normal insecurities that go with this time in life. This is appropriate for all ages and is neither scary nor inappropriate for young readers. Overall it is a fun adventure that will keep the young minds interested. This storyline is straightforward not having any twists that might confuse the story to a middle grade reader.

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[Story Monsters Ink · Rating 3 out of 5]

After their scary adventure, Bex and Charlie have sworn never to play Monsters Unleashed again. Then Veratrum Games Corp releases a new augmented reality game featuring aliens instead of monsters, and the best friends just can’t resist. This is the stuff great kids’ books are made of: science fiction, fantasy, adventure, danger, typical school stuff and a bit of young love. A fast and exciting read.

[Terry]

Sequels aren't always as good as the original, but this is an exception. The writing is sharp, with humorous slice-of-life moments. All in all, a fun wholesome read.

[Jes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book. It is very exciting and symbols true friendship.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read aloud to my 3rd graders. So good! We are eager to read the third book

[Bookmom! · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first one was so much more enjoyable, but I am still a fan of the series.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another freebie sent to me by the publisher.

Aliens have invaded!
By mistake? Again. Not grand literature but for a simple read for kids it's fun. Ties in a bit of coding this time. The barest hint of romance (does he/she like me?) and can friends make it past the "trying to be cool" stage?

I liked it. Keep it up! Teaser at the end says the next one will be zombies. 😳