Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Club: Roll Call

by Molly Knox Ostertag, Xanthe Bouma (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Dungeons & Dragons fans have a lot to look forward to ahead of the 2023 feature film release, including this first book in a brand-new graphic novel trilogy. This contemporary story blends everyday middle school life with the classic fantasy roleplaying game to create a tale sure to resonate with D&D fans old and new.

From New York Times bestselling author Molly Knox Ostertag and critically acclaimed illustrator Xanthe Bouma comes an all-new Dungeons & Dragons graphic novel series!

Middle school is a dungeon… At least, that’s how Jess sees it.

Luckily, she and her best friend Olivia know how to escape into the sprawling worlds of their own imaginations. The two friends have always loved making up stories, first with little kid games of make-believe, and more recently with the fantasy roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons. When they play, Olivia runs the game as Dungeon Master and Jess is the solo party member, playing a take-no-prisoners, lone-wolf fighter of her own design named Sir Corius.

But when Olivia wants to add new players to their group, Jess finds herself struggling to share their game—and her best friend. Will their epic campaign withstand all this change, or has their adventure—and their friendship—finally come to an end?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063268449
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/28/2023
Series:	Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Club , #1
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	74,184
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Molly Knox Ostertag is the author of Dungeons and Dragons: Dungeon Club: Roll Call and numerous other graphic novels. Molly Knox Ostertag is an Ignatz Award– and Prism Award–winning graphic novelist, a 30 Under 30 Forbes scholar, and a writer for children’s TV animation. Her middle grade graphic novel debut, The Witch Boy, came out in 2017 and is being adapted into a feature film by Netflix. It’s followed by the sequel The Hidden Witch in 2018 and New York Times bestseller The Midwinter Witch in 2019. Her latest book, The Girl from the Sea, debuted as a #1 YA bestseller on June 1, 2021.

Xanthe Bouma is an illustrator based in Southern California. Their comic illustration work includes the critically acclaimed 5 Worlds series. When not working on picture books, fashion illustration, and comics, Xanthe enjoys soaking up the beachside sun.

Editorial Reviews

An absolutely wonderful story that exemplifies the joys, challenges, and lifelong memories forged between friends in the creative furnace of roleplaying games. The vibrant, energetic art further elevates the beautiful dichotomy between epic, fantasy adventures and finding one's place in those awkward teenage years. I couldn't help but see much of myself and my own youth in parts of each character as they find their companions in real life through their imaginary adventures, and the sense of unparalleled bonding one finds within a good game group resonates deeply throughout this story. I absolutely loved it. — Matthew Mercer, creator of Critical Role

The power D&D has to help you explore and express yourself is on full display in this lovely story of friendship and growing up. — Kat Leyh, author of Snapdragon

Perfectly captures the magic when the world you create with your friends becomes as real as the world around you. — Tim Probert, author of the Lightfall series

A thrilling and gorgeous adventure that goes straight for your heart. — ND Stevenson, New York Times bestselling author of Nimona 

What Molly Ostertag and Xanthe Bouma pull off in Dungeon Club is nothing short of astounding. Contained within these magical pages are not one but two amazing stories: fantasy and reality woven masterfully together by Ostertag's spellbinding storytelling. An adventure filled with fun, magic and deep insight into the trials and tribulations of High School, Dungeon Club is what we in the D&D world would call a "Critical Hit"! To everyone who knows that there's always adventure and a little bit of magic just around the corner, this book will be a treasured artifact for years and years to come! — Brennan Lee Mulligan, creator of Dimension 20

Scoring high on charisma, this tale of personal growth is bound to win many a curious young fan over to D&D’s allure.  — Kirkus Reviews

 Middle-grade readers intrigued by the cult classic RPG and fans fond of popular campaigns like Adventure Zone and Critical Role will enjoy the message of this series opener: “Monsters are easier to fight when you’ve got people by your side.”  — Booklist (starred review)

For readers who are fans of or are curious about role-playing games, or those seeking heartwarming stories about friendship and imagination. — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

12/01/2022

Gr 4 Up—Jess Descheene and Olivia Aguilar have been best friends for years, but as eighth grade begins, their friendship is changing. Olivia runs their two-person Dungeons & Dragons game, but she wants to invite more players. Jess prefers stories to friends, but she gradually opens up to the idea of letting more kids play with them. The action happens between the real world and the imaginary one, but sometimes the worlds overlap. Jess sees school through a D&D lens, looking at other students and imagining their character sheets, using criteria like "popularity class" and "bully potential." In one of the most striking images of the story, Jess sees some other girls in the school bathroom, and in the mirror they are reflected as monsters. Bouma's artwork is very appealing, with colors ranging from cool earth tones to bolder and brighter shades, depending on the location and emotion of each scene. While this is an ultimately uplifting story, these students deal with absent parents, school bullies, and learning to be brave enough to stand up for their friends. Jess begins this book thinking that going to middle school is harder than slaying monsters, but she evolves over time and learns that both her game and her heart are big enough to make room for new people. VERDICT For readers who are fans of or are curious about role-playing games, or those seeking heartwarming stories about friendship and imagination.—Andrea Lipinski

School Library Journal

2022-09-28
Role-playing and real life are inextricably intertwined in this Dungeons & Dragons–themed story of middle-grade woes.

Up-and-coming eighth graders Jess, who has light brown skin, and Olivia, who presents as Black and Latine, have been inseparable since third grade. Though Jess may not be socially adept (“I’m not good at friends, but I’m good at stories”), she has a firm friend in Olivia, and the two bond over role-playing games, Olivia acting as Dungeon Master while Jess engages in quests as the hero Sir Corius. Then Olivia suggests starting a Dungeons & Dragons club at school, an idea that change-averse Jess becomes determined to thwart. The duo becomes a trio when another member joins the club, and Jess, feeling frustrated and vulnerable as things change even more, ends up hurting Olivia. Now Jess will have to dig deep to become a hero in real life. The back and forth between reality and the game’s quest is interspliced expertly, never confusing readers with the switches. Ostertag deftly shows how elements of the game bleed into Jess’ real life, like seeing core stats for kids at school floating about their heads. As the real and the fantastical blend into one another, readers will root for Jess even as her poor choices are hard to disregard. Bouma’s engaging art will surely lure in fans of realistic comics.

Scoring high on charisma, this tale of personal growth is bound to win many a curious young fan over to D&D’s allure. (Graphic novel. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews