This booklist was inspired by our recent Teen Video Game Design workshops and my first attempt at creating booklists with Fiction and Non-fiction to help support the Common Core Standards. I overlap with YA and adult non-fiction, as we shelve our non-fiction collections together in our library. I’m already working on a couple of other booklists with similar goals in mind, and will be posting those shortly. Onward!
HACKERS AND GAMERS
BRAIN JACK BY BRIAN FALKNER
In a near-future New York City, fourteen-year-old computer genius Sam Wilson manages to hack into the AT&T network and sets off a chain of events that have a profound effect on human activity throughout the world.
BURNING BLUE BY PAUL GRIFFIN
When beautiful, smart Nicole, disfigured by acid thrown in her face, and computer hacker Jay meet in the school psychologist’s office, they become friends and Jay resolves to find her attacker.
DON’T TURN AROUND BY MICHELLE GAGNON
After waking up on an operating table with no memory of how she got there, Noa must team up with computer hacker Peter to stop a corrupt corporation with a deadly secret. (Sequel: Don’t look now)
FIND ME BY ROMILY BERNARD
When teen hacker and foster child Wick Tate finds a dead classmate’s diary on her front step, with a note reading “Find me,” she sets off on a perverse game of hide-and-seek to catch the killer.
LITTLE BROTHER BY CORY DOCTOROW
After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right. (Sequel: Homeland)
HOMELAND BY CORY DOCTOROW
When Marcus, once called M1k3y, receives a thumbdrive containing evidence of corporate and governmental treachery, his job, fame, family, and well-being, as well as his reform-minded employer’s election campaign, are all endangered. (Sequel to: Little brother)
STREAMS OF BABEL BY CAROL PLUM-UCCI
Six teens face a bioterrorist attack on American soil as four are infected with a mysterious disease affecting their small New Jersey neighborhood and two others, both brilliant computer hackers, assist the United States Intelligence Coalition in tracking the perpetrators.
GAMERS
ENDER’S GAME BY ORSON SCOTT CARD
A veteran of years of simulated war games, Ender believes he is engaged in one more computer war game when in truth he is commanding the last fleet of Earth against an alien race seeking the complete destruction of Earth. (Series: Ender’s saga)
THE EYE OF MINDS BY JAMES DASHNER.
Michael is a skilled internet gamer in a world of advanced technology. When a cyber-terrorist begins to threaten players, Michael is called upon to seek him and his secret’s out
Z BY MICHAEL THOMAS FORD
In the year 2032, after a virus that turned people into zombies has been eradicated, Josh is invited to join an underground gaming society, where the gamers hunt zombies and the action is more dangerous than it seems.
EPIC BY CONOR KOSTICK
On New Earth, a world based on a video role-playing game, fourteen-year-old Erik pursuades his friends to aid him in some unusual gambits in order to save Erik’s father from exile and safeguard the futures of each of their families. (Series: Epic)
GENESIS ALPHA BY RUNE MICHAELS
When thirteen-year-old Josh’s beloved older brother, Max, is arrested for murder, the victim’s sister leads Josh to evidence of Max’s guilt–and her own–hidden in their favorite online role-playing game and Josh, who was conceived to save Max’s life years earlier, must consider whether he shares that guilt.
LEVEL UP BY GENE LUEN YANG; [ILLUSTRATED BY] THIEN PHAM
Dennis, the son of Chinese immigrants, yearns to play video games like his friends and, upon his strict father’s death, becomes obsessed with them but later, realizing how his father sacrificed for him, he chooses a nobler path.
NON-FICTION
3D ANIMATION ESSENTIALS BY ANDY BEANE
Looks at the fundamentals of 3D animation and computer graphics, with information on such topics as the production pipeline, modeling and texturing, rigging, visual effects, lighting, rendering, and industry trends.006.696 B ;pap
ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US: HOW 50 YEARS OF VIDEOGAMES CONQUERED POP CULTURE BY HAROLD GOLDBERG
Through the stories of gaming’s greatest innovations and most beloved creations, journalist Harold Goldberg captures the creativity, controversy–and passion–behind the videogame’s meteoric rise to the top of the pop-culture pantheon. 794.8 G ;pap
BEYOND BARBIE AND MORTAL KOMBAT: NEW PERSPECTIVES ON GENDER AND GAMING EDITED BY YASMIN B. KAFAI
Girls and women as game players and game designers in the new digital landscape of massively multiplayer online games, “second lives,” “modding,” serious games, and casual games.794.8 B
CAREER BUILDING THROUGH INTERACTIVE ONLINE GAMES BY MEG SWAINE. Looks at the career opportunities within the field of online games, telling how the field developed, how professionals became successful, and how to gain the necessary skills and experience. YA 794.8023 S
DIGITAL REVOLUTIONARIES: THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO BROUGHT COMPUTING TO LIFE BY STEVE LOHR.
In the beginning, there was the computer. And it was big. As big as a room. Sometimes as big as a house. From the first massive computers to today’s nanotechnology, Digital Revolutionaries offers a guided tour of the history of computers and a celebration of the human ingenuity that led the world from ENIAC to iMAC. YA 004.09 L ;pap
FOUNDATION GAME DESIGN WITH ACTIONSCRIPT 3.0 BY REX VAN DER SPUY.
Learn the skills to design any conceivable 2D game using Flash and ActionScript. 006.696 V ;pap
MAKING THINGS MOVE: DIY MECHANISMS FOR INVENTORS, HOBBYISTS, AND ARTISTS BY DUSTYN ROBERTS.
Learn how to successfully build moving mechanisms through non-technical explanations, examples, and do-it-yourself projects – from kinetic art installations to creative toys to energy-harvesting devices. Photographs, illustrations, screen shots, and images of 3D models are included for each project. 621.8 R ;pap
PYTHON FOR KIDS: A PLAYFUL INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING BY JASON R. BRIGGS
Introduces the basics of the Python programming language, covering how to use data structures, organize and reuse code, draw shapes and patterns with turtle, and create games and animations with TkInter. YA 005.133 Python B ;pap
RASPBERRY PI FOR DUMMIES BY SEAN MCMANUS AND MIKE COOK
As small as a credit card and ultra-affordable, the RaspberryPi packs plenty of power into a pocket-size computer. But getting the hang of it can be tricky. This guide shows you how to use your RaspberryPi to work and play, edit photos, watch videos, and even craft your own programs. 004.1675 MCM
ROBOT BUILDING FOR BEGINNERS BY DAVID COOK
Contains illustrated, step-by-step instructions for building a battery-powered robot, covering parts and tools, prototyping, multimeters, motors, soldering, and circuit boards. 629.892 C ;pap
STEAL THIS COMPUTER BOOK 3: WHAT THEY WON’T TELL YOU ABOUT THE INTERNET BY WALLACE WANG.
Describes how computer viruses are created and spread, and discusses computer harassment, online con artists, protecting data with encryption, and general computer security issues.306.1 W
STEVE JOBS: THE MAN WHO THOUGHT DIFFERENT: A BIOGRAPHY BY KAREN BLUMENTHAL. Traces the inspiring life and career of the late founder of Apple, covering topics ranging from his struggles as an adopted child and a college dropout to his Buddhist faith and friendship with Steve Wozniak, in a portrait framed around his inspirational Stanford University commencement speech. YA B Jobs B ;pap
TAP, MOVE, SHAKE: TURNING YOUR GAME IDEAS INTO IPHONE & IPAD APPS BY TODD MOORE.
Introduces Xcode and Objective-C by guiding reader through hands-on development of a real game. Includes implementing game logic, sophisticated graphics, game physics, sound, and computer AI. 005.25 M ;pap
VIRTUAL APPRENTICE: COMPUTER GAME DESIGNER BY DON RAUF AND MONIQUE VESCIA
Provides a behind-the-scenes look at computer game design and the duties, training, and technology involved, discusses the history of computer games, and profiles designers and others in the industry. YA 794.8152 R
Enjoy!
Sharon Long
Teen Services Librarian
