A good, fun read, from one of the major dyslexia-friendly houses out there. I get that over with quickly because this doesn't really deserve any restrictions on who picks it up. It concerns the latest juvenile trend – portable, linkable game units that each contain their own fighting entity that you nurture, train and gain promotion for. The problem with Danny's is that it might be bootleg, or fake, or off the back of a lorry – and even worse, it might be just about the only pacifist one. It seems to prefer hippyish larking around with the flowers than bashing any rivals. What is a lad like Danny to do?

This is a nice, taut piece, too, as the best of reads for those with a reading age of eight tend to be. The drama concerns Danny, Chew Lips – his character, his best friend, and his worst enemy. We get just enough of her, the bullying little madam, and see how other books should deal with similar characters designed for us to hate – minimally. I did have issues with this while reading it – I felt the piece served its moral perfectly, about how it should be the nicer things that went viral, rather than combat – but it has more to say, in a second half that seemed much less believable but not exactly bad at all.

No, despite my opinion it could have stopped midway, I was happily with this to the end, and the action is actually pretty decent – and things are certainly helped by the game units being so potentially realistic. With things such as the audio aspect and Chew Lips' origins left unexplained by the finish we get a drama that doesn't care to tick every box and cross every 't', and that is yet more evidence that it ultimately really does know what it's doing. A strong four stars, if not more.

Wow! This is an amazing book that I think will appeal to so many readers, confident and reluctant alike!!!

The characters are so loveable, they have so much depth, such a feat in a book 130pages long.

It's exciting, its emotional, it's relevant and compelling. I think children are going to fall in love immediately due to the new style of gaming and tech, but the characters will drive their reading on till they get to the climatic last third of the book when they won't be able to put it down, just like I couldn't.

I think this book is ideal for children from 8 or 9 years old, but think it has so much for older readers too, just like me. As it's a Barrington Stoke book, the text is suitable for dyslexic readers too. I hope lots of people pick this one up. I'd love to see Barrington Stoke books get more praise and this book is an excellent examplenofntheir womderful work.

This captivating tale is filled with adventure that appeals to readers of all ages, but middle-schoolers are sure to find it especially enjoyable. The vibrant illustrations are stunning, enhancing the narrative and making key moments come alive in vivid detail. This story is perfect for young readers who are passionate about video games and offers a delightful, family-friendly alternative to Dungeon Crawler.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley and Barrington Stoke for the opportunity to read and review this book. This was a cute chapter book perfect for students looking for ones with robot fighting. I will warn, though, there are two violent scenes that may need to be sped through. Overall, it was a lot of fun. 4 out of 5 stars

This story is very enjoyable and would be a great read for reluctant readers but also any kids just wanting a bit of a fun sci-fi quick read.

Fast-paced, short and punchy book that will have a wide appeal in the school library. Kids are obsessed with tamigochi/pokemon type toys/games but all is not what it seems. There's a sub-plot that runs along the lines of 'how we treat others (even virtual others' reflects on ourselves and radiates outwards that I thought was timely.

A great short story full of action but with an underlying message about being kind. Written in a dyslexic-friendly format this story is also ideal for reluctant readers.

Barrington Stoke specialize in publishing books in a dyslexic-friendly format: the paper is cream/yellow rather than white for better contrast and they use dyslexic-friendly fonts in a larger size. Reading can be tiring when you have dyslexia so Barrington Stoke books also tend to be shorter than your usual middle grade book. This means they are also often the books I recommend to reluctant readers and that will definitely be the case with Blitzers.

Writing a good short story is difficult. Longer stories have the luxury to slowly introduce the characters, world and plot and to describe and develop them in detail. Short stories usually have to sacrifice something in order to get the word count down. So when a reluctant reader picks one up to read they find it harder to engage with the story and it reinforces their feeling that books are boring. This book does a great job of showing that doesn't have to be the case.

Alastair Chisholm manages to pack a lot into this book. The main story which will hook readers is the latest craze sweeping the playground: Blitzers. These are pocket robots you train to fight and rank up (think violent Tamagotchis). There are global leagues for the best robots and the book touches on pay-to-play and how easy it is to spend money and end up with nothing to show for it. Likewise there is mention of the reality behind influencers and their motivations.

Main character Danny finally gets hold of a Blitzer but it's different to the others. Chew Lip would rather wander the forest than fight and runs away from enemies. Danny is desperate to fit in and scours the internet for ways to make his Blitzer into a fearsome fighter. Events occur and the characters end up infiltrating the Blitzer HQ on a mission. There is intrigue, danger and a shocking reveal.

One of the major themes of this book is about how harmful aggressive behaviour is, and how being aggressive to one individual can cause them to be aggressive to others. It celebrates choosing kindness and accepting yourself and others for who they are. The book isn't explicitly about toxic masculinity but it reads like a counterbalance to the hateful messages a lot of young people are exposed to online about needing to be the alpha. Danny's older brother is a pleasingly positive role model in the story.

I really enjoyed this combination of an action-packed story that celebrates kindness.

I enjoyed this book and so did my 10 year old son. He said it kinda reminds him of Pokémon. The ending to me was bittersweet.

The children adore books by Barrington Stokes, they can all read and enjoy them. The stories, although written for a wide range of reading abilities are always strong on plot and characters. They are all good but this is definitely one of the best ones we have read together. An exciting story but suitable for all of the family.