The Unofficial Guide to Minecraft Survival

May 1, 2019

Gr 3-6-Much of the appeal of Minecraft is the experimental, low-stakes trial and error nature of acquiring basic skills and world knowledge. Minecraft books that try to tell kids things they might already know often elicit scorn. This series avoids that lava lake, opting to forgo step-by-step how-to's in favor of more general information, tips, news, and real-world connections. Mods is a standout, as mods, and particularly the use of Forge to manage them, are the only major aspect of Minecraft that a user doesn't learn about in the natural course of playing the game. Good, clear screenshots provide additional interest, inspiration, and in some cases humor. Although an image of a Nether Portal is captioned as merely a "cool looking structure" in Construction, any Minecrafter worth their ore is going to notice that. VERDICT Good-looking, informative, and almost 100 percent accurate, this series is great for beginners.

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2019
Each of these four volumes offer a brief overview of a feature of the popular open-world video game. Accompanied by screenshots from the game, the straightforward, second-person texts tend to be repetitive from book to book, particularly when discussing a 2018 update and MineCon. Sidebars highlight STEM connections and how coding skills come into play. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

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