Roll for Initiative by Jaime Formato
Publication date: September 27, 2022

Date read: July 24, 2023



Riley Henderson has never taken a bus to school in her entire life. Or made an afterschool snack, or finished her homework on her own, or—ewww—done her own laundry. That’s what her older brother Devin was for. But now Devin’s gone. He’s off in California attending a fancy college gaming program while Riley is stuck alone in Florida with her mom. That is, until a cool nerd named Lucy gives Riley no choice but to get over her shyness and fear of rejection and become friends. The best part is . . . both girls are into Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, playing D&D was something Riley and Devin used to do together, with Devin as the dungeon master, guiding Riley through his intricately planned campaigns. So, of course, Riley is more than a little nervous when Lucy suggests that she run a campaign for them. For the chance at a friend, though, she’s willing to give it a shot. Soon, their party grows and with the help of her new D&D friends, Riley discovers that not only can she function without Devin, she kind of likes it. But when Devin runs into trouble with his program and returns home, it's pretty clear, even to Riley, that since he can’t navigate his own life, he’s going to live Riley’s for her. Now she has to help Devin go back to college and prove to her mom that she can take care of herself . . . all before the upcoming Winter-Con.

First of all, in full disclosure, I must admit to being a big Dungeons & Dragons nerd, so this book was right up my alley. I wish that I had had friends like Riley when I was younger and could have gotten into the game at that age. (I didn't start playing D&D until just a few years ago).

This book was adorable and had such a great character development for Riley. Even aside from the gaming aspect, she had to go from someone who had her older brother to do everything for her to someone who became fiercely independent and self-sufficient. I also loved that she actually had a hard time with it - her development showed that change and independence isn't easy and takes hard work, but can be worth it in the end.

As for the D&D plot, I don't feel that it is necessary for readers to be familiar with the game in order to get the plot. Even Riley's campaigns don't completely follow strict D&D rules, and with the new kids joining her game, the mechanics are explained enough that a non-gamer shouldn't have any difficulty following along.

I think this book also did a great job dealing with how games like this are not only for boys, addressing bullying and gatekeeping (even if it was mostly in the form of Riley's own brother and not other kids at school). Also just how hard it is to go up against someone when you want to be a part of something or disagree with what they are doing. And the gatekeeper in this case being Riley's brother also showed how difficult it can be when the person you're in disagreement with is also someone who you love. This book did an amazing job showing Riley's conflicting emotions and how she finally had to deal with the issue.

Side note: Riley's brother, Devin, is the worst. Yes, he has his own redemptive arc and is also a good life lesson about how hard it is for a perfectionist to handle not being perfect, and how to get past that. And I know that his arc was also really important for Riley in order to become the person she needed to be. But, in the reading moment, I really wanted to hurt him. (But I also think that was the point.)

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. Riley and her friends are the kids that I want my own children to grow up to be, and are the kids that I wish I knew when I was 12. I think this book will appeal to most middle grade readers, especially young girls or gamers of all genders. As said before, you don't have to be into D&D in order to enjoy this book, but I think those readers that do will really get some extra enjoyment out of the story. But this is a well-rounded story about gaining independence and finding yourself that I think is perfect for all middle grade readers. Highly recommended.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Content warning: feelings of abandonment

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me access to the free advanced digital copy of this book.

Cute, fun, touching, and interesting. This is going to fly off the shelves at any library with Dungeons & Dragons fans, especially those who are not quite ready for more of the YA fare.

Roll For Initiative by Jaime Formato follows sixth grader Riley Henderson as she tries to navigate her life being flipped upside down. Living with a single, working mother, Riley has always depended on her big brother, Devin for everything. From taking her to school to making her food to doing her laundry, Devin has always been there to do it. Now Devin is across the country at his dream college and Riley is left trying to figure out how to do everything. Riley feels very lost and alone until she meets Lucy, another nerdy girl that helps Riley come out of her shell. Riley and Lucy decide to start playing Dungeons and Dragons, a game that Riley often played with her brother. When they really get into it and two more girls join their party, Riley finds that she doesn’t need her brother quite as much as she thought. When Devin comes home for a holiday break, Riley begins to see that maybe Devin is the one who needs her.

Roll for Initiative was a fantastic story of growing up, finding independence, and family. I loved Riley's character arc; her growth was great. Seeing her navigate needing her brother and finding her own way through not only Dungeons and Dragons, but life itself. The friendships she cultivated along the way were inspirational to say the least. Their willingness to communicate and problem solve with each other is something I think we all can learn from. I don't think there was a single character that didn't experience growth and I loved it so much. You know a character's arc is well executed when you start out the book not liking them and by the end they're one of your favorites. Devin was that for me; especially in the scene where he DMs for Riley and her party. By the end, I went so soft for him.

I think this would be a fantastic novel for children and adults alike, and I'm excited to see what comes next for Jaime Formato.

This debut by Jaime Formato plucked every heartstring in my nerdy, TTRPG-loving soul.

While this middle-grade novel has plenty of wonderfully accurate and authentic details about D&D, this really a story about self-confidence, friendship and one family learning to truly support each other, that just happens to use dice and dungeons as a way of getting people out of their shells.

I adored how the characters find each other and all take turns being there for each other, and appreciated the overarching message about creativity coming from being who you really are and loving what you really love. Extra kudos to the author for using her debut to smash a bit of the patriarchal vestiges of gatekeeping within the tabletop gaming community.

This one is a Critical Hit!

This was a lovely read, one I’d have loved it even more when I was a kid. To have someone you can relate so much in the book you’re reading is truly an amazing thing. Loved everything, especially the general nerdiness.

A different take on a coming of age novel and I adored it! I loved that Roll for Initiative for Dungeons and Dragons centric (and it featured girl gamers!) and Riley's growth throughout the book was so heartfelt. Themes of friendship and family and growing up, this book would be perfect for middle age readers!

I LOVED THIS.
So cute, so heartfelt, so wonderful.
Riley Henderson is just trying to figure out middle school. Her brother is off at college and she feels alone and abandoned. She finds Lucy and begins a D&D campaign, finding friendship and trust in herself. Until Devin returns home and Riley finds she has to fix everything.
Seriously amazing, I recommend this to everyone.

Roll for Initiative by Jaime Formato is a delightful and fun novel.
While the book is geared to a younger audience, I still had a lot of fun reading it and the characters were quirky and amusing enough to keep the pages breezing by--
While the book is listed as being about the relationship of Riley and her brother Devin it is actually in the relationships of Riley and her friends, Lucy, Hannah, and Jen that the book really sparkles. As a gamer it was fun to see the characters make the game their own and I have to think that there may have been a little of the author creeping in at points. :)
Thank you #Netgalley, #Running Press, and Jaime Formato for this much needed breath of fresh air--#RollforInitiative.

A fantastic read for young children going through a big change. This books gives a realistic look into friendships, family dynamics, and how to bend the rules to make things more fun.

Riley's older brother Devin has always been in charge. When he heads off to California for college, Riley is left adrift until she makes a new, nerdy friend. Through playing D&D with her new friends, Riley begins to thrive. At Thanksgiving, Devin unexpectedly comes back and throws a wrench into everything Riley had been working on. Can Riley figure out a way to fix things?

This was a really cute book and exactly why I have grown to love middle grades books. Riley and her friends were completely believable and relatable. They were there to support each other when there were problems and talked through conflict- a great example for anyone. I loved how Riley adapted to change and always wanted to help the people around her. I see some of myself in her with the wanting to help and things sometimes not working out how she intended. The only character I didn't particularly care for was Devin. While realistic, he seemed a little too controlling which made me uncomfortable. It was evident that he loved Riley and their mom but he just took things too far.

Overall, great representation of girls in gaming (and diversity in general). While it would be more enjoyable for gamers, non-gamers would like it too. It may even serve as a gateway for non-gamers to venture into gaming.

Thanks to Running Press Kids and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! It is the perfect middle school book for gamers and non gamers alike. And I love the female representation in comics and video games.
I really related to Riley, and I think a lot of girls are going to. She’s shy and feels helpless. I loved watching her grow into herself and also figure out who she was without Devin. Personally, while I liked her journey of self growth, I don’t think she should have helped Devin in the way she did. I think since the book focused on how Devin didn’t really respect Riley’s boundaries, Riley should have respected his. But I get her frustration with Devin. The kid definitely needed a push. I’m just not sure if she should have done it the way she did.
I adored Devin! I think he was such a sweet kid who really didn’t want to end up like his dad. He was overzealous and didn’t always make the right decisions, but his heart was in the right place. His story was a good lesson about learning how to fail and get back up again too.
I loved all the different female characters in this book too! You have the single, struggling mom, the shy one, the one hiding behind their smile, and the super smart one. I think all of these amazing female characters were different and unique. They didn’t feel like stereotypes either.
I would definitely recommend this fun, kids book! It’s a clean read with no innuendos or language. And also no romance! I love romance, but I do think middle school is a little young to be thinking about boys.


Highlights:
Amazing, unique female characters
Conventional family values
Learning how to be independent
The importance of different strengths
Learning how to fail
Healthy, female friendships!
Strong, caring men: dads, uncles, and brothers
Found family
Focused on friendship not romance

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, a positive review was not required.

Riley is bummed that her brother has gone away to college, and she has no one to play DnD with. However, she soon finds fellow players, and friends, in her apartment building and school. Although there are ups and downs, the friendship they forge while playing DnD is a true one. Even when Riley's brother unexpectedly comes home, she finds herself more drawn to playing with her friends, where she can truly be herself.

This book started a bit slow for me but then it got so cute! As a fellow DnD nerd, I appreciated all the references and how the game brought the friends together. There were also so many good topics covered well in this book.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As always with reviews of ARCs, we begin with the heartfelt thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Running Press Kids, for giving me the opportunity to read this book early. Now onto the review!

Sometimes, writing a review is like pulling teeth. It’s like, I have feelings and thoughts about a book, but I have no idea how to put them into words. I’ve had three reviews in my drafts because I’ve just been unable to get over that hump of actually writing the “why you should read it” portion of the review. The first half of a review for this blog is always easy–title, author, synopsis, and genre are given to me by the book itself, and I keep track of the content warnings as I read so it’s really easy to get those down too. But then I get to “Why You Should Read It” and it’s like all of the energy and words I thought I had for this review dry up and I’m just…stuck. So I click save draft and come back one week, two weeks, three weeks later. I’m telling you this because this is not going to be my best review by any means of the word “best.” In fact, it’s probably going to be incredibly subpar, but I’m going to try my best to do this book justice with whatever words I am able to conjure up.

So, Roll for Initiative. One of my favorite things about this book was how well it represented social anxiety. Riley’s anxiety about making friends, about looking stupid in front of peers, about just about everything related to socializing, was so very real, and so very relatable. Formato did a great job of putting the stomach-churning, face-heating feeling of it all into words, and I was so very grateful for that. I also really liked the whole message of the book, which was basically “believe in yourself,” though in a less cheesy way. It was more like, “you don’t always recognize your own worth, but, trust me, it’s there.” But it’s also like, “when you have trouble believing in yourself, there will be people who believe enough to help you get there again.” I don’t know; I told you I’m struggling with words.

I also really liked the characters–the main character, Riley, annoyed me at times because I felt like she was making bad choices, but those choices I thought were bad ended up working out for her so maybe they were good choices and I just didn’t understand the situation. I think a big part of it was I kept imagining myself as being the person on the receiving end of those choices, and I knew I would not be happy. And while the recipients in the book were also not happy, they came around, so that was nice of them I guess. I really enjoyed the side characters though, especially Lucy. I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t mind follow-up books that focused on the other girls as the main characters rather than Riley. Riley was an interesting main character, for sure, but I think that Lucy, Jen, and Hannah contain multitudes as well, and I’d be really interested in seeing them get an opportunity to be fleshed out more.

I think my absolute favorite part of this book, though, was the D&D. Specifically, it was the comparison of how Devin plays D&D (very rules oriented) to how the girls play D&D (much more homebrew, go with the flow of the roleplay). It was really interesting to me to see this contradiction in playing styles in the book because it is very real in D&D circles. On the one hand you have the rules-followers who want everyone else to “play it right,” and on the other you have the go-with-the-flow types who are just looking to have fun. I felt like in the end the book tried to show you that however you play it, official rules or house rules, is playing it “right” as long as you have fun the way you do it.

Again, apologies for my inability to put thoughts into words properly today. I really hope this review suffices in telling you that this is a good book despite my inability to string sentences together. Because this is a good book; I’m just having a bad brain.

Roll for Initiative is a fantastic debut novel about a young girl who starts her own D&D party and it was such a fun read! The complexity of the relationship between the main character and her older brother tugged at my heartstrings. Being a little sister to an older brother myself, I loved seeing the initial dependency reflected and just how the main character slowly gained her own independence and confidence. Also, these D&D girls are the coolest and I wish I had such cool friends when I was in middle school! I absolutely loved every minute in this story and cannot wait until it is released! Thank you so much to the publisher for letting me read an e-arc, it was awesome!

I really want this book in my collection. It was a breeze to read, the main character was relatable. There were multiple different characters from different economic backgrounds. And it speaks on a lot of different issues that I think a lot of children don't get exposed to very often.
Riley's brother Devin has gone off to college in California, leaving her to sit in Florida and figure out how to function without him, and she's not doing too well. Devin has always been there for everything and now Riley has to depend on herself because she can't bother her mom, she already has too much on her plate. But when Riley finally starts making friends with Jen, Hannah and Lucy she finds herself coming out of the nest that was built to protect her. Suddenly her brother is back and he's here to stay forcing Riley back into the nest she's outgrown. Can she show him that she's responsible and that he doesn't have to coddle her? Or will she be stuck under his wing for the rest of her life?
Overall 5/5
Story/Plot 5/5
Social-emotional 5/5
Thank you to Jaime Formato, Running Press Kids, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Plot: Reading about Riley gaining confidence in herself, making friends, and helping her brother was a great a read! I don't know much about D&D, but I enjoyed reading about Riley and her friends playing campaigns, and creating their characters. Each of the girls has their own things and issues going on, and I liked reading about their stories, and how they helped each other,

Characters: Riley was a fantastic main character, and her friends were all great! I liked how her family played a big role in the story. And I liked all the supporting characters, too!

The Cover: I like it!

Overall: This was an unexpected new favorite for me! I thought it sounded good, but I didn't expect to love it as much as I did. The opening scene made me laugh because of Riley's thoughts, and she had a great voice in the book. This was a fantastic contemporary Middle Grade book, that I highly recommend reading!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Roll for Initiative is a book about a shy middle-school girl who ends up making some good friends and forming a Dungeons and Dragons group. This book was very entertaining and I found myself smiling every time I picked it up to read. I consider myself a pretty nerdy person and while I am not an avid D&D player, I have sat in on sessions that my friends and husband have played. This book captures the fun that happens during a session and I loved the creative campaigns that the girls did. I also loved how this book addressed issues dealing with homes with divorced parents, low self-confidence, and overcoming a perfectionist mindset. This is definitely a good book to read for kids and adults who enjoy nerdy things, especially D&D.

Sixth grade is not starting out as well as Riley Henderson would prefer. Her brother, Devin, has abandoned Riley to attend college on the other side of the country, and with their mother working long hours at her retail job, Riley is more alone than she has ever been. Forgetting what bus she rides is only the beginning of the challenges Riley faces, and she is counting down the days until Devin comes home for Christmas vacation and can continue their most recent game of Dungeons and Dragons. But time and loneliness have a way of bringing people together, and as Riley begins to make friends with others who enjoy the same games she does, she begins to trust herself in a way she never has before.

This beautiful story is a fantastic balance between true-life difficulties and the excitement of creating an immersive, fictional world. Riley’s life is far from perfect, and as a sixth-grader, she is being asked to manage her needs in an intense and all-inclusive way. Thanks to a series of happy circumstances, though, Riley ends up meeting three other girls who each have their own challenges, and their shared struggles help their friendship blossom. Dungeons and Dragons is a game into which each of the girls can escape, and as the campaigns continue, their real-life capabilities grow along with the stats of their characters.

Readers will appreciate the smooth flow of the story, especially as the believable dialogue brings all aspects of Riley’s life to the foreground. Riley narrates the book in the first person, giving readers a strong glimpse into her feelings as she matures from a young girl to a more self-sufficient teen. Occasional illustrations enhance the quality of the writing while also providing a visual respite, helping to make this an excellent selection for middle grade readers who can benefit from some additional support in the books they read. Filled with heartwarming interactions, quirky characters, moments of weakness, and celebrations of strength, this story is one that will resonate with readers of all ages. It is a necessary addition to library collections for younger middle grade readers.