Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an exciting kids book. I loved how video games have been incorporated into this book as games are so popular with you people.

Bear with me on this plot summary, for it's on the zany and convoluted side and is probably too much for me to do it justice. Six years ago, at a fine birthday party, our hero Bentley had a great time, with laser tag, arcade games and everything else a major juvenile entertainment centre should provide. That day his dad, who built some of the arcade game worlds, entered a pact with the owner, an old man running the whole shebang as a tribute to a daughter who had passed. What happened after that involved a new game, and the loss of the old man, in ways that made an urban myth of it all. Now, a sad and lonely twelve, Bentley is trying to have another birthday party – he's showed a few friends how the new game was aced, but now it's got bizarre. For the dead girl, Polly, has turned up, in her game heroine space combatant clobber, and starting shooting at real space pirates. She thinks she's from the future, Bentley realises she is a game character come to life. But whichever it is, when the few friends at the party turn out to be Redshirts, they will have to collaborate and act as if they could win a real-life arcade game, or else...

This was much better than the dubious merits of the other launch volume for this series, "Don't Climb This Mountain" – and while on that topic, what is it with the naff titles that seem chosen in five seconds? Both books seem separate from each other, although of course linked by the same tech established in earlier books from the author. Here the writing still fumbles the descriptions in a search for concision that just ends up as a lack of clarity, but that and the melding of computer game and real worlds are both more satisfying. And ultimately we have a real roller-coaster of meaningful drama, as opposed to something mere throwaway. From the pair of books we get a sense the author has lost some reliability, but this is a strong piece, up there with his dramatic best.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC!
3 stars

I liked this better than the other Adventures in a Video Game, mostly because there's less cringe characters xD There's definitely a looot of things I'm wondering the consequences of, but I think the book didn't want to deal with that, so just ended on a happy note xD It was a lot of light-hearted fun (writing style wise, not events) with video game nerdiness sprinkled throughout. The ending was a really nice little bow on everything, with all the feel-goods. I'd definitely recommend for young gamer readers!

(I'm reviewing this together with Don't Climb This Mountain)

You probably don't remember Nick Arcade, but I certainly do. Well, these books remind me of that. A young hero, plopped into a real life video game, trying to make it through all manner of scrapes and obstacles. Tapping into the current cultural cache of video games and streaming, the author uses those facets of modern life to craft a fun, interesting story for younger readers. Highly recommended for any young gamers in your life.

Unfortunately this was a bit too much for my seven year old, but it is a fun story, and woukd be good for kids just a tad bit older.

What a great first book in a series for young readers! Bentley along with Polly, a video game hero, have to find the aliens and solve a mystery that had haunted Bentley's family for many years. My grandson and I are looking forward to the next book! Thanks#Netgalley and #AndrewsMcMeelpublishing for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

My 10-year-old son loves all of Dustin Brady's books, so he jumped at the chance to read this new series.

He loves the adventures (and humor) that await in each of these books, and My Friend from the Future did not disappoint. He read this one in two days and quickly jumped into the second book. These are the perfect books for middle school kids who love video games.

Here is his review in his own words:
Dustin Brady does it again! The start of his fourth series, Adventures in a Video Game, includes comedy, adventure and action! Awesome all around!

Thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advanced copy of this book.