TEAM CHU AND THE BATTLE OF BLACKWOOD ARENA

Laser tag becomes more than a game for two rival sibs in this series kickoff.

Even though it gives them even more opportunities to snipe at each other, the opening of a big new gaming arcade with multiscenario virtual-reality laser tag is exciting news for both cocky seventh grader Clarence “Clip” Chu and his hotly competitive younger sister, Sadie. The stakes ramp up far past just high scores and bragging rights, though, when the two meet Tom, the son of the game’s designer, who has been trapped in the game’s virtual worlds and can’t leave without help from a team willing to join him there—to tackle not only suddenly all-too-realistic monsters, but changing hazards and brain teasers posed by the ominously intelligent software. By the time the Chus have led Tom and assembled allies into and past the Swamp of Despair, a Haunted Castle, and other battlegrounds, their bitter rivalry has been transformed into respect for each other’s complementary abilities and their own familial relationship. The apologies and gestures of reconciliation do get a bit heavy-handed toward the end, but the messaging doesn’t impede the tale’s quick pace or focus on action. Dao brings to life the foods, values, generational differences, and general rhythms of life in the Vietnamese American Chu household. There is racial diversity in the supporting cast.

A heady mix of personal growth and high-speed gaming action.