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Table of Contents
About The Book
A very unlucky kid enters a real video game—and gets stuck on pause—in the ninth book in The Very Worst Ever chapter book series!
Video games are totally cool, right? Especially if you’re the one playing on the outside of the screen. But what if you could go into the video game and become the player that all those evil mini-bosses are trying to beat? [REDACTED] gets the chance to find out when helping his friend with a video game project threatens to lead to a big GAME OVER!
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, The Very Worst Ever chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.
Video games are totally cool, right? Especially if you’re the one playing on the outside of the screen. But what if you could go into the video game and become the player that all those evil mini-bosses are trying to beat? [REDACTED] gets the chance to find out when helping his friend with a video game project threatens to lead to a big GAME OVER!
With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, The Very Worst Ever chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.
Excerpt
1 EXTRA EXTRA CREDIT
Ah, video games. We have a not-so-great history together. Don’t get me wrong, I love video games.
Where else can you race a car upside down? Or save kittens from a spooky castle? Or find a buried treasure of lost kittens inside a spooky castle while driving upside down?
So yeah, I play video games.
I’m just not the best at them. It’s more like I find new and exciting ways to lose.
There was the time I fell into a pit before the game even started and the screen froze for three hours.
Or the time my mom learned cheat codes and kept destroying me over and over and over again. Yep, I can’t even win against my mom!
Another time I was playing a game on Mom’s phone and I thought I was winning, but I was actually ordering twenty pizzas and a robot octopus (or Robo-Octo) from an online store.
We kept the pizzas, but Robo-Octo ran away. Hmm, I wonder where he went?
So why am I telling you this? Because you need to understand why I can’t help my friend, Regina du Lar, with her extra-credit project for class.
I am NOT a gamer.
There we were, in the back of Regina’s family limo.
“You gotta help me! Puhhhleeease!!!” Regina said. “It’s just a game!”
“You know me and games,” I reminded her. “I’m the worst kid possible for this.”
“No! That’s why you are PERFECT!” said Regina. “My game is for people who are really bad at video games. And you are really, really bad.”
Hmm, I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
“Thanks, I think,” I said.
Regina smiled and asked, “So, you’ll do it? Can I count on you?”
Sometimes in life you get stuck between two problems. I didn’t want to embarrass myself yet again. But I also didn’t want to let my friend down.
What else could I say but, “Hey, you can always count on me to be the worst.”
Ah, video games. We have a not-so-great history together. Don’t get me wrong, I love video games.
Where else can you race a car upside down? Or save kittens from a spooky castle? Or find a buried treasure of lost kittens inside a spooky castle while driving upside down?
So yeah, I play video games.
I’m just not the best at them. It’s more like I find new and exciting ways to lose.
There was the time I fell into a pit before the game even started and the screen froze for three hours.
Or the time my mom learned cheat codes and kept destroying me over and over and over again. Yep, I can’t even win against my mom!
Another time I was playing a game on Mom’s phone and I thought I was winning, but I was actually ordering twenty pizzas and a robot octopus (or Robo-Octo) from an online store.
We kept the pizzas, but Robo-Octo ran away. Hmm, I wonder where he went?
So why am I telling you this? Because you need to understand why I can’t help my friend, Regina du Lar, with her extra-credit project for class.
I am NOT a gamer.
There we were, in the back of Regina’s family limo.
“You gotta help me! Puhhhleeease!!!” Regina said. “It’s just a game!”
“You know me and games,” I reminded her. “I’m the worst kid possible for this.”
“No! That’s why you are PERFECT!” said Regina. “My game is for people who are really bad at video games. And you are really, really bad.”
Hmm, I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
“Thanks, I think,” I said.
Regina smiled and asked, “So, you’ll do it? Can I count on you?”
Sometimes in life you get stuck between two problems. I didn’t want to embarrass myself yet again. But I also didn’t want to let my friend down.
What else could I say but, “Hey, you can always count on me to be the worst.”
About The Illustrator
Amy Jindra is a Cleveland, Ohio, native with a passion for illustration. Ever since she can remember, she has been drawing everything and anything. She enjoys developing characters and scenes that tell a story, create a connection, and warm the heart. Amy is fueled and inspired by the arts, family and friends, and good sushi.
Product Details
- Publisher: Little Simon (November 11, 2025)
- Length: 128 pages
- ISBN13: 9781665973571
- Ages: 5 - 9
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Book Cover Image (jpg): Not Ready Player One
Hardcover 9781665973571
