ROLL FOR INITIATIVE

Perfect for fans of Dungeons & Dragons, Raina Telgemeier, and Jessica Kim, this debut middle grade novel is an upbeat and heartfelt coming-of-age story about finding your voice and believing in yourself.

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 prepared dinner, or - ewww - done her own laundry. That's what her older brother Devin was for. Her single mom works crazy hours, which means Devin all but raised her, but now he's away at college, studying at a prestigious gaming program in California, while she's still at home in Florida.

Riley's never even made a friend on her own because she always had Devin, but new girl Lucy gives Riley no choice but to get over her shyness and fear of rejection and become friends. The best part is... both girls have a fascination for Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, that was something Riley and Devin used to do together, with Devin as the dungeon master, guiding Riley through his intricate and meticulously planned campaigns. Of course, Riley is a little nervous when Lucy suggests that she run a campaign, but for the chance at a friend, Riley's willing to give it a shot. To her surprise, it goes really well! So well, in fact, that soon they add Hannah and Jen to their adventuring party.

Soon Riley discovers that not only that she can function without Devin, she kind of likes it. She figures out that bus thing, totes the clothes down to the laundry room and sets up her D&D campaigns right there on the slightly suspect folding table, makes her own snacks and dinner, the whole deal. But when Devin leaves his program and returns home, it's pretty clear, even to Riley, that since he can't figure out his own life, he's going to live Riley's for her. He's even going to run her D&D campaigns with all his strict, no fun, no joking allowed rules. Now Riley has to figure out how to prove to him and her mom that she's got this and convince Devin he needs to go back to California to follow his dreams. It's time to Roll for Initiative.

Jaime Formato is a third-grade teacher from northern Florida. Her days are spent hanging out with kids and reading, and the nights are for musicals, hockey, and writing. She lives in a little house by the woods with her husband, their four beautiful children, two cats that don't love her enough, two dogs that love her a little too much, and a whole lotta nature.