Power Up, Paperback/Sam Nisson

This inventive graphic novel that unfolds online and IRL takes readers from the halls of middle school, to epic robot video game battles, and back again. Miles and Rhys know each other only as Gryphon and Backslash, and in the video game Mecha Melee they're an unstoppable team. They're the best friends they've got, online or in the real world, and they don't even realize they go to the same middle school. But real-life wrongdoing blasts their duo into a crater the size of Arcticon. With life online and off a complete mess and BattleCon--and the Every Game Ever tournament--just weeks away, can the boys play their way back to each other? About author(s): Sam Nisson has spent his working life creating worthwhile media for kids. For many years, he produced outstanding video games based on brands like I Spy and The Magic School Bus. More recently, he has worked on the Carmen Sandiego series on Netflix, and has written and directed audio shows for Pinna. He lives in Brooklyn. Darnell Johnson , a Miami, Florida native, discovered his passion for art when watching Saturday morning cartoons as a kid. He would spend time designing his own characters and making comics about them. It was in high school that Darnell knew he wanted to pursue a career in art. Currently he lives in Alpharetta, Georgia. Visit him on Instagram @darnelljohnson_305.