The Game Masters of Garden Place

A quirky Dungeons & Dragons-inspired adventure that will appeal to gamers and readers of the Mr. Lemoncello's Library series.

What if your favorite fantasy-game characters showed up on your doorstep IRL?

Sixth graders Ralph, Jojo, Noel, Persephone, and Cammi are hooked on fantasy tabletop role-playing games. When they somehow manage to summon their characters to Ralph's house, things take a truly magical turn!

The five are soon racing around town on a wild adventure that tests their both their RPG skills and their friendship. Will Ralph and crew be able to keep their characters out of trouble? Trying to convince a sticky-fingered halfling rogue not to pickpocket or a six-foot-five barbarian woman that you don't always have to solve conflicts with a two-handed broadsword is hard enough. How will they ever send the adventurers back to their mystical realm?

"Epic. . . . for young fans of Stranger Things." --SLJ

"An exciting new adventure exploring friendship. . . . [With] often humorous commentary on social issues." --Booklist

"Both funny and heartfelt. . . . [The Game Masters of Garden Place] has as much to offer diehard fans as it does newcomers to fantasy role-playing." --The Bulletin

Denis Markell's first novel for kids was Click Here To Start. His second book is based on his tween son's Dungeons & Dragons game (well, except the part where the characters come to life). . . . He lives in a small apartment in Brooklyn with his wife, illustrator Melissa Iwai, and his son. You can find him on Twitter at @DenisMarkell, and yes, he'd be happy to do a Skype author visit for your kid's class.