Geoff Rodkey (The Chronicles of Egg) delivers an engaging mash-up of history, gaming, social media and family dynamics in this launch of a planned four-book series starring 12-year-old twins Claudia and Reese Tapper.
Claudia, the more academically minded of the twins, explains in the prologue that "Wars are terrible things. I know this because I've read about a lot of them on Wikipedia." The book serves as Claudia's oral history about "the war" with Reese. Rodkey sets up the narrative like a screenplay, and events unfold through the voices of the twins themselves. The innovative format also includes photos and screenshots, and text messages between the twins' two working parents. These juxtapositions allow for a great deal of humor, as readers fill in the gaps between the various--sometimes contradictory--points of view. Claudia offers nuggets about real war history--e.g., a photo of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which she likens to the "sneak attack" start of her "war" with Reese. Reese--who's not malicious, just a bit focused on other things, like his online gaming--dismisses Claudia's characterization: "[I]t's not like anybody died," says he. "Except on my MetaWorld account." As tensions escalate between the twins, online paybacks result in unintended consequences.
Rodkey's format results in a multi-layered, complex exploration of families, school and social mores. The antics fall away to reveal a more serious side to pranks gone awry. Beneath it all, the author reveals the underlying affection between Claudia and Reese, and a credible, likable family. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness