Book excerpt: Themes: Virtual Reality, Gaming, Competition, Honor, Perseverance, Relationships, Responsibility, Fiction, Teen, Young Adult, Emergent Reader, Chapter Book, Hi-Lo, Hi-Lo Books, Hi-Lo Solutions, High-Low Books, Hi-Low Books, ELL, EL, ESL, Struggling Learner, Struggling Reader, Special Education, SPED, Newcomers, Reading, Learning, Education, Educational, Educational Books. Grunt Games has created a new video game. World Quest is beyond virtual reality. Players use thoughts to control their avatars. They wear sensors and feel everything. Elite gamer Alden Nash is asked to test the game. As Black Heart, heêll battle three other gamers to find a cure to save Earth. What he ends up finding is a piece of code. This wasnêt part of the game. It could be the key to winning--or losing his mind. This series of books was designed specifically for struggling teen readers. The contemporary fiction is written at accessible levels and provides substantive content without being edgy. The relatable plots appeal to teens, especially those who are reluctant to read. Books in the series quickly grab their interest with fast-paced storylines that feature realistic, sometimes larger-than-life teen characters readers can identify with or would like to know. Then there is an unexpected twist. The charactersê lives are suddenly on the edge„of fame, fear, or even sanity. What starts out as fun or routine becomes a nightmare, real or imagined. As characters are tested in mind, body, and spirit, readers have a sense of being there to experience the adventure.