Gotta Catch ‘Em All! 14 Books for Kids Obsessed with Pokémon Go
by Laura Arnhold
The Pokémon Go phenomenon has washed over the U.S. like a cool wave washes over your toes at the beach on a hot summer’s day … okay, maybe more like a tidal wave. Kids are playing, adults are playing, and strangers are walking around their neighborhoods talking to each other about catching small pocket monsters in their community. Libraries, churches, and other landmarks have become Poké Gyms — places where your single-player experience becomes a group battle to gain Pokécoins and Stardust to level up. So if your Pokémon Go-loving kids are draining your cell phone battery and using up your data, here are some super fun and captivating books you can hand them instead.
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Level 1 Trainer (Growing Readers; Ages 5 - 8)
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Spot Series
Available from:Don’t let your youngest Pokémon Go players miss out on some books — see if they can help find Spot the puppy as he hides behind lift-the-flaps everywhere from the farmyard to the beach. These picture books are great for budding readers as many deal with early concepts such as the alphabet, counting, shapes, and colors.
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Look & Find Series
If Where’s Waldo? is too advanced, try the Look & Find series — a basic scavenger hunt-style book filled with some of your child’s favorite characters from “Frozen,” “Doc McStuffins,” “Cars,” and more!
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Where's Waldo?
A classic seek-and-find adventure! As Waldo travels the world the reader must find him in the most crowded of places. Kids will spend hours poring over these illustrations looking not only for Waldo, but for a few things he’s lost along the way as well.
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Pokémon Easy Readers, Early Chapter Books, and Handbooks
You may or may not be familiar with the veritable treasure trove of Pokémon books available for kids of all ages — there are easy readers, early chapter books, and some extensive handbooks that give the statistics for each and every pocket monster your child finds in your community.
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Level 15 Trainer (Middle Grade Readers; Ages 9 - 12)
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Book Scavenger
Emily’s family is constantly moving, so without a home to get attached to, Emily finds her community of friends in the online game Book Scavenger, a geo-caching type game where clues are left in books across the country. When Emily arrives in San Francisco, home to the creator of Book Scavenger, Garrison Griswold, she finally feels at home — that is until Griswold is attacked and ends up in a coma. The answer to who attacked Griswold might just be in the mysterious book that Emily and her new friend James found, but now it seems as though someone might be after them too! Will they solve the mystery before it’s too late?
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Click Here to Start (A Novel)
Available from:Ted Gerson loves video games and when his great-uncle bequeaths to him his junk-filled apartment after his death, Ted learns that Great-Uncle Ted has set up his apartment like an elaborate real-life version of an escape-the-room game. With the help of his friends Caleb and Isabel, the kids may in fact find a priceless treasure amidst the junk, hopefully before a shadowy figure finds it first.
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Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library
Available from:Kyle is over the moon — he’s getting the chance to participate in a lock-in with eleven classmates at the new library in town built by an eccentric game-creator named Mr. Lemoncello. The catch? The doors of the library are truly locked and the kids won’t be able to leave until they solve all of the clues and one of them wins the grand prize. With literary references from classic and current children's literature, this book is for lovers of books, games, and mysteries.
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Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
With the movie in the works, this would make a great suggestion for kids learning the names of all those Pocket Monsters, because the beasts in the Harry Potter world have just as confusing names — Quintaped, Puffskei, and Knarls to name a few!
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How to Train Your Dragon
If your Pokémon Go fan is always looking for the next Poké Gym, then take a look at this book on how train other mythical creatures! Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is trying to pass his Viking initiation test by capturing and training a dragon.
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The Puzzling World of Winston Breen
Available from:Winston is a lover of puzzles and brainteasers, but when he and his sister discover a set of wooden tiles with random letters on them, they realize they must work together with other townspeople to solve the puzzle. Will everyone agree to cooperate or will the town librarian’s inheritance be lost forever? The reader can solve the puzzles along with Winston, and if you get stumped, you can find the answers at the end of the story.
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The 39 Clues Series
Dan and Amy Cahill are given a choice after hearing their grandmother’s will read: take a million dollars and walk away or go on an epic scavenger hunt to uncover 39 clues spread throughout the world. Little do they know that they are up against some pretty competitive people — their own family members! — who are also looking to find the source of their family’s power.
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The Westing Game
Available from:A Newbery Award winner, in which sixteen strangers are thrust together at the reading of Samuel W. Westing’s will. One of these 16 people will inherit Sam’s great fortune, but that’s not the only mystery — one of these 16 people is also the murderer! Can you figure out whodunit?
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Level 30 Trainer (Teens; Ages 13+)
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Ready Player One
Available from:The world’s not a pretty place in 2044, so Wade escapes by entering the virtual reality world of OASIS. Wade love to solve puzzles and he’s spent much of his time in OASIS solving the clues left by the creator of the world. Of course, he’s not just solving them for fun, he’s solving them with a promise of power and fortune, and as soon as Wade dives into the game, he meets other players willing to kill for the answers. In order to survive, Wade must win the game … the race is on!
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Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
Scott Pilgrim’s pretty happy with his life — he’s got a girlfriend, he’s playing in a band with some friends, and he’s currently in between jobs, leaving him lots of free time. All is well, until Ramona Flowers comes rolling into his life … literally on roller blades. He doesn’t only see her at parties, but also in his dreams, and in order to learn more about Ramona and date her, he has to battle her seven evil ex-boyfriends in a manga-styled graphic novel. Check out the movie based on the series called “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.”
