GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Video games and reading—they’re often seen as two contradictory activities, with parents searching for ways to get childrens’ eyes off the television and onto the pages of a book. As it turns out, combining the two may be a great way to get kids interested in reading.
Southwest Michigan author Danica Davidson recently wrote a book that’s a perfect example. It’s collaboration with Swedish video game company Mojang Studios: a tie-in novel to the best-selling game of all time, Minecraft.
Davidson says publisher Penguin Random House—the largest publisher in America—sought her out to write the new book based on her previous writings, which include her 12-book unofficial Minecrafter series aimed at kids ages 7 to 12.
The new novel, titled Minecraft: The Outsider, was released in December of 2023 and is part of a series of books based on the game for young readers. It features a story about two kids, Jeremy and Valda, who must put aside their differences and learn from each other's cultures to save the Minecraft overworld from a new type of zombie.
Davidson is also the author of several instructional art books on how to draw Manga, as well as the Holocaust memoir I Will Protect You. You can follow her work on her website.
