Dylan Alcott with Fiona Regan (text) and Nahum Ziersch (illustrator), Dylan Alcott: Game On, HarperCollins Publishers, December 2024, 279 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780733343209
This middle grade chapter book (with a few illustrations), features a teenage Dylan as he starts high school and deals with the usual teen pressures.
For those not familiar with Dylan Alcott, he has had great success as disabled sportsperson (basketball and tennis), which has led to opportunities as a TV personality and in 2022 he was the Australian of the Year. Given his vibrant personality and dedicated advocacy for disabled athletes (and non-athletes), it’s no surprise that a publisher would want to get his name on a book series for kids. Slightly irreverent, his brand is a great match for reluctant readers and kids who would read a book only because the recognise the author.
In the story readers meet Dylan’s family and friends, of note is his surly older brother Jacob who seems to be reluctantly thoughtful of Dylan’s challenges. At school he faces some challenges other kids don’t because he gets around using a wheelchair. It takes him longer to get from one class to another, and his new teachers seem to put limitations on him before they get to know him, especially in PE.
There is one villain-type character who seems to want to make fun of Dylan, but mostly he has lots of friendly supporters. Ultimately though, Dylan has to be his own advocate as he navigates a world that just isn’t designed for him.
This isn’t a literary masterpiece, in fact, other that the plot line of starting a new school, there wasn’t a strong main story line. It seemed more like short vignettes of the struggles and wins Dylan experiences because of his disability. However, given that this book is for middle grade readers (years 5-7), it’s going to be a great option to help kids read more diversly. It’s wonderful to have a story that heroes a teen with legitimate physical differences and to understand the emotions connected to the challenges.
Reviewed by Cherie Bell