The Hidden Dominion of Geordie James

The Hidden Dominion of Geordie James is a fantastic graphic novel that delves into many contemporary issues that kids and parents are dealing with. Geordie is obsessed with Dominion, a Minecraft-ish MMORPG where he spends hours building up an elaborate amusement park with even more elaborate defenses to drive away marauders who would steal his (digital) stuff. His dad does not really see what he gets from the game, but he does not like it, especially when Geordie starts to fail science class. He grounds Geordie, making him spend time outside. Geordie finds a secret hideout, which somehow has working wifi he can use when he sneaks his tablet. He also becomes somewhat obsessed with a pig that has somehow escaped into the wild in their neighborhood.

Geordie is not the only one failing science though, and he and some classmates get put into an after-school group to work on a project to boost their grades. It turns out that Geordie is not great at working in groups, and some of his classmates are tough to get along with. They sometimes bicker and struggle to come up with a common topic, and seeing how they interact reminded me of how many kids today relate to one another, when they have to manage both face-to-face and digital interactions.

I am not going to get more into the plot and how the various relationships work out, but I will say that I found a lot of nuance and suspense throughout this book, and I found it really difficult to put down. It's not only riveting, it's also very moving and relatable. The interplay between reality and virtual worlds was palpable, and I cannot wait to share this book with my kids.

The Hidden Dominion of Geordie James was made by Mike Dawson, who is one of my favorite comics artists. I belong to his Patreon, where he publishes "almost monthly" zines. He has also written and drawna number of graphic novels over the years, including the Fifth Quarter books, Freddie & Me, Angie Bongiolatti, and Troop 142. He also has done a lot of  graphic nonfiction and essay work, including the collection Rules for Dating My Daughter and plenty of comics for The Nib and other venues.

All three of the reviews I have read of this book have starred ones. The entry from Kirkus Reviews concluded, "A beautifully resonant work for the plugged-in set."  Barbara Ward wrote in Booklist, "With threads exploring philosophical and moral questions and a nuanced look at the impact of time online for kids, this bright, expressive graphic novel has lots of emotional grounding while still being an engaging story of an often-overlooked kid finding acceptance and understanding." The School Library Journal  wrote that it "could readily serve as a mentor text and is an excellent book club choice for middle school students.”

The Hidden Dominion of Geordie James was published by Union Square Kids, and they offer a preview and more information here.