• Age: 8 to 12
• Grade: 3 to 7

A video gamer’s championship aspirations are dashed when his parents send him to Camp Reset, where electronics are forbidden and you're forced to socialize, eat healthy, and spend time outside. Gamerville is a timely and vulnerable exploration of the importance of human connection and what it means to run in a pack, brought to you by award-winning author Johnnie Christmas.

Max Lightning is howling at the moon—he’s finally qualified for Gamerville, a championship where players compete to be top dog in the multiplayer video game Lone Wolf of Calamity Bay. But his dreams of domination are doomed when his parents send him to Camp Reset. Gone are the long nights of downing energy drinks and getting copious amounts of screen time. They've been replaced with fresh air and group activities under the hot sun—a shock to the system for a lone wolf like Max. Can Max escape Camp Reset and level up at Gamerville, or has he finally played his last match?

Praise for SWIM TEAM:

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor

National Book Award Longlist

Kirkus Best Book of the Year

Eisner Award Best Publication for Kids Nominee

Harvey Award Best Children’s or Young Adult Book Nominee

"Combines wonderful characters and history to create a story that will make you want to dive right in!" —Jerry Craft, author of the Newbery Award–winning New Kid

“A revelation! You’ll root for Swim Team—the water is just right.” —John Jennings, New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award–winning creator

“Swim Team is a beautiful story about trying new things. Johnnie Christmas is a fantastic storyteller and artist.” —Kazu Kibuishi, author of the Amulet series

“Full of charm, heart, and pulse-pounding races. A winner!” —Gene Luen Yang, author of American Born Chinese and Dragon Hoops

Johnnie Christmas is a #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novelist and author-illustrator of the critically acclaimed middle grade graphic novel Swim Team, which was longlisted for the National Book Award, was a Coretta Scott King Honor Book for Illustration, was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2022, and received a Jane Addams Book Award Honor. He calls Vancouver, British Columbia, his home.

You can visit him online at johnniechristmas.com.

Johnnie Christmas' profile page