Dawson, Mike. Hidden Dominion of Geordie James, The. Mike Dawson, Illus. Union Square Kids, 05/2026. [252]pp. Graphic. Trade $24.99. 978-1-4549-5621-1. GRADES 5–7. LOW ADDITIONAL.
Twelve-year-old Geordie must collaborate on a science project with four other failing students, despite being tongue-tied and exclusively focused on two things: finding an escaped pig and playing “Dominion” – a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game – in this middle-grade graphic novel. Routine life is depicted in muted-color cartoon panels, while scenes from when Geordie’s mother was still alive are monotone. Meanwhile, walks in nature and images of the MMORPG are both depicted in vivid color, full-bleed illustration, implying that time spent online is as immersive and fulfilling as time spent outdoors. Young gamers might enjoy the action of Geordie’s online play, and may be surprised that he gets any homework done once he starts lying to his father about catching wifi in his hiding place when he’s supposed to be offline out in nature. Parents and teachers may be uncomfortable with those contradictions and the undermining of ecological principles. There is token diversity in the names and skin color of his classmates, while Geordie and his dad are redheads of Scottish descent. Deconstructing the consequence-free moral transgressions may require maturity above the appeal level of this artistic style, vocabulary, character development, and plot. As a result, this entertaining but superficial treatment of significant topics is unlikely to advance relevant conversations.
Erica Siskind—Oakland Public Library