DnDoggos: Get the Party Started

Gr 4-8–Underhill brings four canine friends together to play their favorite tabletop role-playing game in this delightful middle grade graphic novel. Magnus, the Dungeon Master, is excited about leading his friends on their new adventure; Pickles is a fighter with a taste for reward; Tonka is a sweet and sensitive bard; and Zoey is the empathetic and thoughtful cleric. The group is tasked with retrieving a magical dog collar from a nearby swamp, but a far greater quest awaits the group: someone is stealing all the squeaky toys in the village! Is the nefarious Dog Bone Fang Gang behind the thievery? The story shifts between gameplay and the fantasy setting, and the character interactions throughout the game give readers hilarious context to each player’s personality: Pickles is brash and prone to speaking out of turn; Tonka sweetly asks for help with interpreting dice rolls and is the cheerleader of the group; and Zoey mediates, smooths Pickles’s rough edges, and considers situations before reacting. Fans of role-playing games will enjoy the inside jokes, including the dreaded “1” dice roll and the joy of rolling a “natural 20.” The cartoon-style artwork marries the fun of an animal tale with epic fantasy. A brief explanation on gameplay helps give newcomers a glimpse into tabletop role-playing games.