The Ultimate Nintendo Fanbook: The Best Nintendo Games, Characters and more!

Gr 3-5–Since this year’s success of the Super Mario Bros. movie, Nintendo fandom is at an all-time high. Without an official Nintendo-published guide on the market, this independent guidebook fills a niche for young readers looking to learn more about the game company’s long history and large roster of characters. The book has three main parts: history, characters, and games. Nintendo’s over 230-year history is condensed into 10 pages, blazing through its beginning as a card game maker in 19th -century Japan all the way to a modern international video game juggernaut. Character profiles range from headliners like Mario and Link to niche figures like Impa (Legend of Zelda) and the Octarians (Splatoon). The “Greatest Game” section gives an overview of Nintendo’s top franchises, like Mario, Zelda, Splatoon, and Kirby. Each game receives a “Greatest Game Ranking” from 0–5, a rating that seems arbitrarily assigned. Mario Kart, one of the bestselling series of all time, has three stars while Big Brain Academy, a series with three niche games, receives three-and-a-half. No series gets five. The high quantity of pictures ensures this book will appeal to emerging readers. Experienced readers can enjoy the text, although the quantity of characters and titles leaves room for only cursory facts. However, page layout is colorful and clear, and the text is easy to follow. The writing style is casual and conversational. The final pages feature speculation about the future of Nintendo.