Science Fiction & Fantasy
![Delilah S. Dawson - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_delilah_s_dawson.jpg)
Minecraft: Mob Squad
Come with the Mob Squad on an amazing adventure through the Overworld in this official Minecraft novel!
The village of Cornucopia is practically perfect in every way. Plenty of food, cozy homes, and a huge wall to keep everyone safe from the scary world outside. What more could a kid possibly need?
Well, a lot, actually.
Mal, a fearless girl, needs adventure, and her friends are right there with her: Lenna, a dreamer whose family underestimates her every day. Tok and Chug, brothers who love to build stuff (Tok) and smash stuff (Chug). They're best friends, and in a town whose grown-ups value safety over bravery and fitting in over standing out, they're the bad apples.
But when a mysterious mob sneaks past Cornucopia's defenses, the village is in huge trouble. And nobody knows what to do. Finally faced with the adventure she's always wanted, Mal and her friends defy the rules their elders have always followed and set out beyond the wall for the first time.
On their journey across the Overworld, they discover wonders they've never dreamed of and dangers they've never imagined. To save the day, they'll have to prove they're more than bad apples. They're the Mob Squad!
The village of Cornucopia is practically perfect in every way. Plenty of food, cozy homes, and a huge wall to keep everyone safe from the scary world outside. What more could a kid possibly need?
Well, a lot, actually.
Mal, a fearless girl, needs adventure, and her friends are right there with her: Lenna, a dreamer whose family underestimates her every day. Tok and Chug, brothers who love to build stuff (Tok) and smash stuff (Chug). They're best friends, and in a town whose grown-ups value safety over bravery and fitting in over standing out, they're the bad apples.
But when a mysterious mob sneaks past Cornucopia's defenses, the village is in huge trouble. And nobody knows what to do. Finally faced with the adventure she's always wanted, Mal and her friends defy the rules their elders have always followed and set out beyond the wall for the first time.
On their journey across the Overworld, they discover wonders they've never dreamed of and dangers they've never imagined. To save the day, they'll have to prove they're more than bad apples. They're the Mob Squad!
Readers Top Reviews
JessicaginaJeffrey P
I *love* haunted house fiction, particularly when there’s tons of atmosphere and mystery, which this novel had in spades. The tense, scary parts are super tense and scary, and there’s a really great combination of supernatural (ghosts!) and just regular real-life terrible things (angry and/or overwhelmed parents who don’t really listen to and don’t believe their tween daughter). The ending was really satisfying — and there’s a cool dog. I don’t normally read a lot of YA fiction, but I trust Delilah S. Dawson to craft a great story with all-drawn characters — and I was not disappointed.
DF
I admit, I haven’t read this so I can’t comment on the quality other than to say I’m familiar with other work by the author and trust it on those grounds. This was a gift and looked fun to read on my flip through. The quality of the cover and paper were good. Great colors.
Jill C
My kid has read this book (and it's sequel) three times in the past month and gives it five very enthusiastic stars!
Rebecca
I'll write a more thorough review once MINE has been out a while and there's less danger for spoilers, but I LOVED this book. As a mom, as a reader, and as a writer. For moms/educators: this book is super scary, but the ending ... the ending is what makes it middle-grade. Ms. Dawson wraps everything up with a bow at the end, and that is what makes it for kids. A HEA of sorts. This is not a critique! This is its top strength! Kids will resonate with Lily's throughts about identity and how her relationship to her parents changed after experiencing traumatic events. For readers: this is big-name horror novel level pacing and character development. I devoured this book with the same speed I read the big-name guy who's obsessed with Maine. Buy it now, read it, and then read it aloud again with those you love during spooky season! As a writer: I fell in love with Dawson's third-person-close narration in PHASMA, and she shows the same skill here. Specifically for MINE, the little tidbits of #floridalife thrown in shows Dawson gets all this lovely description firsthand from her time in the "swamp" herself.
DB
We really like the Minecraft series, but this is the best one yet. It's full of great characters and good life-lessons, plus it's funny. Great book for young readers.
Short Excerpt Teaser
MAL
So here's what you need to know: My name is Mal, I live in a town called Cornucopia, and I would do anything for my friends. Literally. Which is why they always come to me for help.
My family runs the biggest cattle ranch, which I've nicknamed Cornu-cow-pie-a as a joke. Most days, I wake up with the rooster and take the cows out to pasture, which isn't a very long journey, as our town is completely contained within impossibly tall walls. Still, we have to switch where the cows graze or they'll eat down to the dirt and possibly keep going. Cows aren't very smart. They are cute, though, and I like eating breakfast as they graze. Their crunching is very companionable.
"Mal!" a voice calls as I munch on my apple.
I look around-definitely not a cow. And anyway, I know that voice.
"Morning, Lenna!"
My friend Lenna jogs toward me, out of breath and frantic, her poufy brown hair bouncing and full of leaves. "Mal. You've got to come help. Jarro has Tok and Chug cornered in an alley!"
With Lenna, you have to stop and make sure you have all the details right.
"Okay, slow down. I know Tok couldn't fight a sick beetroot, but Chug can take on Jarro any day of the week. What's the problem?"
She cocks her head. "Chug has a hoe."
Ah.
See, Chug and Tok are the other two people in our friend group. They're brothers, but as different as two people can be. And, yes, they're almost always in trouble for something or other. Scrapping with Jarro is one thing, but if Chug is holding a hoe and Jarro goads him enough, especially in a hidden alley downtown, we might have a real problem. Plus, if Chug breaks the hoe over Jarro's head, he'll be in even worse trouble.
It's not like hoes grow on trees.
You can buy them only from Old Stu, and they're pretty expensive.
And Tok . . . kinda goes through a lot of tools. He's always trying to create interesting gadgets to help around their family's pumpkin farm-not that any of them seem to work. He's very smart and creative, but he gets so excited that he forgets about rules and safety.
Chug, on the other hand, is all fists and not a lot of calculations. We need to hurry-not to protect the boys from Jarro, but to protect Chug from Chug. He's my best friend, but I'm the first to admit that he doesn't know when to shut his mouth. He's the king of comebacks and is always ready to stand up against any bully. If he hurts Jarro, things will go badly for all of us.
"Seriously, Mal. Chug was turning red. We've got to hurry!"
Lenna turns around to run, looking back to make sure I'm with her. She's known for hyperbole and telling tall tales, so I'm pretty sure Chug isn't about to start bopping people on the head with a hoe. Still, I'm the one who has to make sure everyone is okay, so I sigh and toss my unfinished apple toward the nearest cow before standing to run after Lenna.
I end up outpacing her as we charge into the Hub, which is what we call the center of town. She leads me to a back alley in the warren of old shops and houses, and sure enough, there they are. Tok is up high, out of reach, perched on part of an ancient staircase that leads toward a second floor door nobody uses anymore. His cat, Candor, is by his side, her fur puffed up as she hisses at the scene below. No one knows if Candor is male or female, but Tok decided that she is a she and she hasn't complained, and I respect that. She spends most of her time on his shoulder. I can't really picture Tok without an orange ball of fluff acting as his second head.
The scene below, though? That's the real problem. I'm glad we ran.
Chug does indeed have a brand-new hoe held in both hands, and he and Jarro are nearly chest to chest in the narrow alley. Jarro's two toadies, Remy and Edd, are just behind him, aching for a fight. I'm glad Lenna and I are here so the boys aren't outnumbered.
"Put down the hoe and put up your fists," Jarro growls. He's a foot taller than Chug with longer arms, but Chug's got more weight-and more reason to fight. He'll do anything to protect his brother.
"If I put down the hoe, one of your pet donkeys over there is going to steal it," Chug says. "Isn't that why you chased my brother into this alley to begin with? Because you're a thief? You certainly stole all the ugly around town for yourself."
Jarro doesn't know what to say to that, as he's not very smart. "Come on!" he shouts. "Quit yapping your trap and fight me!"
Chug notices Lenna and me standing behind Jarro and grins. "Okay, never mind. I'll put down the hoe. The odds just got much better. Hey, buddies!"
When Chug waves, Jarro and his friends turn around to look at us. Chug tosses the hoe up t...
So here's what you need to know: My name is Mal, I live in a town called Cornucopia, and I would do anything for my friends. Literally. Which is why they always come to me for help.
My family runs the biggest cattle ranch, which I've nicknamed Cornu-cow-pie-a as a joke. Most days, I wake up with the rooster and take the cows out to pasture, which isn't a very long journey, as our town is completely contained within impossibly tall walls. Still, we have to switch where the cows graze or they'll eat down to the dirt and possibly keep going. Cows aren't very smart. They are cute, though, and I like eating breakfast as they graze. Their crunching is very companionable.
"Mal!" a voice calls as I munch on my apple.
I look around-definitely not a cow. And anyway, I know that voice.
"Morning, Lenna!"
My friend Lenna jogs toward me, out of breath and frantic, her poufy brown hair bouncing and full of leaves. "Mal. You've got to come help. Jarro has Tok and Chug cornered in an alley!"
With Lenna, you have to stop and make sure you have all the details right.
"Okay, slow down. I know Tok couldn't fight a sick beetroot, but Chug can take on Jarro any day of the week. What's the problem?"
She cocks her head. "Chug has a hoe."
Ah.
See, Chug and Tok are the other two people in our friend group. They're brothers, but as different as two people can be. And, yes, they're almost always in trouble for something or other. Scrapping with Jarro is one thing, but if Chug is holding a hoe and Jarro goads him enough, especially in a hidden alley downtown, we might have a real problem. Plus, if Chug breaks the hoe over Jarro's head, he'll be in even worse trouble.
It's not like hoes grow on trees.
You can buy them only from Old Stu, and they're pretty expensive.
And Tok . . . kinda goes through a lot of tools. He's always trying to create interesting gadgets to help around their family's pumpkin farm-not that any of them seem to work. He's very smart and creative, but he gets so excited that he forgets about rules and safety.
Chug, on the other hand, is all fists and not a lot of calculations. We need to hurry-not to protect the boys from Jarro, but to protect Chug from Chug. He's my best friend, but I'm the first to admit that he doesn't know when to shut his mouth. He's the king of comebacks and is always ready to stand up against any bully. If he hurts Jarro, things will go badly for all of us.
"Seriously, Mal. Chug was turning red. We've got to hurry!"
Lenna turns around to run, looking back to make sure I'm with her. She's known for hyperbole and telling tall tales, so I'm pretty sure Chug isn't about to start bopping people on the head with a hoe. Still, I'm the one who has to make sure everyone is okay, so I sigh and toss my unfinished apple toward the nearest cow before standing to run after Lenna.
I end up outpacing her as we charge into the Hub, which is what we call the center of town. She leads me to a back alley in the warren of old shops and houses, and sure enough, there they are. Tok is up high, out of reach, perched on part of an ancient staircase that leads toward a second floor door nobody uses anymore. His cat, Candor, is by his side, her fur puffed up as she hisses at the scene below. No one knows if Candor is male or female, but Tok decided that she is a she and she hasn't complained, and I respect that. She spends most of her time on his shoulder. I can't really picture Tok without an orange ball of fluff acting as his second head.
The scene below, though? That's the real problem. I'm glad we ran.
Chug does indeed have a brand-new hoe held in both hands, and he and Jarro are nearly chest to chest in the narrow alley. Jarro's two toadies, Remy and Edd, are just behind him, aching for a fight. I'm glad Lenna and I are here so the boys aren't outnumbered.
"Put down the hoe and put up your fists," Jarro growls. He's a foot taller than Chug with longer arms, but Chug's got more weight-and more reason to fight. He'll do anything to protect his brother.
"If I put down the hoe, one of your pet donkeys over there is going to steal it," Chug says. "Isn't that why you chased my brother into this alley to begin with? Because you're a thief? You certainly stole all the ugly around town for yourself."
Jarro doesn't know what to say to that, as he's not very smart. "Come on!" he shouts. "Quit yapping your trap and fight me!"
Chug notices Lenna and me standing behind Jarro and grins. "Okay, never mind. I'll put down the hoe. The odds just got much better. Hey, buddies!"
When Chug waves, Jarro and his friends turn around to look at us. Chug tosses the hoe up t...
