The Battle

The game begins again in this gripping follow-up to exciting, clever (Booklist) The Gauntlet thats a futuristic Middle Eastern Zathura meets Ready Player One! Four years after the events of The Gauntlet, the evil game Architect is back with a new partner-in-crimeThe MasterMindand the pair aim to get revenge on the Mirza clan. Together, theyve rebuilt Paheli into a slick, mind-bending world with floating skyscrapers, flying rickshaws run by robots, and a digital funicular rail that doesnt always take you exactly where you want to go. Twelve-year-old Ahmad Mirza struggles to make friends at his new middle school, but when hes paired with his classmate Winnie for a project, he is determined to impress her and make his very first friend. At home while theyre hard at work, a gift from big sister Farahwho is away at her first year in collegearrives. Its a high-tech game called The Battle of Blood and Iron, a cross between a video game and board game, complete with virtual reality goggles. He thinks his sister has solved his friend problemall kids love games. He convinces Winnie to play, but as soon as they unbox the game, time freezes all over New York City. With time standing still and people frozen, all of humankind is at stake as Ahmad and Winnie face off with the MasterMind and the Architect, hoping to beat them at their own game before the evil plotters expand Paheli and take over the entire world.