The relative ease the fantasy characters have assimilating to a newer, more eccentric Brooklyn is also a bright spot in this amusing adventure that culminates at the big Reign of Dragons convention. A scene where a biracial friend of Ralph-half Afro-Caribbean and half white American-explains to a dumbfounded halfling-half human and half orc-the difficulties of being biracial in our world but still completely human is both funny and heartfelt. Markell’s knack for blending the gaming, real, and fantasy worlds shines when the group’s made-up characters magically manifest in their Brooklyn Heights neighborhood and the adventure takes on a surreal life of its own. Ralph is worried that the gang’s shifting priorities may lead them away from the game, however, so he decides to host an adventure to end all adventures, hoping that he may convince his friends to stick with the game or at least can provide them a memorable finale. Sixth-grader Ralph Peter Ginzburg (“RPG”) and his four closest friends have been meeting each weekend to assume identities from elves to barbarians to wizards to halflings as they play the role-playing game Reign of Dragons.
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