Press Start! — by Thomas Flintham

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  Game Over, Super Rabbit Boy!
  

  • Jan-2017
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  Book - 1
  

  Pick a book. Grow a Reader!
  
  
  
  This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, ...

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  Super Rabbit Boy Powers Up!
  

  • May-2017
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  Book - 2
  

  Baddie King Viking is tired of always losing to hero Super Rabbit Boy. So he's gone to the Secret Lands to search for the legendary Super Power Up, /b>, which has powers even Super Rabbit Boy won't be able to defeat. But Super Rabbit Boy is determine...

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  Super Rabbit Racers!
  

  • Nov-2017
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  Book - 3
  

  Welcome to the Super Cup Grand Prix! Eight racers must compete in four races to win the Super Cup Power Up, which gives the winner super speed powers. Super Rabbit Boy is ready to win, but meanie King Viking is racing this year, too! And he has racer...

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  Super Rabbit Boy vs. Super Rabbit Boss!
  

  • Feb-2018
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  Book - 4
  

  Oh no! Hero Super Rabbit Boy has been sucked into a strange, yet familiar new world. It's an upside-down land where everyone good is now bad and everyone bad is now good. And the major meanie in this land is none other than Super Rabbit ... Boss? ...

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  Super Rabbit Boy Blasts Off!
  

  • Aug-2018
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  Book - 5
  

  Help! Meanie King Viking is causing trouble in space! Super Rabbit Boy knows he can stop him. But can he fly a wobbly Level 1 rocketship, stop an army of space robots, and find King Viking? This latest Press Start! adventure is simply out of this wor...

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  The Super Side-Quest Test!
  

  • Dec-2018
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  Book - 6
  

  King Viking has a new giant robot to help him take over the Animal Town. Super Rabbit Boy must stop him, but he needs a secret item. And to get the item, he has to defeat a dragon, escape a dungeon, and avoid lots and lots of robots. Can Super Rabbit...

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  Robo-Rabbit Boy, Go!
  

  • May-2019
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  Book - 7
  

  Pick a book. Grow a Reader! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these book...

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  Super Rabbit All-Stars!
  

  • Jan-2020
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  Book - 8
  

  Super Rabbit Boy is competing in the All-Star Games Tournament!Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-p...

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  Super Rabbit Boy's Time Jump!
  

  • Sep-2020
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  Book - 9
  

  Super Rabbit Boy must travel back in time to stop King Viking!Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-pa...

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  Super Rabbit Boy's Team-up Trouble!
  

  • May-2021
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  Book - 10
  

  Super Rabbit Boy and Mega Mole Girl team up to stop King Viking in the latest installment of this USA Today bestselling series!Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independen...

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  Super Cheat Codes and Secret Modes!
  

  • Jan-2022
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  Book - 11
  

  Super Rabbit Boy has to fight through gaming gaffs and glitches in the latest installment of this USA Today bestselling series!Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independen...

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  Super Rabbit Boy World!
  

  • Sep-2022
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  Book - 12
  

  King Viking unleashes his biggest evil plan yet in the latest installment of this USA Today bestselling series!Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With ...

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  Super King Viking Land!
  

  • Apr-2023
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  Book - 13
  

  The villain becomes the hero in the latest page-turning installment of this USA Today bestselling series!Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-t...

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  Super Game Book!
  

  • Jan-2024
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  Book - 14
  

  It's YOUR turn to play the video game and defeat meanie King Viking in this choose-your-own-adventure-style special edition featuring full-color artwork on every page!Press Start! is now streaming as an NBC Peacock original series!Can Super Rabbit Bo...

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  Mega Mole Girl Digs Deep
  

  • Aug-2024
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  Book - 15
  

  Mega Mole Girl has to save Super Rabbit Boy in the latest page-turning installment of this USA Today bestselling series!Pick a book. Grow a Reader!This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line, Branches, aimed at newly independent reade...

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Series Premise

The series follows Super Rabbit Boy (real name: Caleb), an ordinary kid who loves video games, especially the fictional game Super Rabbit Boy—a platformer where he controls a brave, super-powered rabbit hero. One day, Caleb discovers that the game has become magically real: he can literally enter the digital world and become Super Rabbit Boy, using his game skills to solve problems and fight enemies inside the game. Each book features a new adventure in the game universe, where Caleb (as Super Rabbit Boy) faces challenges like racing, battling bosses, collecting power-ups, or rescuing friends, while also dealing with real-world kid issues (school, friendships, family, sibling rivalry). The stories alternate between Caleb's everyday life and his game-world exploits, often with the game reflecting or influencing real-life events (e.g., a school race inspires a game race, or a bully becomes a game villain). Caleb teams up with his best friends—Melanie (a skilled gamer girl) and Sarah (his little sister)—who sometimes join him in the game as different characters. The premise celebrates creativity, teamwork, perseverance, and the idea that video games can teach real-life lessons like strategy, courage, and kindness.

Press Start! Series Characters

Caleb / Super Rabbit Boy: Protagonist—8–9-year-old boy, enthusiastic gamer, kind-hearted, a bit anxious but brave when it counts. As Super Rabbit Boy, he’s a pink rabbit hero with super jumps, punches, and heart-shaped power-ups. Loves his family and friends; grows more confident across books.
Sarah: Caleb’s younger sister—cute, energetic, mischievous. Often tags along in games or real life; provides comic relief and sibling love.
Melanie: Caleb’s best friend—smart, confident gamer girl. Skilled at strategy and teamwork; often joins as a game character (e.g., Super Cat Girl or similar).
Mom and Dad: Supportive, loving parents—Dad is a gamer too, Mom encourages creativity and kindness.
Game villains/bosses: Rotating enemies—King Viking, Meanie King, Robot Bosses, or other themed foes who cause chaos in the game world.
Supporting classmates/teachers: School friends and adults who appear in real-world scenes, adding humor and everyday kid issues.

Setting of the Press Start! Series

Dual settings:

Real world: A typical American suburb/small town. Caleb lives in a cozy house with his parents and little sister Sarah. Key locations include his bedroom (filled with game consoles, posters, and toys), school (classrooms, playground, cafeteria), the local park, and friends' homes. The real world is everyday and relatable—school projects, birthday parties, sibling squabbles, and after-school fun.

Game world: A bright, colorful, 2D-style platformer universe inside the Super Rabbit Boy game. Levels include bouncy platforms, lava pits, rainbow roads, candy lands, space zones, underwater areas, and boss arenas. The game world is whimsical and rule-based—power-ups (speed boosts, invincibility stars), coins to collect, checkpoints, and classic platformer obstacles (spikes, moving platforms, enemies). The two worlds often blur: game events affect real life (e.g., a game freeze makes Caleb feel "stuck"), and real-life emotions power up game abilities.

Tone & Themes of the Press Start! Series

Bright, energetic, funny, and encouraging—pure early-reader fun with a positive, empowering vibe. Thomas Flintham's tone is playful and accessible: the books are fast-paced, full of silly humor (goofy enemies, slapstick moments, exaggerated game effects), and packed with kid-relatable excitement (level-ups, power-ups, boss battles). The humor is light and gentle—think cartoon-style antics, wordplay, and funny sound effects—while the emotional moments (friendship, trying again after failure, standing up to bullies) are warm and supportive. The series is optimistic and uplifting: Super Rabbit Boy always finds a way to win (or at least learn and grow), and the real-world problems resolve happily. It's ideal for building reading confidence—short chapters, large print, colorful illustrations on every page, and a sense of "you can do it!" that makes kids feel like heroes.

The Press Start! series is a joyful, accessible celebration of gaming, friendship, and growing up—perfect for early readers who love video games and want stories that feel both exciting and safe. Megan McDonald’s Super Rabbit Boy (Caleb) is an endearing, relatable hero whose adventures in the game world mirror real-life challenges, teaching kids about perseverance, teamwork, and confidence through bright illustrations, funny moments, and positive messages. With 10+ books of colorful, fast-paced fun, the series is a fantastic gateway to chapter books and graphic novels—encouraging reluctant readers, celebrating imagination, and reminding kids that even small heroes can save the day. A delightful, heartwarming favorite that makes reading feel like playing a great game.