Twelve-year-old Steve Silver is an average kid, just trying to survive middle school. He's a video game connoisseur who takes pride in knowing something about everything in the video game world...yet he's never heard of "Pirate Raiders." His questions about the game result in stern warnings from Jerry, owner of the local video game store, and when Steve's friends act strangely after binging on the game, something sinister seems afoot. Meanwhile, pirates are popping up around the world, wreaking havoc-even in Steve's small city. He sees a connection between the game and the pirates. After his friends go missing, he learns the truth. Now Steve, Jerry, and Esperanza, Steve's middle-school crush, must enter the game, rescue his missing friends, and stop the pirate epidemic before it's too late.... It started as a challenge. On a lazy summer day in 2019, Russell Richardson challenged Sam (then 11) to watch an R.L. Stine MasterClass and use the advice given to devise a story. Sam agreed. When Sam described his big idea, Russell heard its promise. Together they outlined a Goosebumps-type novel...and that was the limit of Sam's interest. Dad, however, could not bear to waste all that hard work. With Sam's blessing, Russell proceeded to write the creepy YA-video-game-pirate-adventure book they had brainstormed together. We hope you enjoy...Level Up and Die!