The perfect gift for your young gamer or bookworm — a heartfelt adventure about friendship, courage, and rolling the dice on yourself!

Twelve-year-old Riley Henderson has always relied on her older brother Devin for everything — but when he heads off to college across the country, she's suddenly on her own. That is, until a cool new friend named Lucy pulls her into a Dungeons & Dragons campaign and Riley finds herself stepping behind the Dungeon Master's screen for the very first time. Roll for Initiative is a warm, funny, and deeply relatable middle grade novel for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Jessica Kim, perfect for any kid who has ever felt too shy to speak up or too scared to try something new.

A Story About Independence: Riley's journey from relying on her brother for everything to discovering her own capable, confident self is one every middle schooler will recognise and cheer for.
Dungeons & Dragons at Its Heart: Packed with authentic D&D gameplay and culture, this book is a dream for young fans of tabletop gaming — and a fantastic introduction for curious newcomers.
Friendship and Belonging: From navigating shyness to building a real "party" of friends, Roll for Initiative celebrates the magic of finding your people.
A Great Pick for Reluctant Readers: Fast-paced, funny, and full of heart, this is the kind of book that keeps pages turning well past bedtime.

About the Author

Jaime Formato is a middle grade author whose debut novel Roll for Initiative draws on the world of tabletop gaming to tell a deeply human story about growing up, finding independence, and the friendships that shape us. She brings warmth, humour, and authenticity to every page.

Product Details

Publisher: Running Press
Publication date: 2022
Language: English
Print length: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 9780762481064
Reading age: Juvenile Fiction (Middle Grade)