Most of the books are written for a younger audience, so they’re great for kids’ summer reading goals while adult Minecraft fans will love the quick, cute, and affordable stories. Dig deeper into Minecraft than ever before with one or all of the official Minecraft books!
16 Minecraft: The Crash
There’s one thing that needs to be right in a Minecraft book and that’s Minecraft knowledge! Unfortunately, The Crash features a couple of scenes that are inaccurate portrayals of the Minecraft world in order to progress the story or land a certain line. These scenes effectively shake readers out of the story if they have more than a basic understanding of Minecraft.
The other major problem with this book is the premise. The story begins with a young girl causing a car crash by waving her phone in front of her friend’s face while he’s driving through an intersection. The book then goes on to integrate themes of growing up, not being so irresponsible, and dealing with loss, but really? First off, who would do that? It sounds like something the local news would make up and call a “scary teen trend”. Even if that impetus is ignored, readers are faced with the fact that this character caused a major accident through extreme carelessness and the only accountability is that they have a weird Minecraft coma dream? Between the Minecraft inaccuracy and the odd morals of the plot, this is just not a good read for Minecraft fans.
15 Minecraft: Woodsword Chronicles
Minecraft: Woodsword Chronicles is Mojang’s attempt at a Diary of a Wimpy Kid style book. It’s filled with illustrations and has wide margins with generous character spacing. However, it is one of the rare early reader chapter books by Mojang.
The plot is a simple “trapped in the game” scenario with a group of friends using their Minecraft knowledge to get back to the real world. It’s entertaining for young kids, but it’s tough to imagine an older audience enjoying this since the plot is simple, streamlined, and without any surprises. For fans who do end up loving this book, there are actually 6 in the entire series, which provides plenty of reading to do!
14 Minecraft: The Lost Journals
Although the premise is a bit darker than many of the other Minecraft books, Minecraft: The Lost Journals is one of the lightest and quickest ones for readers to get through. After hearing the sad story about how the main characters have both experienced loss, the content is fairly lighthearted and has very little tension compared to the other novels.
That’s an important distinction because even though it’s not one of the best Minecraft books, it’s still a decent summer reading option for elementary students. The writing is still challenging enough for the targeted audience, even if the content isn’t. On the bright side, the entire story takes place in Minecraft and stars two villagers!
13 Minecraft: The Haven Trials
This is another odd Minecraft book where the game is not as important as what’s happening outside of the game. The story follows a young girl dealing with a new school year right after her best friend moves away. While there’s a lot to like about the story telling, which has themes surrounding the idea of growing up and making new friends, a lot of the literal plot points feel forced and unrealistic.
One thing that makes Minecraft: The Haven Trials stand out is the fact that it’s set in Nigeria. Not many books, for kids or adults, are centered on the everyday life of a Nigerian and it’s always great to see and hear from international perspectives. Overall, this is a decent middle grade book for kids to read. Young fans of Minecraft will enjoy it more than others, but older fans of Minecraft might prefer to skip it altogether.
12 Minecraft: Stories from the Overworld
The family that plays together stays together, and for minecraft households Stories from the Overworld has something for everyone. Tragically short, this graphic novel collection includes stories ranging from a single page image to full vignettes. As a collection, each story has its own flair, its own style, its own perspective. This makes for a very interesting handful of stories, some that are meant to be comedic, and still others that just don’t quite land.
The stories range from middle grade level to more YA tones, so it really is a book that can get passed around between siblings or even parents. Minecraft fans without kids might not find the volume as worthwhile, though with it being so short and cheap, it could earn its keep just by completing the Minecraft book collection.
11 Minecraft: The Shipwreck
Most readers agree that Minecraft: Shipwreck is a good book. Unfortunately, it’s up for debate whether it’s a good Minecraft book. The story focuses on a young boy who’s just moved to a new town (again) as he teams up with two unlikely friends to solve a mystery in a community center. They do this by entering into a secret Minecraft server together, learning friendship along the way.
And this brings us to the core of the issues with this book: it’s just like a non-Minecraft middle grade book. This means that there’s a great story about adjusting to changes, dealing with loss, and making the best of what you have. However, it also means that there’s less Minecraft scenes in this than there are real life scenes. Overall, this is a great read for book lovers, but those looking for a Minecraft tale should probably choose another story.
10 Minecraft: Zombies!
Released just last summer, Minecraft: Zombies! is one of the newest books Mojang has released and it’s already set to get a sequel in 2023. The story follows a young girl who’s trying to cure her zombie-bitten baby brother. Many Minecraft players are familiar with curing zombie villagers, and so they know exactly what a quest that can be! It’s not just up to the villager though; she manages to convince an adventurer to help her save her brother.
Action-packed with plenty of comedy mixed in, Minecraft: Zombies! an easy to read, middle grade book about bravery and sticking by family. Most adults probably won’t enjoy this one as anything more than a quick Minecraft adventure, but the target audience of 5th and 6th graders will find a lot to love here.
9 Minecraft: The Dragon
This book has a very promising premise of an ender dragon being raised in a village. The main character, Zetta, is a potion-maker just trying to keep her village safe from mobs when she stumbles upon an ender dragon egg. Obviously, she has to try to keep this somewhat under wraps, but what is she going to do once the dragon is too big to hide? And is it just going to eat everyone instead of protecting them?
This story doesn’t really include a great, big adventure, choosing instead to focus on the cast of characters dealing with the baby dragon. While middle grade readers will enjoy this well enough, many older readers might find that the characters all manage to feel flat, which certainly affects the reading experience. Despite this, the main plot is so strong that it can carry fans of ender dragons right on through with plenty to love about it.
8 Minecraft: Wither Without You Volume 1
Wither Without You is one of Mojang’s official Minecraft comic series and a rare YA title. The story is about two siblings on a mission to save their mentor with the help of another teen with strange abilities. The art is highly detailed, but manages to have a cutesy element to it that cements it as a YA graphic novel.
Along with the quality art, this comic book is hilarious! The dialogue and visual humor are obviously based on real experience playing Minecraft and the characters have a fun dynamic. All that praise aside, the humor is a bit inappropriate for younger readers. While most of the Minecraft books are aimed at grades 4-6, Wither Without You is aimed closer to grades 7-9 and could definitely be enjoyed by adults as well.
But the kids can’t have everything, so teens and adults should take this chance to scoop up a wildly entertaining Minecraft comic!
7 Minecraft Dungeons: The Rise of the Arch-Illager
As the title suggests, The Rise of the Arch-Illager focuses on Minecraft Dungeons, rather than the main game. Following the life of Archie, an illager who’s been bullied and exiled by his tribe, as he rises to power and becomes the main villain of Minecraft Dungeons: the arch-illager!
A classic hero to villain story, author Matt Forbeck does a fantastic job making Archie sympathetic, despite his evil disposition. Within the first few pages it’s easy to fall on Archie’s side as he’s mistreated by the other illagers. The game glosses over the arch-illager’s backstory, so this book is perfect for anyone looking for all the details behind this powerfully dangerous villain.
6 Minecraft: The End
For Minecraft fans who also love spooky vibes, Minecraft: The End is the perfect book. The story is told from the perspective of twin 12 year old endermen as their simple lives are interrupted by the arrival of some adventurers. From there, a war between endermen and humans begins and the twins aren’t sure which side they should be on.
A seriously intriguing premise, the story is held up with hauntingly beautiful writing that manages to carry creepy, dark tones throughout the entire book while making readers empathize with the endermen main characters. Ideal for young adult readers, this book is a satisfying read for anyone who plays Minecraft, especially if they love exploring the End.
5 Minecraft: The Voyage
Highly rated by many middle grade readers, this book has some of the best character development out of all of the Minecraft books. The story follows Stax Stonecutter as he is forced to stop being a hermit and go on an adventure despite just wanting to stay at home with his cats.
As this is another novel that follows a Minecraft character rather than a person from the real world, the descriptions offered are specific and more accurate than some of the other Minecraft books. The blending of Minecraft terminology and knowhow and some distinct character growth really just makes the story come to life for readers.
Although it’s written at a middle grade level, at 300 pages long any Minecraft fan can find something to enjoy throughout the story, whether it’s the characters, the dialogue, or the action!
4 Minecraft: Castle Redstone
The newest official Minecraft novel, Castle Redstone offers readers a classic lost treasure adventure. Perfect for Minecraft players who also love Indiana Jones or Jules Verne, this story follows an adventuring party with a map to an unexplored castle in the nether that promises to reveal secrets from a long forgotten civilization. While the three adventurers aren’t exactly the most skilled people to be wandering in Minecraft, they have distinct personalities that mesh together well, creating chemistry that ends in humor and drama.
So far, Minecraft hasn’t dedicated many pages to exploring the nether, so this story is a long time coming! The journey will take the trio through multiple biomes filled with danger, supported by superb action writing. Action and adventure fans of all ages will love this newest installment in the Minecraft book universe.
3 Minecraft: The Island
The first official Minecraft novel is still considered one of the best, which makes total sense since the author is Max Brooks, who also wrote World War Z! Absolutely thrilling and packed with action, Minecraft: The Island is a great book even for readers who aren’t super familiar with Minecraft. For audible subscribers, an audio version of the book is available too, with Jack Black as the narrator!
Aimed at young adults, the story is a bit darker than other Minecraft books, focusing on survival in a strange land. The book starts with the main character having been transported from our world into the world of Minecraft, with no memory of their previous life. While the book is a standalone novel, there is a sequel out called The Mountain that continues the explorer’s journey and adds a new character. Minecraft’s first book may be the best place for readers to start, with its epic plot and approachable explanations of the world of Minecraft.
2 Minecraft Volume 1
This book is one of Minecraft’s official graphic novels and one of the best Minecraft titles overall. The story really captures what it’s like to play online with friends near and far, as it follows a kid named Tyler while he deals with moving away from everything he knows. The representation with this graphic novel is awesome too, with a varied cast of characters who can really be themselves with their friends.
This book is delightfully cute, featuring an art style similar to other middle grade and young adult graphic novels paired with a story about the power of a strong friend group. It’s another quick read with sequel volumes which have been collected in a boxed set that includes a free poster too!
1 Minecraft: Mob Squad
Following a group of friends living in a Minecraft village, this story is currently one of the best Minecraft books so far. Four villager friends set out on an adventure to protect their town from mobs threatening their safety, putting them in more danger than ever before! By working together and growing their skills, they’ll do everything they can to earn their name: Mob Squad!
The characters each have their unique charms, creating comedy with their mix of personalities and the dialogue writing is refreshingly realistic. Written at a middle grade level, the plot is a fun adventure that can challenge kids and even entertain adult readers. Plus, there are two more books in this series, Never Say Nether and Don’t Fear The Creeper! Readers looking for action and adventure in the world of Minecraft don’t have to look further than Mob Squad.
More: Minecraft May Be Ready for In-Game Lore Books After Legends Releases
