Homerooms and Hall Passes

By: Tom O'Donnell

Narrated by: James Fouhey

Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

"You can’t help falling in love with this hilarious upside-down take on Dungeons & Dragons. I read; I cheered; I laughed out loud." (Gordon Korman)

In the mystical realm of Bríandalör, every day the brave and the bold delve into hidden temples or forgotten dungeons, battling vile monsters and evil wizards to loot their treasure hoards for sweet, sweet magic items.

But in their free time, our heroes - Thromdurr the mighty barbarian, Devis the shifty thief, Vela the noble paladin, Sorrowshade the Gloom Elf assassin, and Albiorix the (good!) wizard - need to relax and unwind.

That’s why they meet up once a week to play Homerooms & Hall Passes: a role-playing game where they assume the characters of average American eighth graders.

But when the five young adventurers are magically transported into their H&H game by an ancient curse, they must band together to survive their toughest challenge yet: middle school.

Who knew that battling ogres would be easier than passing algebra or navigating the cafeteria social scene? They must use what they’ve learned from playing Homerooms & Hall Passes to figure out how to save their game world (which might actually be real).

Dungeons & Dragons meets Jumanji in this new, laugh-out-loud adventure series from the author of the beloved Hamstersaurus Rex series.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Tom O'Donnell (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

Amazing book

I love I can just listen to this whenever so I can work on my project

I Smiled from Start to Finish

In the Advanced Dungeon Master's Guide which came out something like forty-five years ago, there was a cartoon in which a group of adventures sat around the table with dice saying they were playing a game about industrialists and businessmen. Tom O'Donnell has taken that idea and run with it. His adventurers play a game called Home Rooms and Hall Passes in which they pretend to be mundane middle schoolers striving to succeed in our world. Thanks to a curse, they end up getting put into their game and I must say it was an endearing adventure. O'Donnell either has a bunch of middle schoolers or teaches in a middle school because the setting was humorously realistic as the adventuring kids tackle subjects like algebra while trying to figure out how to get home again. They have some touching problems and frankly, the story didn't go in the ways I expected. There's also one NPC in particular who seems to understand them that I would have liked to see go to their adventuring world with them--but then, maybe that is what sequels are for.

Really good

Asome

it was really funny and fun also creative and interesting with a great twist

D&D turns to H&H.

Once I realized this was D&D verbiage, I found the book to be humorous. The reader did am amazing job with all the characters.

Wow! I want to play!

This was an amazing book! Great narration and so funny. I laughed, smiled, and even want to play the game now. Great kids book and family read!
End can be a bit scary for younger kids but overall amazing! Definitely recommend!!

Gaming Boring Middle School: SO MUCH FUN!!!

What do a wizard, an assassin, a thief, a berserker, and a paladin do when they take a night off from adventuring? Play the world's greatest non-adventuring game Homerooms and Hall Passes!!! But when an evil curse causes their respite to be their doom, the adventuring party is transported to the non-magical land of Suburbia and forced to play the game of Middle School for real! Here our band of adventurers must navigate the mundane horrors of Algebra, Cafeteria Lunches, Class Presidents, Band Recitals, Vice Principals, and a horrifically adorable game called OinkPop. The trick, of course, is they have to play by the rules of Suburbia: No Poison, No Magic, No Berserking, No Slaying, and No Stealing (okay, maybe a little stealing).

It's a very fun setup, but I admit I kept expecting it to eventually wear thin. But author Tom O'Donnell does an excellent job of leveling up each chapter and never letting inertia set in. I've listened to it twice now (the second time with my 8 year-old) and we both loved talking about the challenges the heroes overcome while making new allies and enemies. And the jokes. Oh, the jokes. I particularly loved how some of the characters from the land of Suburbia, supposedly NPCs, end up being just as heroic as our adventurers.

James Fouhey sounds like he is having the time of his life playing the different archetypes to the hilt while juxtaposing their voices with the terrors of middle school. It makes an already great book feel like magic.

Funny and cool

Several laugh-out-loud moments that made it worthwhile. Overall, it’s a good book for kids.