Crew Review: Game: Notable Novelists

We are a game loving family.  We are also a book loving family so I jumped at the opportunity to express extremely high interest in reviewing the game, Notable Novelists of the 20th Century: a Card Game for Book Lovers.

Some Tidbits:

• For Ages 12 & Up
• For 2 or more players
• 54 Cards (18 sets of 3 cards each)
• 18 Authors
• $10.95

 This game arrived when my parents-in-law were here for a visit.  My father-in-law is a retired school librarian.  In other words, he’s book nut, just like his son and grandchildren.  I handed him the cards.  He looked through them and then my daughter looked through them and then my husband looked through them.  They began to talk about 20th century authors.  We hadn’t even played the game yet and already really cool discussions about books and authors were happening at my house.  This was exactly what I wanted to happen.

At first my 13 year old and 15 year old were not too sure about this game.  “Mom, it looks like Go Fish.” “Mom, it looks boring.”  I asked them to please just play one time with us.  They loved the game.  They asked to play it again and again during our staycation!  The game is not boring and it is fun!

Learning how to play and playing are easy.  Full instructions are included on a card with the game but you can also read about how to play on the website. You can also find a list of all 18 novelists and a bit of information about the game.  It is similar to in style to the children’s game of go fish in that you ask other players for cards in their hands.   It is different in that you must collect a three card set for one author:   an author card that gives the name birth year with birth city and death year, a bio card which lists an interesting fact about the writer, and a library card which lists 3 of the novelist’s works.

We played nearly every day the week the grandparents were here.  That meant that there were 7 of us playing.  We quickly ran out of the “draw” pile but we continued to play until all the matches were found.  We all had a great time, including my father-in-law who would rather not play games.

 

Thoughts from BooBear (age 17): “I really enjoyed the game. It’s a nice, fun game and portable so you  can take it anywhere. I love books so this is my kind of game. I also like that they have listed the some of the books on the ‘library cards’ and am considering using them as a reading list.”

Thoughts from Turtlgirl (age 15): “I enjoyed playing the game, although the amount of strategy required can be a little frustrating. I like the little tidbits about the author that they give you on the ‘Bio Card’. Some of the books on the ‘Library Cards’ looked interesting so I might read some of them. I think 12 and up is a good age range because it can be really hard to remember who asked for what and deduce from what you have (or picked up) who you need to ask for what.”

Thoughts from Tailorbear (age 13): “I like it. It is a good game. It’s kind of like go fish but with a twist ‘cause you have to get three cards.  And it’s kind of like playing memory because you have to remember who has asked for what card.”

 My Thoughts: We loved this game.  Playing with a different numbers of people can alter the dynamics.  It was almost harder with fewer people because so many more of the cards were still in the draw pile.  I like this game because in addition to learning about 18 novelists, the player develops memory skills and must develop some strategy to obtain the cards. This is a game that will be played over and over again at our house. I’m planning to have some book loving friends over to play the game with just grown ups.  If you are a book loving person who enjoys games, I think you would enjoy this one!

Click on the banner below to read what other Crew Members had to say about Notable Novelists.  Some crew members reviewed PlayPlay Games you can find their reviews also by clicking on the banner.

All information is correct and accurate as of the date of this review.

Disclaimer: As a TOS Crew member, I received this game free of charge to review. I am required to write a review but I am not required to write a positive review. This review contains my and/or my daughters’ honest opinion with, hopefully, enough detail as to why I/ we liked or did not like a product so that my readers can make an informed decision. I received no compensation.

You can read my other Schoolhouse Review Crew Reviews by clicking here.