The Nerdy Dozen by Jeff Miller

This 2014 release is the first book in a new series. Neil is a master at playing video games, especially one called Chameleon. It's a simulation game where he flies a fighter jet against on-line enemies. Rumor has it the game was hacked from our military's practice simulation for pilots, and the rumors are true! Neil is grabbed by the Air Force in the middle of the night, because they need gamers to fly the actual airplanes. It seems these kids fly twice as well as military pilots in the simulations, and their talents are needed to rescue the pilots of a crashed Chameleon. The day after being "recruited", Neil and eleven other kids find themselves flying toward islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. When an unidentified jet fires a missile at them, they know it's not a game.

Neil is a nerdish character, picked on by bullies, but he's able to show leadership skills too. The plot is obviously unbelievable, but it was fun and had some action. Each character came with his/her own quirks, and the author provided another bully to hassle Neil during the mission. Neil's character had some uncomfortable moments when he discovered his best, on-line gaming friend, Sam, was actually a girl.