Dull Boy

Reviewed by Karin Librarian for TeensReadToo.com

Avery lives for the darkness. Not for any deviant reason, but because he is less likely to be seen when he is flying around town. You see, Avery isn't like other kids. He has super-strength and can fly.

Since these powers developed, his life has totally changed. His normal friends are pulling further and further away because he is spending less time with them. They're upset that he quit the wrestling team, but he really didn't have a choice. His strength was too hard to control during practices and matches.

By trying to be a nice guy and save the day by using his powers for good, Avery sends his parents over the edge. They are already forking over a lot of money for his other unintentional damages and feel he is out of control. So his parents decide to send him to a special school for troubled kids.

On his first day at the new school, Avery meets a strange girl. She ends up shedding a lot of light on the world for him. He discovers that he isn't the only one with special abilities and finds himself becoming part of another "family." One that understands him and his desire to help the world and not just waste his powers on frivolous thrills and ways to get into the spotlight.

But, in any superhero story, there has to be an evil mastermind. In DULL BOY that evil mastermind is Cherchette, and she wants to gather all the kids with super-powers together. Why, you might ask? You'll have to read the book to find out.

DULL BOY has it all - humor, friendship, family issues, a little romance, super-powers. What more could you ask for? As a reader, I completely fell in love with Avery. Sarah Cross leaves the reader completely satisfied, even though it is clear there will be a sequel.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Perfect Origin Story

With great power comes great responsibility, and with a deft and talented hand, Sarah Cross pulls her cast of young super heroes out of the realm of comics and into the world of YA novels.

Forced into a school for delinquents after an incident involving a jewelry store and the frosty, mysterious Cherchette, Avery finds it hard to settle into a <I>dull boy</I> routine- and soon he discovers he's not the only teen in town who's hiding special abilities.

This charming origins story captures the dynamic motion of graphic novels with a witty, conversational prose that often left me laughing or nodding along in rueful recognition. Cross has a gift for combining the right amounts of absurdity and realism, creating a world where detention and mecha battles are equally at home.

As a long time comic geek, I also enjoyed the little sparkles of fan service in a book that is still utterly accessible superhero first-timers. I really enjoyed this, and I hope it becomes the first of many.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

An Entertaining Superhero Adventure

Dull Boy was a fun adventure into the world of superhero's and teenage angst. The whole book is told from first-person perspective- Avery. About a year ago Avery saved a little boys life by lifting a car off the boy's leg. That is when he first found out that he was "different". He is super-strong and can fly, but he can't tell anyone, so inevitably he feels different and not as close to his friends. Avery wants to make a difference in the world, like a real superhero, he wants to help people. After an accident with a fellow wrestler at a match, Avery is determined to be careful around people, to be helpful and not destructive. So every night he patrols his neighborhood hoping to get a chance to use his powers for good. When he meets Nicholas, Darla, Sophie, Catherine, and Jaques and finds out that Darla is a genius (literally), Sophie is like human tape, Nicholas can open a vortex in his chest, Jaques is an iceboy, and Catherine is cat-like, he feels relieved that he is not alone. Very quickly Darla, Avery, Sophie and Nicholas become good friends (Jaques is another story). Catherine grudgingly becomes friends with Sophie and Darla but her and Avery bond very early on, in a weird way (you have to read the book to understand). Together the friends form a team of crime fighting, patroling their neighborhoods and woods, hunting down injustice and coving it in glitter! But things start to go downhill when a woman named Cherchette tries to get them to come live with her so she can help them control their powers. But the friends are uneasy about this woman, and later finds out why, and how they came to have super powers. This was a page turner, hilarious (I loved Avery and Darla) and great fun. I hope the author writes a sequel because the ending is a cliff hanger!

Dull Boy

Most teenagers think they are pretty special but Avery knows there's no one else just like him. And actually, he's right. Not only can he bench-press his mother's car (sometimes resulting in a little body damage) but Avery can actually fly - which of course he can't even tell a soul about since it would most likely result in a massive government investigation. Hey, I'd be worried about becoming a science experiment too. Feeling rather confused and alone, his parents send him to a reform school in hopes of curing his 'troublesome' behaviors, which only leads to more encounters with Big Dawg the bully and the Mary Janes (watch out, those girls will cut you for a Diet Coke). Fortunately, Avery meets up with some other not-so-average kids including a super-genius ready to conquer the world with robots, a super tough (and super grumpy) Catwoman, the Iceman, and Sticky Girl - who happens to also be Awfully Cute Girl. Together, these misfit teens decide to take the law into their own hands by tracking down muggers, rescuing lost boy scouts - while still making it home in time for curfew. If only they can continue to outwit the super creepy Cherchette [insert evil laugh here] who wants to take them and use them for her own nefarious purposes. Mwahaa!

Avery is such a likable kid with his constant sarcasm and desire to 'use his powers for good.' He's just so dang lovable! He's just a teen trying to figure out things but once he gets matched up with the kooky Darla and her gang of merry misfits, he goes from loner to having some pretty funny adventures in a hurry. Usually the hilarity is due to some unfortunate accident or other while the gang tries to help some hapless victim while trying out some of Darla's prototype weapons. What other teenager has a boomerang that will cover someone in sparkles while simultaneously disabling them?

Even if Dull Boy became somewhat predictable at times, Sarah Cross has effectively created a light and fun hero vs. villain adventure full of adventure and friendship. I quickly became attached to Avery and was totally cheering when he found some kindred spirits in Darla, Catherine, and Nicholas. Full of geektastic references (anyone else love X-Men and Batman?), Dull Boy strikes a nice balance between humor and action. Loved it.
http://seemichelleread.blogspot.com

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.