Dull Boy

When I first got my hands on this book, this is the review I came up with:

Reasons why you should read Dull Boy next weekend instead of going to see the new Transformers movie*:

1. Dull Boy is about teen kids with weirdo super powers. Transformers 2 (or whatever it’s called) is about a teen kid who is emo because he has to help save the world, like, again. GEEZ. Super powers will always win over emo whining. ALWAYS.
2. In Dull Boy, Girl Character 1 tells Girl Character 2 that her cornea should just take one for the team. In Transformers 2, Sam is whiny because dueling robots aren’t supposed to be his problem for, lo, he is in college now and too cool for these shenanigans, and then no one slaps him upside his stupid head. People show more telling other people to suck it up is way more gratifying than robots just letting their human friends complain that life is hard. Like, be assertive robots! You’re made of metal! Don’t let some punk kid sass you!
3. Dull Boy has a girl character wearing a homemade Marie Curie gangsta shirt. Scientists are, indeed, gangsta. Transformers 2 has Megan Fox in short shorts. Marie Curie and her radiation are bad ass. Megan Fox’s shorts are not. Although, she does have pretty awesome legs, so maybe this one’s a tie?
4. Dull Boy is witty and funny and sometimes completely absurd. Transformers 2 will probably only be one of those things. (Note: if Transformers 2 is witty I will eat my hat. Or I would, if I were wearing a hat. Which I’m not.)

See? Four reasons to spend the 12 bucks you would have used to go to the movies on a nice shiny copy of Dull Boy instead. There are probably more, but I need to go sell something on ebay now so that I will have enough money to buy my copy of Dull Boy and also see Transformers 2. I have a weakness for shiny robots that complements my yen for superheroes. Such is the burden of being me.

What? Four is not an aesthetically pleasing number? You want five reasons? Fine. Avery is a much cooler name than Sam. There. That's five. Are you happy now?

Good. My work here is done.

*all assumptions about said Transformers movie are from a single viewing of the trailer in the theatre, but whatever. I am sure I’m right. So there. show less

It took me a little while to get used to the narrating style, but it was interesting to see this literally through the eyes of a boy who was anything but dull. I must also admit that the ending really bothered me. Here we have these kids who are not only looking to do good, but to find others like them. Then they're given a golden opportunity to reach out to their own, but Cross was seemingly more concerned about getting things back to "normal" while still leaving room for a sequel. Maybe it WILL be explored in a sequel, but I still found it rather irresponsible of her characters not to jump on that chance after what they'd been through.

Suffice it to say that Avery is not particularly "normal." And that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned, because it means this book got written about him. I loved every minute of Avery's adventures finding other teens like himself and discovering the extent of his powers. When he and his group come accross a mysterious woman offering help to the superpowered whether they want it or not, the story gets even more intense.

Dull Boy was also cleverly funny from start to finish. Especially if you're a bit of a geek like me, you will enjoy the superhero and pop culture references throughout. Avery and his motley group of super(?) powered friends are considerably wittier than most people I've met. This is definitely a snicker-along kind of show more story.

I'm trying to think of something negative to say about this book, just to make my review more believable, but I don't really have anything. The plot is tightly woven and fast-paced. The writing style is thoroughly enjoyable. I liked the characters and the ways they interact with each other. About the worst I can come up with is this book was too exciting, I couldn't put it down, and now it's over and I'm sad. If Dull Boy sounds remotely like something you'd enjoy, I highly recommend it!

Can anyone out there tell me when the sequel is coming? Because I don't think I can wait very long. show less

Dull Boy was awesome, hilarious and pretty geektastic! I really liked the main character Avery, I usually prefer books in a female voice just because it's easier for me to relate to, but Avery was just a cool guy with a good heart. I really liked him, and he was pretty funny! I really liked the abbreviated swear words he used or thought, stuff like "What the F". That kind of stuff is just perfect to me!

And of course Avery isn't the only character. I loved all his new friends from Darla the super brain that has all sorts of crazy gadgets and a giant robot(!) to Nicholas the tortured boy with a power he can't control to Sophie who always seemed to be in a good mood and Catherine who is also hiding a secret... they all had something to show more offer to the story!

I never decided in my mind if Cherchette (crazy awesome name) the mysterious lady with powers of her own would end up to be good or bad and just let the story unfold in front of me. I really liked what I learned about her and from her, she informs us of about some background of where the kids got their powers that some authors might leave out but I'm so glad that Cross included, I'm all about the details!

Another thing I really liked was that throughout the book there are case files about each of the kids and their powers. I liked having that to refer to instead of just knowing what the story told us. All in all a fun and action packed book that seems to definitely set itself up for a sequel, can't wait to see what happens next! show less

Most teenagers think they are pretty special but Avery knows there's no one else just like him. And actually, he's right. Avery's got some super special and completely super secret super powers. 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 encounters with Big Dawg the bully and the Mary Janes (watch out, those girls will cut you for a Diet show more Coke). Fortunately, Avery meets up with some other not-so-average kids including a genius ready to conquer the world with robots, an ultra tough (and 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 villainous Cherchette [insert evil laugh here:] who wants to take control of them and use them for her own nefarious purposes. MwaaHaa!Avery is such a likable kid with his constant sarcasm and desire to 'use his powers for good.' He's just so dang lovable as 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 dang 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 using one of Darla's prototype weapons. What other teenager has a boomerang that will not only disable them but cover them in sparkles?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 and I happened to love it. show less

What we have here, in a nutshell, is... could it be a version of the X-Men movie? Avery has these superpowers that manifest themselves as he hits puberty. He's got super strength, he can fly, and he keeps it secret for fear of becoming an even greater outsider than adolescence would already push him toward. He's accidentally broken a friend's arm, and he's out cruising the streets looking for good deeds to do as a way of justifying his existence.

Then he spots some other outsiderish kids... could they be like him? There is talk about some Ice Queen, and just as quick as that he's off to save a granny in distress who turns out to be a lure that introduces him to Cherchette, a mysterious figure who can offer Avery the home, family. and show more understanding his superpowers require. Sort of like, you know, a school for New Mutants. Only not. But sort of.

But what Cherchette has planned is merely Phase Two of an operation to help the kids realize their full potential. Phase One, it appears, was her meddling with selected polio vaccinations that created these superhero kids in the first place. Some didn't survive, and some didn't develop their full potential, but the strong and favored Cherchette promises to increase their power manifold and bring them under her wing.

For good or for evil? And would the kids rather choose their own destinies rather than be sheltered from the rest of the world? And, in the end, don't they just want to you average dysfunctional teenage Justice League?

There is something appealing about the idea of having superpowers and wondering what you would do with them, but that very human idea is quickly lost in the Evil Mastermind plot that's been so flogged to death in comic book culture. Cross has a nice set of misfits here, each with their own unusual set of powers, but rather than having the kids sort out the world on their own – you know, like real kids, but with superpowers – the only way she can get them together is to find an external force to unify them. It might have been nice to see some otherwise normal kids try and navigate the usual teen anxieties without all the extraneous noise of a villain to do battle with.

It's also long, too long. I kept wanting to physically push the story along, literally try to find a way to shove the words forward. This book could have been half its 310 pages and not feel like it was missing anything. Perhaps that breakneck pacing would have prevented me from constantly feeling like I'd seen and heard it all before. show less

This book is so much fun! High schoolers with super powers – what could be better than that? Avery, our main character, first discovered his super-strength when he managed to lift a car, and tried to pass it off as adrenaline. The flying, though? That’s a little harder to explain.DULL BOY follows Avery as he tries to use his powers for good, and meets others like him for the first time. And meets Cherchette, the villian of the story. I loved the characterizations in Dull Boy. Avery’s just this neat character, whose voice comes through loud and clear. He has hopes, makes mistakes, gets crushes, and feels lonely and confused. He’s a teenager! Darla, one of the first to contact Avery, is hilarious. She’s a genius and incredibly show more quirky. Catherine’s the badass that you just know has some interesting secrets. Nicholas is pretty troubled – he hates his power – and provides the reasons for most of the action in the book. Sophie’s actually pretty normal for a girl with superpowers, and loves to make all their superhero costumes (because they have to look good while doing good). Jacques is a relative unknown; he’s quite the mystery.I really liked the way that Sarah Cross inserted files on each character into the book. Darla has created a file for each person to tell their story, and gives them to Avery to read. This provides us with a great way to hear the backstory of each of them, and yet not distract from the story. The files are nice little interludes, and since they are “written” by each character, we get to hear other voices besides just Avery’s.DULL BOY is a fun, exciting, mystery crossed with fantasy and teen drama, and is a great read. I highly recommend it! show less