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 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.
Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
Karin's Book Nook review
One Librarian's Book Reviews review
Presenting Lenore review
Story Siren review
yaReviews review
book source: my local library
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