Review Detail

“ The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end.” Leon Trotsky (Brooks 2011)

Last year, a student of mine came into class and asked “ Wouldn’t it be cool if we had apps in our head?”. It lead to a very interesting discussion. By the end, he did add, “ We could all have the dictionary app in our head. We would always spell words correctly and know their meanings.”
When I saw the book trailer for iBoy, it instantly took me back to that conversation. The narrator Tom Harvey was just a typical teenager living in London. He had “no problems, no secrets, no terrors”, no story to tell until the accident. Tom Harvey had a head on collision with an iPhone. It is only after he has recovered that he realizes he has turned into a human app.
Tom Harvey now has a secret and a story to tell. Above all, he has a mission. His best friend Lucy was attacked the night of Tom’s accident. With all the gang activity in the neighborhood, people are afraid to talk, afraid to give information. Tom knows he is the only one that can help. He can be iBoy. He can be her hero. But Tom has a lot to struggle with on his quest. With his new powers, does he seek justice or does he seek revenge?
Kevin Brooks gives the 21st Century a brand new type of super hero. The fast-pace nature of the book keeps the reader on the edge of their seats. I couldn’t put the book down, I just had to find out what would happen next. Personally, I enjoyed how Keven Brooks created an interactive action novel. He includes websites and real world sources to help move the story along.