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brandypainter's review
4.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
I have mentioned several times before my penchant of reading a recommended book without actually ever looking at the synopsis. Such was the case with Insert Coin to Continue by John David Anderson. It was recommended and is a Cybils nominee so I just didn't bother. I assumed it was a book about a kid who gets trapped inside a video game. But that's not what happens at all. His life becomes a video game, and that's an interesting twist to the story idea.
Bryan is a master at playing Sovereign of Darkness, his favorite video game. He's defeated it several times but he keeps playing because he is absolutely certain there is a secret hidden extra level after defeating the ultimate bad. One night all is effort and time are rewarded when it looks like he's unlocked it.....
Then his computer crashes.
Bryan wakes up the next morning to the words INSERT COIN TO CONTINUE flashing above his alarm clock with numbers counting down from 20. And he can't move his legs. Bryan inserts a coin on his nightstand into the mysterious slot on his alarm clock and begins the strangest day of his life. Every move he makes words appear in the air only he can see giving him points or taking them away. When he massively fails he has to insert another coin. As the day goes on, Bryan realizes he is going to have to keep playing until he defeats the real world "dark lord" and come out victorious in the game of middle school.
I liked the idea of this book when I originally thought Bryan found himself in a game of middle school. I LOVE that his actual real life became a game. You may wonder at the difference, but for me it was a major one. The stakes somehow seemed higher as Bryan was moving through his actual day in the world he actually lives in with people who know him and who he will have to continue to interact with day after day. And honestly middle school doesn't really need to be amped up all that much to make the idea that it is a perilous game of life or death work. Let's face it. We've all been there. The game aspect adds a little edge to the things that already make a middle schooler's life hard: navigating crushes, choosing teams in P.E., school projects, quizzes, teachers who seem to have it in for you, bullies, reading Romeo and Juliet, and DODGEBALL. Every middle grade reader will recognize all of these elements and appreciate Bryan's fear and humor in dealing with them.
The story takes place over the course of 24 hours and is fast paced. The reader follows Bryan throughout his entire day as he navigates his classes while his life hangs in the balance and his pocket change begins to run out. The book is laugh out loud funny in places and cringe inducing in others.
Bryan is a relateable character who is slightly awkward, but mostly an average kid. There is not a tremendous amount of character development done as this is just 24 hours and there is a lot of action, but Bryan's personality shines through well enough that I think young readers will identify with him. Bryan's best friend Oz is a great part of the story too. They have a realistic believable friendship and their interactions are the best in the book.
I think this is a definite must for all middle school libraries and classrooms (and upper elementary as well). For anyone who knows a kid stuck in the game of middle school, this book may help them through it.
I have mentioned several times before my penchant of reading a recommended book without actually ever looking at the synopsis. Such was the case with Insert Coin to Continue by John David Anderson. It was recommended and is a Cybils nominee so I just didn't bother. I assumed it was a book about a kid who gets trapped inside a video game. But that's not what happens at all. His life becomes a video game, and that's an interesting twist to the story idea.
Bryan is a master at playing Sovereign of Darkness, his favorite video game. He's defeated it several times but he keeps playing because he is absolutely certain there is a secret hidden extra level after defeating the ultimate bad. One night all is effort and time are rewarded when it looks like he's unlocked it.....
Then his computer crashes.
Bryan wakes up the next morning to the words INSERT COIN TO CONTINUE flashing above his alarm clock with numbers counting down from 20. And he can't move his legs. Bryan inserts a coin on his nightstand into the mysterious slot on his alarm clock and begins the strangest day of his life. Every move he makes words appear in the air only he can see giving him points or taking them away. When he massively fails he has to insert another coin. As the day goes on, Bryan realizes he is going to have to keep playing until he defeats the real world "dark lord" and come out victorious in the game of middle school.
I liked the idea of this book when I originally thought Bryan found himself in a game of middle school. I LOVE that his actual real life became a game. You may wonder at the difference, but for me it was a major one. The stakes somehow seemed higher as Bryan was moving through his actual day in the world he actually lives in with people who know him and who he will have to continue to interact with day after day. And honestly middle school doesn't really need to be amped up all that much to make the idea that it is a perilous game of life or death work. Let's face it. We've all been there. The game aspect adds a little edge to the things that already make a middle schooler's life hard: navigating crushes, choosing teams in P.E., school projects, quizzes, teachers who seem to have it in for you, bullies, reading Romeo and Juliet, and DODGEBALL. Every middle grade reader will recognize all of these elements and appreciate Bryan's fear and humor in dealing with them.
The story takes place over the course of 24 hours and is fast paced. The reader follows Bryan throughout his entire day as he navigates his classes while his life hangs in the balance and his pocket change begins to run out. The book is laugh out loud funny in places and cringe inducing in others.
Bryan is a relateable character who is slightly awkward, but mostly an average kid. There is not a tremendous amount of character development done as this is just 24 hours and there is a lot of action, but Bryan's personality shines through well enough that I think young readers will identify with him. Bryan's best friend Oz is a great part of the story too. They have a realistic believable friendship and their interactions are the best in the book.
I think this is a definite must for all middle school libraries and classrooms (and upper elementary as well). For anyone who knows a kid stuck in the game of middle school, this book may help them through it.
rkiladitis's review
4.0
Bryan Biggins is a middle school kid who’s obsessed with his favorite video game, Sovereign of Darkness, and obsessed with finding the secret advanced level of play once he beats the game. Time and again. His friends try to tell him to give it up, but Bryan’s not having it; sure enough, one night, he thinks he’s accessed the secret level, but the game just shuts off. When he wakes up the next morning, he’s discovered that his life is the new level! He’s got stats, and more importantly, he gains and loses HP (health points, hit points). People at school are talking to him weirdly, like the teacher that sends him on a quest to get a Twinkie from the teacher’s lounge, past a group of dieting teachers. What happens if all his hit points are used up – or worse, if he runs out of coins to continue? Is this the way the rest of his life is going to go?
This is one of those books that’s too much fun to read and booktalk. A kid wakes up living his own videogame, but the videogame is life as we know it? That’s perfect class trip or reading group discussion material! Bryan is EveryKid, and his friends are fun, along for the ride. Bryan is center stage here, and that’s just fine, because he’s a funny, upbeat narrator that readers will like going on the adventure with. Give this to your gamers, display with C.J. Farley’s Game World, and the insane amount of Minecraft fiction that’s out there.
This is one of those books that’s too much fun to read and booktalk. A kid wakes up living his own videogame, but the videogame is life as we know it? That’s perfect class trip or reading group discussion material! Bryan is EveryKid, and his friends are fun, along for the ride. Bryan is center stage here, and that’s just fine, because he’s a funny, upbeat narrator that readers will like going on the adventure with. Give this to your gamers, display with C.J. Farley’s Game World, and the insane amount of Minecraft fiction that’s out there.
mjcosgrove's review
4.0
Not quite the emotional punch of Miss Bixby’s Last Day or the strong social message of Posted, but this is a fun little romp and it has some nice moments that remind me of growing up, with first crushes and all that. I enjoyed reading this (had to read it to be able to be helpful to my son as he writes the corresponding book report for school).
yapha's review
4.0
Bryan Biggins is your average middle school kid, concentrating more on his video game obsession than his schoolwork. He is determined to find the secret level at the end of his new video game, which he has beaten several times already. But when he wakes up in the morning after beating it for the tenth time, he finds not a secret level, but instead that his entire life has become a video game, complete with the old school "insert coin to continue" slots hanging in mid air. Suddenly he is gaining Experience Points and losing Hit Points as he maneuvers the minefield that is middle school. Today is more treacherous than usual, with math lessons turning into Tetris, Shakespeare being rewritten in English class, and teachers sending him on quests throughout the school. Will he make it through the day before he sees Game Over? Insert Coin to Continue is a clever and funny look at the day in the life of a middle schooler, turning the usual obstacles into video game challenges. Highly recommended for grades 5 & up.
eARC provided by Edelweiss
eARC provided by Edelweiss
libscote's review
4.0
I don't think I've been a huge fan of his other books, but I really liked this one! Bryan gets to the secret bonus level of his favorite video game, and the next thing he knows, his life is turning into one! Funny and a realistic middle school.
labraden's review against another edition
4.0
Bryan Biggins is a gamer who spends too much time playing his favorite video game, Sovereign of Darkness. His goal is to play so much that he finds the "secret level" that he just knows is a part of the game. One night, he plays so hard that he fries the game and his computer. When he wakes up in the morning, the game is still broken, but it seems his life has actually turned into a video game complete with hit points, experience points, and intelligence points that appear above people's heads as he interacts with them. Every situation throughout the day becomes fraught with danger and challenge, and if that isn't confusing enough, Bryan must insert a coin into a slot every time he is about to get kicked out of the game.
Insert Coin to Continue is a fun book with coming of age themes set in the backdrop of this weird day where everything seems to be part of a video game. With lots of pop culture references, especially The Lord of the Rings, this is a captivating, entertaining young adult story.
Insert Coin to Continue is a fun book with coming of age themes set in the backdrop of this weird day where everything seems to be part of a video game. With lots of pop culture references, especially The Lord of the Rings, this is a captivating, entertaining young adult story.
libscote's review against another edition
4.0
I don't think I've been a huge fan of his other books, but I really liked this one! Bryan gets to the secret bonus level of his favorite video game, and the next thing he knows, his life is turning into one! Funny and a realistic middle school.