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iggybug's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.5
fyrekatz's review against another edition
5.0
Imagine yourself a teenager boy (some of us would have to do that) waiting for a friend to meet ya outside their apartment when an iphone is thrown out of the window and its the last thing you see as the iphone cracks open your skull and merges some of the parts into your own brain. You wake up in the hospital from a coma and things are different... Your friend is brutally raped by the gang who threw the phone at you. You have strange powers now... or you go after them? Be the hero... be her hero? Well I won't tell you anymore of this wifi thriller but this book shocked me it was so good and a new author for me... I'll be reading more of Kevin Brooks books in the future for sure. So read this! Enjoy it... like I did!
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read for the second time for rereadthon 2019, still like it!
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read for the second time for rereadthon 2019, still like it!
alboyer6's review against another edition
4.0
This book does take a little bit of suspension of disbelief. Really, would getting iphone chips accidentally implanted in your brain really give you super hero like abilities? Probably not, but then getting bitten by a radio active spider probably wouldn't either. But after Tom's friends are attacked and he ends up with iphone chips in his brain, he's iBoy, out to set wrongs right. Fun book about a kid in London's projects who has to deal with gangs on a daily basis.. The end is left open enough for more iBoy.
perpetualephemeral's review against another edition
1.0
What an awful, awful book.
Context: my best friend Jess bought this for me after we watched the film adaptation (which was just as bad). I resigned myself to the fact I was going to have to tackle it eventually, and here we are.
iBoy's plot is awful. It's a mess of a 16 year old vigilante, a load of London criminal gang dealings, and a romance formed on top of multiple traumas. And not only that, but the main gimmick of the book is laughable. Tom is hit in the head with an iPhone, and gains its powers because parts of it are embedded within his brain . He can casually send and receive calls and access the internet, but oh wow - he can also hack into anything he wants - government databases, medical data, bank accounts?? How convenient.
The writing was often very cringey, with Kevin Brooks having the very irritating urge to put the lowercase letter "i" in front of every fucking part of iBoy he references. Brain? No, iBrain. Skin? No shot, iSkin. It DROVE ME UP THE WALL. Also, at one point, Tom spreads a rumor of someone being "a queer". Kevin, I've done some research on you - and I'm not sure you have a right in using that turn of phrase, and even if you did, it's a weird one to use.
I just want to move on from this absolute trash fire of a book. At least it's over.
I give iBoy one star.
Context: my best friend Jess bought this for me after we watched the film adaptation (which was just as bad). I resigned myself to the fact I was going to have to tackle it eventually, and here we are.
iBoy's plot is awful. It's a mess of a 16 year old vigilante, a load of London criminal gang dealings, and a romance formed on top of multiple traumas. And not only that, but the main gimmick of the book is laughable. Tom is hit in the head with an iPhone, and gains its powers because parts of it are embedded within his brain . He can casually send and receive calls and access the internet, but oh wow - he can also hack into anything he wants - government databases, medical data, bank accounts?? How convenient.
The writing was often very cringey, with Kevin Brooks having the very irritating urge to put the lowercase letter "i" in front of every fucking part of iBoy he references. Brain? No, iBrain. Skin? No shot, iSkin. It DROVE ME UP THE WALL. Also, at one point, Tom spreads a rumor of someone being "a queer". Kevin, I've done some research on you - and I'm not sure you have a right in using that turn of phrase, and even if you did, it's a weird one to use.
I just want to move on from this absolute trash fire of a book. At least it's over.
I give iBoy one star.
itisvivien's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Als eine Schullektüre ein gutes Buch. Es war jetzt nicht so spannend aber trotzdem eine schöne Geschichte.
rhaenyrareads's review against another edition
4.0
Un 3,5/5. Une histoire autour d'une idée originale qui se lit assez rapidement.
kelleemoye's review against another edition
4.0
Reviewed at:
http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/05/iboy.html
When I started iBoy, I originally thought it was going to be cheesy. A boy got hit on the head with a phone and now he has powers? But boy, was I wrong. This book is an edge of your seat suspenseful thriller that keeps you reading. Although the basis of the story is about a boy who has part of an iPhone embedded in his brain thus giving him all knowing knowledge as well as powers such as electric shock, it is more than that. This book is about friendship and right vs. wrong. Tom decides to use his powers to be come a vigilante in his crime-ridden neighborhood by seeking revenge on the guys who gang raped Lucy, the friend he was going to visit when he got hurt. The books becomes quite the psychological study, because Tom has to decide if it is all worth it- is hurting a bad person okay or does it just make you a bad person too?
As a teacher, I did have a couple of ah-ha moments. 1) There is so many math and science sections in the beginning of the book as Tom is realizing his powers and recalling what happens. It would be a great cross-curricular book to share. It has sections about velocity, binary notation, and of course technology. 2) There are great references to e.e. cummings, Aristotle, and Arthur Koestler. HOWEVER 3) This book is quite explicit. Tom lives in a very hellish neighborhood in London and the dialogue in this book is raw and realistic which means cursing and violence. So, if it is going to be shared in any grade under, I'd say, 10th (though some reviews say 12 and up, but I think that is too young), only parts should be shared with students. 4) I wish this book was okay for my 6th and 7th graders, because I think it is a book that many a teenager will like as it combines comic book-like superheroes with a realism that many will connect to.
http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/05/iboy.html
When I started iBoy, I originally thought it was going to be cheesy. A boy got hit on the head with a phone and now he has powers? But boy, was I wrong. This book is an edge of your seat suspenseful thriller that keeps you reading. Although the basis of the story is about a boy who has part of an iPhone embedded in his brain thus giving him all knowing knowledge as well as powers such as electric shock, it is more than that. This book is about friendship and right vs. wrong. Tom decides to use his powers to be come a vigilante in his crime-ridden neighborhood by seeking revenge on the guys who gang raped Lucy, the friend he was going to visit when he got hurt. The books becomes quite the psychological study, because Tom has to decide if it is all worth it- is hurting a bad person okay or does it just make you a bad person too?
As a teacher, I did have a couple of ah-ha moments. 1) There is so many math and science sections in the beginning of the book as Tom is realizing his powers and recalling what happens. It would be a great cross-curricular book to share. It has sections about velocity, binary notation, and of course technology. 2) There are great references to e.e. cummings, Aristotle, and Arthur Koestler. HOWEVER 3) This book is quite explicit. Tom lives in a very hellish neighborhood in London and the dialogue in this book is raw and realistic which means cursing and violence. So, if it is going to be shared in any grade under, I'd say, 10th (though some reviews say 12 and up, but I think that is too young), only parts should be shared with students. 4) I wish this book was okay for my 6th and 7th graders, because I think it is a book that many a teenager will like as it combines comic book-like superheroes with a realism that many will connect to.
sebds3036's review against another edition
4.0
a really gritty teen novel which is hard to come by. much darker than the hunger games or divergent series. The character Tom really struggles with his life as with his new 'affliction' he sees what really goes on, and has been going on for years, behind closed doors in crow town.
A refreshing book after the onslaught of dystopian I've been reading.
The premise is a normal boy who, because of an unfortunate accident involving an iPhone and an assault, turns abnormal. This new person gets an up close look at the heinous crimes being commit everyday in south London. Tom is awkward and at times funny or witty making him a lovable and relatable character, despite his actions and the actions of those around him.
A particular quirk of this book is how the chapters are numbered, and the quotes at the beginning of each one, adding some depth meaning and insight.
A refreshing book after the onslaught of dystopian I've been reading.
The premise is a normal boy who, because of an unfortunate accident involving an iPhone and an assault, turns abnormal. This new person gets an up close look at the heinous crimes being commit everyday in south London. Tom is awkward and at times funny or witty making him a lovable and relatable character, despite his actions and the actions of those around him.
A particular quirk of this book is how the chapters are numbered, and the quotes at the beginning of each one, adding some depth meaning and insight.
tulscip's review against another edition
4.0
The concept was really unique and great; I would have liked to see it go further and longer though with more complexity.
thinkingrobot's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0