Reviews

Bridge to Bat City by Ernest Cline

mlottermoser's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.0

Magical realism isn't my vibe. It felt like a love letter to classic 80's music and Texas. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition

adventurous informative fast-paced

3.0

A mostly true tall tale set in Texas.
🦇 
Opal B. Flats never really knew her dad and her mother passes away when she is thirteen. Opal is sent to live with her Uncle Roscoe on his farm. After an encounter with a UFO Opal realizes she can now communicate with bats. After Roscoe’s farm gets foreclosed on both the bats, Opal and her uncle must find a new place to live. They end up settling in Austin, TX: where the weirdos like them go to live. When the bats find a home under the bridge, many Austinites don’t like it and Opal and her uncle fight for them.
🦇 
This MG book was a bit too silly for me, even though I knew it was a tale tale before I read it. I loved Ready Player One from Ernest Cline and this was an ode to TX for sure. Almost too much. At times it was like regurgitating TX info on every page. This one will be for TX reading lists, bat lovers and fans of magical realism. 

CW: death of a parent, job loss, home foreclosure

book_nut's review against another edition

3.5

A sweet love story to bats, music, and Austin, TX

philibin's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

(4.75 Stars)

Simply put... I loved this book. Yes, it had some sad moments, but overall it was a heartwarming tale.

Ernest Cline is a master story teller. And the narrator, Felicia Day is, not surprisingly, an amazing voice actor. 

jim_collingsworth's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

4.0

brunchua's review against another edition

0.25

Ernest Cline can summarize the first paragraph of Wikipedia pages of famous people from Austin with all the skill of ChatGPT, and he’ll throw in a half-assed story about a family to tie it all together, sort of. The only thing this book is missing is a variety of ‘80s dance moves.

sewnerdybookworm's review against another edition

2.5

A big old pile of disappointment. I’m confused on who this book was written for. It’s labeled a middle grade novel but I can’t picture many middle graders enjoying this book. Like Cline’s other novels this one is filled with 80s pop culture, political and other music era references. Unless you’re a 8-12 year old that is familiar with Buddy Holly, Willie Nelson and various other musicians from the 50s-80s no middle grader is going to get any of the references. Cline dumbed this down to an insulting level to kids, it read at times like an early reader book. The story was interesting with the bats and the real story of the bats. I liked the message that being weird and different is ok and cool. This book is perfect for adults wanting some nostalgia or a retro loving middle grader. 

andiesmith's review

5.0

This book may be a middle-grade book, but it was on my “must-read in 2024” list. It is a tall tale about how the famous bats came to live under the Congress Bridge in Austin. Opal B Flats moves to Austin with her uncle after her mom passes away, and her uncle loses the family farm. They bring the bats with them from the Hill Country. So many famous Austinites and landmarks are mentioned. It was a fun, quick listen while driving around Austin. 

clovestrand's review against another edition

2.0

more middle-grade than I expected 

eshook's review

emotional hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0