June 1, 2018
Gr 3-5-Bartholomew Bean, an excessively boring middle schooler, and his gym-teacher dad have just moved to Rancho Verdugo, CA. Bart is used to being invisible and living in his own world; his new environment is no different. Until, that is, Bart creates an augmented reality (AR) app, Hecklr, that brings an alien species, the Lerkians, to destroy all the technology in Rancho Verdugo. When the app craze takes over the country, Bart decides to change the code to exact revenge on his bully enemies right before they live stream the game on a popular gamer's channel. Despite what could have been a promising premise, the story line falls flat. Quibbles about augmented reality and virtual reality aside [the app is clearly an AR program, but is referred to as VR (virtual reality) through the entire book], Bart's motivations are confusing and his character is one-dimensional. It is unclear how Hecklr actually works, and its widespread popularity while only being actually playable while in the town of Rancho Verdugo is baffling. Even the chapter design is perplexing; chapter headings are denoted by an illustration of gems, coins, and hearts-the iconic currencies of a "pay to win" game. However, Bart mentions that his game is free to play and he's not in it for money. VERDICT Unbelievably Boring Bart holds far too true to its name. Skip it.-Taylor Worley, Springfield Public Library, OR
Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
June 15, 2018
Bart hides behind a boring facade while secretly working on a video game.Though Bart claims to be boring, frequent illustrations of the inventive ways Bart sees the world mark him as entertaining from the start. Then Bart discloses that he's been tasked with defending the Earth against an invasion of the tech-eating Lerkians--only to reveal the phone app he uses to do so is really a game he's invented that takes inspiration from his difficulties with bullies. When the game goes viral, Bart finds himself spending all of his time debugging it, which comes between him and his only friend--a cyberschooled girl who lives in his apartment building but whom he talks to only via a Snapchat-esque app. With the announcement that a popular YouTube channel will be coming to town to cover Bart's game, Bart decides to use the show and his proceeds to get revenge on his three bullies--but the turnabout doesn't work out as he hopes. The bullying storylines play out with nuance--though neither the bullies nor Bart face official consequences for their actions, the interactions lead to introspection and growth. Introverted, white Bart is happy that people like his game, but he prefers a smaller friendship circle--especially his neighbor friend, who is eventually revealed to be a girl of color with disabilities.Wish fulfillment with surprising meat. (Fiction. 7-12)
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August 13, 2018
This illustrated novel blends coding, video games, aliens, and bullies into one snarky stew. Bartholomew Bean, unassuming new kid at school, wears his self-given title of “most boring middle schooler in the universe” like a badge of honor. That’s because he’s concealing a thrilling secret project: a virtual reality game app. “Boring Bart” endures transgressions from three school bullies all day, and at home brushes off bonding attempts from his sports-obsessed father in favor of tweaking his game. When his app goes viral, Bart wrestles with whether to reveal his identity and use the app to get back at his tormentors. A frenzied denouement—livestreamed for all to see—sort of allows both. Patterson and Swierczynski pepper their text with tech terms and serve up breezy pacing and of-the-moment subject matter. Bart’s narration sometimes has an overly knowing tone that can prove grating, but its teamwork-themed conclusion is laudable, and the final pages nicely tee up Bart’s promised next outing. Ages 8–12.
January 1, 2019
Bart doesn't fit in at his new middle school and is targeted by bullies. But secretly he's been fine-tuning the code on his own interactive smartphone game, and it eventually becomes the game of the moment. When Bart orchestrates a very public revenge on his bullies, he ultimately connects with them instead. Cartoonlike black-and-white illustrations bring the game to life and add to the laughs.
(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)