Dull Boy by Sarah Cross

Cross, Sarah. Dull Boy, 308 pgs. Dutton Books (Penguin Group), 2009. RATING Language – PG13 (over 100 swears, no f- words).
We meet Avery Pirzwick as he is trying to counteract all the inadvertent trouble he’s been getting into because of his powers – busting his neighbor’s car door, breaking his wrestling opponent’s arm, lying to his friends to keep his powers hidden. He ends up losing these friends, getting caught in the middle of an apparent attempted robbery, and being sent to an alternative school for troubled youth. Though he feels completely isolated and misunderstood because of his powers, others have taken an interest in him exactly because of them. When another boy with superpowers decides to run away with Cherchette, a suspicious adult luring the kids away from their families, Avery and his new friends finally realize they must work together to save their friend. The story moves at a good clip and may be enjoyed by readers who like X-Men. However, the plot and Avery’s internal conflicts are pretty predictable, and the connection between the villain and the main characters is left largely undeveloped. The language will keep this one out of my school collection.
MS – OPTIONAL. PKFoster, MS teacher-librarian.