Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I went into Level Up thinking it was going to be fun, hilarious book that encompassed the life of a gamer, and all that jazz. For the record, it was actually was pretty funny and entertaining, and the art style was incredibly whimsical. However, this story actually had lot of meaning and substance to it--I was really surprised.
Is this an incredibly character-driven story? No. While Dennis is a pretty hilarious narrator and his struggles are relatable, he's not the most fleshed-out character ever. In fact, a majority of his and his friends' characterization falls to the wayside in favor of spotlighting the overarching theme of this story. Now, I didn't mind that, but I did find it noteable.
Even though this story was wacky and contained some magical realism, I think it contains some pretty important ideas with in. There's a really awesome debate in this book about whether you should take your family's wishes into account when searching for a career path or whether you should follow your own heart and pursue something that is personally satisfying. There were very interesting arguments for both sides, and I appreciated that.
This story also deals a lot with what it means to grow up as a POC and what that means for you academically and career-wise. That aspect of the story was more subtle, but I think this story shed some light on how POC struggle, especially in America, to, in a sense, prove their worth and "earn their right" to be considered successful.
In the end, like I said, I think this story was more about the overall messages and that it was about finding a career that will make you proud and loving what you do all at the same time. It was funny, entertaining, and also surprisingly heartfelt. I enjoyed it a lot and I'm looking forward to reading more from Gene Luen Yang!
Is this an incredibly character-driven story? No. While Dennis is a pretty hilarious narrator and his struggles are relatable, he's not the most fleshed-out character ever. In fact, a majority of his and his friends' characterization falls to the wayside in favor of spotlighting the overarching theme of this story. Now, I didn't mind that, but I did find it noteable.
Even though this story was wacky and contained some magical realism, I think it contains some pretty important ideas with in. There's a really awesome debate in this book about whether you should take your family's wishes into account when searching for a career path or whether you should follow your own heart and pursue something that is personally satisfying. There were very interesting arguments for both sides, and I appreciated that.
This story also deals a lot with what it means to grow up as a POC and what that means for you academically and career-wise. That aspect of the story was more subtle, but I think this story shed some light on how POC struggle, especially in America, to, in a sense, prove their worth and "earn their right" to be considered successful.
In the end, like I said, I think this story was more about the overall messages and that it was about finding a career that will make you proud and loving what you do all at the same time. It was funny, entertaining, and also surprisingly heartfelt. I enjoyed it a lot and I'm looking forward to reading more from Gene Luen Yang!