Scan barcode
greenbeanteenqueen's review against another edition
3.0
I love Gene Luen Yang's Printz winning graphic novel, American Born Chinese and I expected Level Up to be another witty and heartfelt coming of age story. In some ways it is, but I was let down by this one.
I think with the cover and the title and the character obsessed with video games, I expected this one to have more of a video game feel to it, ala Scott Pilgrim. But instead, the video game aspect is pushed to the side and instead we get a story about Dennis dealing with his grief over his father and his drive to make his father happy.
I wanted more about the angels but instead they seemed to come and go and never really connect with the story. I also wanted a bit more humor-while there are moments of humor, the tone of Level Up is much more serious.
It's still a good graphic novel and I'm continualy impressed with Gene Luen Yang's work, but I had hoped for a bit more.
I think with the cover and the title and the character obsessed with video games, I expected this one to have more of a video game feel to it, ala Scott Pilgrim. But instead, the video game aspect is pushed to the side and instead we get a story about Dennis dealing with his grief over his father and his drive to make his father happy.
I wanted more about the angels but instead they seemed to come and go and never really connect with the story. I also wanted a bit more humor-while there are moments of humor, the tone of Level Up is much more serious.
It's still a good graphic novel and I'm continualy impressed with Gene Luen Yang's work, but I had hoped for a bit more.
meredithmc's review against another edition
4.0
a wonderful YA graphic novel about a young man coming to terms with his destiny and what he really wants to do. if anyone out there thinks there's no YA lit for teen boys, this proves them wrong.
orangerful's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars - this was an okay story but I think I was hoping for something with a different ending. Yang had several different story ideas going here but I felt the conclusions to all of them were a bit too easy.
I also think that part of the problem is that 'American Born Chinese' was just so good, I can't help but compare every thing he does now to that book and they tend to fall short. This had some similar themes of the immigrant-born child trying to adapt to American society, but in the end, I feel like it fumbled.
I also think that part of the problem is that 'American Born Chinese' was just so good, I can't help but compare every thing he does now to that book and they tend to fall short. This had some similar themes of the immigrant-born child trying to adapt to American society, but in the end, I feel like it fumbled.
howattp's review against another edition
4.0
This was fantastic! It reminds me a lot of Scott Pilgrim, and I'll use it as such in a paper I'm planning. This was a great read.
sigigraph's review against another edition
5.0
This book is amazing! It blends funny with serious, such as destiny and broken promises. Everyone has a turning point, in Dennis's case it's all about whether he's going to do what he wants to do, like video games, or what his father told him he had to, be a doctor of gastroenterology, which, humorously enough, Thein Pham couldn't pronounce. He purposely messed it up to mess with Gene Yang though. I went to the book signing since it was close by and i loved american born chinese. They're a really good pair and work well together. Gene is perfectionistic and Thein is there to lose stuff and make stuff less pristine and perfect. If the whole book were up to Gene he would've done it SO much more perfectionistic and you wouldn't have the other qualities. The one that come close to heart and hit home. This is a must read!
lilmatt050's review against another edition
5.0
There is not much to say except I love Gene Luen Yang's work and how he conveys a life message of who we are and what we come aspire to be as human beings.
This book is about a boy named Dennis who as a child wanted to do child things like playing video games and was never allowed in his home because of his parents strict rules and beliefs when it comes to video games. Then when he graduates from High School, his father passes away and he finally buys a game console and falls in love with video games but doesn't know how to balance his college studies. Plus he has to deal with the pressure of his parents wanting him to become a doctor and not accepting what makes him truly happy.
The story was short and simple which is what I needed and overall love the concept on how life can be like a video game, trying to pass each level as the difficulty increases. Dennis reminds me of every child who have in the past wanted to pursue a particular dream that did not meet the parents expectations and either throws away that precious dream or fights back and explore where life will guide us. At the end of the day, you have to deal with your life and your source of happiness and should be in a job that makes you happy instead of killing yourself just for the sake of wealth.
This book is about a boy named Dennis who as a child wanted to do child things like playing video games and was never allowed in his home because of his parents strict rules and beliefs when it comes to video games. Then when he graduates from High School, his father passes away and he finally buys a game console and falls in love with video games but doesn't know how to balance his college studies. Plus he has to deal with the pressure of his parents wanting him to become a doctor and not accepting what makes him truly happy.
The story was short and simple which is what I needed and overall love the concept on how life can be like a video game, trying to pass each level as the difficulty increases. Dennis reminds me of every child who have in the past wanted to pursue a particular dream that did not meet the parents expectations and either throws away that precious dream or fights back and explore where life will guide us. At the end of the day, you have to deal with your life and your source of happiness and should be in a job that makes you happy instead of killing yourself just for the sake of wealth.
therainbowshelf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Another surreal G.N. Yang read that conveys a lot about social and familial pressures. A young man works through grief complicated by his father’s expectations about his future as a doctor which conflicts with his love of gaming. I wouldn’t say I loved this, but I didn’t dislike it either. It was interesting, and I liked the coloring style.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Death, Abandonment, and Death of parent
Parental guiltnoelles's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
3.75
lonecayt's review against another edition
5.0
This book was even better the second time around. So glad I invested in my own copy this time, too.
adunnells's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-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? N/A
5.0