Reviews

Cyberia by Chris Lynch

apetruce's review

2.0

No offense to the author, whom I think would be a great person to have a cupa with, but there are SO many big reaching ideas in this book. It's a little 1984, Animal Farm and Disney's Lady and the Tramp. My kids...9, 7...just wouldn't pay attention for the read aloud. I liked the concept...a too-plugged in world watching you. And I LOVED the idea of animals communicating...there are also some overarching animal rights concepts here which I found thought provoking. But...eh. Though language isn't the only indicator of a good work...Hemmingway certainly isn't considered to be a user of big words...I felt this book needed a boost. Either it's a kid's book for kids or it's an adult book. This is neither.

library_brandy's review

3.0

Zane's world is completely plugged in--his room knows when he wakes up and emits breakfast smells to get him out of bed, his bathroom knows the temperature at which he likes his baths, and his parents communicate almost entirely through text messages. About the only unplugged thing in his world is his dog, Hugo--but that changes pretty quickly, too. Thanks to a new device his father gives him, Zane can now understand every word his dog (and every other animal he encounters) says. And most of what they're saying is that they want to be freed from their excessively-wired lives, and Zane is just the kid who's going to do that for him.

This technically falls under the heading of dystopian novels, but there's something really unconvincing about it. The talking-animals bit feels more Dr. Dolittle than The Giver, and while this had some light, fun moments, the story overall dragged. Cover art is as cartoony as the story, so while the text is written for maybe middle schoolers, the cover will most appeal to younger readers.