Review: Well-Written Sci-Fi Adventure Novel with a Likeable Underdog Hero
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 9, 2014
“Digi” is a creative, entertaining read about an underdog who finds his own place and friends in the world—both in an unexpected way.Peter Dempster is a good kid—he loves his parents and doesn’t want to make them feel bad that they can’t afford the newest tennis shoes or a BMW like Terry Williams’. However, he’s also a kid who struggles in computer class at school and is mercilessly teased by the bullies (including the aforementioned Terry). One night, when he’s struggling with a particularly brutal assignment, lightning strikes the house and routes through the computer Peter is using—and suddenly he discovers a whole new world, one where he can enter into the computer and interact with the inhabitants inside Cyberworld.As he explores the new world, he slowly becomes braver and more confident in the outside world as well, and when he finds out Terry Williams’ evil plot involving a computer virus and $10 million dollars, Peter sets out to foil it.While I think “Digi” will most appeal to older tween and YA readers, as an adult I enjoyed it a lot too. Peter is a plucky underdog, and I really liked his character. (He would also be a good role model to younger readers, in that he often chooses to walk away and act more like an adult than engage his bullies, with one notable and satisfying exception toward the end of the novel). I also found the creatures inside Cyberworld to be endearing—Buster, Granger, and the dumpies all have that magical quality that sidekicks in children’s literature need to be appealing. Peter’s relationship with his father was also touching and provided emotional depth to the novel.The author also does a good job with pacing, and both the main plot and the more minor subplots push the story forward and keep it exciting. (And the opening and closing chapters of the book, which hint at a wider and dangerous world of people who can enter Cyberworld, is intriguing in its potential for future works.) I would recommend “Digi” to readers who enjoy fantasy YA, especially stories featuring unlikely heroes.