Insert Coin to Continue

by John David Anderson

Bryan Biggins wakes up to find that his life has become a video game.

Meet Bryan Biggins. Most of the time he’s a freckle-faced boy, small for his age, who attends a school known for its unwritten uniform of North Face jackets and Hollister jeans. The rest of the time he is Kieran Nightstalker, the level-fifty dark-elf hero of his favorite video game, Sovereign of Darkness.

Until one day Bryan wakes up to find out his life has become a video game. Sort of. Except instead of fighting dragons or blasting bad guys, he’s still doing geometry and getting picked last for dodgeball. It’s still middle school. Only now there’s much more at stake.

Stealing the Twinkie from underneath the noses of those dieting teachers isn’t enough to earn him another life. And battling the creature that escaped from the science lab doesn’t seem to cut it either. And who knew Romeo and Juliet would turn into a zombie bloodbath?!

All the while he’s losing hit points and gaining levels, and facing the truth that GAME OVER might flash before his eyes at any minute. It all seems to be building to something…something that has been haunting Bryan since way before his life turned into an X-Box nightmare, a challenge that only he can face. Will Bryan find a way to beat the game before it’s too late?

Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Video Games, Adventure, Gaming

336 pages, Hardcover

First published September 20, 2016

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John David Anderson once hit himself so hard on a dare by his sister that he literally knocked himself out of a chair and nearly blacked out. He has since translated this passion and singularity of purpose to the related arts of novel writing and pizza eating. The author of STANDARD HERO BEHAVIOR, SIDEKICKED, MINION, THE DUNGEONEERS and the soon-to-land MS. BIXBY's LAST DAY, Anderson is a firm believer in wearing the same pair of jeans for three days in a row (four in the winter) and the power of writing to solve 73% of the world's problems. He lives with his beautiful wife and twins in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Reviews

[Shivantika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. Gosh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!! AAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE BEST IDEA OF A BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SOOOO GOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I TOTALLY SHIP BRYAN AND JESS!!!!!!!!!! AND THE ENDING..... sooooooo gooooooddddd........................

[Sharanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was going to read this last year but then I never got to it, I'm glad I finally read it!

[gabs · Rating 4 out of 5]

honestly, I was just here for Bryan and Jess loll
but it was funny, full of adventure, and plenty of action.
but there was no updates on oz and myra 😭😭
my friend let me borrow this book bc i was bored, and i finished it quickly and read 2/3s of the book all today while at the hospital for my grandma.
super good book, i would recommend if u don’t have anything else to read and want a comedy and action middle school story.
now time to go read the other two books i love 😌

[Liz Friend · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story: Bryan just knows there's a secret level to the video game he just beat for the 20th time. But he has no idea that when he wakes up the next morning, HE'LL be in the middle of a virtual reality game that looks a lot like his own life--except that the guys throwing dodgeballs are out for blood, and the teachers who bust him in their lounge are zombie who'll kill him to get that Twinkie. Can Bryan use his skills to overcome the bad guys--and maybe even get a date with the girl he's crushed on forever?

NYP 9/20/2016 - June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (bullying) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I'm always looking for (1) funny stories, and (2) stories boys will like. This one is both! There are LOL moments even for middle-aged library ladies, and gamers especially will be drawn into the story even if they aren't great readers. This one is great for the MS library.

[Mint · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally, I really liked the concept and the challenges and everything, however, the romance was written quite unsatisfactorily (is that a legitimate word?) for me at least. Other than that, this was a pretty decent read.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A middle schooler thinks he's a master gamer . . . until his life literally turns into a series of challenges reminiscent of his favorite games. Can he apply his skills to real-life scenarios, or will it be game over?

[Dayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable!!

[Brandy Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

I have mentioned several times before my penchant of reading a recommended book without actually ever looking at the synopsis. Such was the case with Insert Coin to Continue by John David Anderson. It was recommended and is a Cybils nominee so I just didn't bother. I assumed it was a book about a kid who gets trapped inside a video game. But that's not what happens at all. His life becomes a video game, and that's an interesting twist to the story idea.

Bryan is a master at playing Sovereign of Darkness, his favorite video game. He's defeated it several times but he keeps playing because he is absolutely certain there is a secret hidden extra level after defeating the ultimate bad. One night all is effort and time are rewarded when it looks like he's unlocked it.....

Then his computer crashes.

Bryan wakes up the next morning to the words INSERT COIN TO CONTINUE flashing above his alarm clock with numbers counting down from 20. And he can't move his legs. Bryan inserts a coin on his nightstand into the mysterious slot on his alarm clock and begins the strangest day of his life. Every move he makes words appear in the air only he can see giving him points or taking them away. When he massively fails he has to insert another coin. As the day goes on, Bryan realizes he is going to have to keep playing until he defeats the real world "dark lord" and come out victorious in the game of middle school.

I liked the idea of this book when I originally thought Bryan found himself in a game of middle school. I LOVE that his actual real life became a game. You may wonder at the difference, but for me it was a major one. The stakes somehow seemed higher as Bryan was moving through his actual day in the world he actually lives in with people who know him and who he will have to continue to interact with day after day. And honestly middle school doesn't really need to be amped up all that much to make the idea that it is a perilous game of life or death work. Let's face it. We've all been there. The game aspect adds a little edge to the things that already make a middle schooler's life hard: navigating crushes, choosing teams in P.E., school projects, quizzes, teachers who seem to have it in for you, bullies, reading Romeo and Juliet, and DODGEBALL. Every middle grade reader will recognize all of these elements and appreciate Bryan's fear and humor in dealing with them.

The story takes place over the course of 24 hours and is fast paced. The reader follows Bryan throughout his entire day as he navigates his classes while his life hangs in the balance and his pocket change begins to run out. The book is laugh out loud funny in places and cringe inducing in others.

Bryan is a relateable character who is slightly awkward, but mostly an average kid. There is not a tremendous amount of character development done as this is just 24 hours and there is a lot of action, but Bryan's personality shines through well enough that I think young readers will identify with him. Bryan's best friend Oz is a great part of the story too. They have a realistic believable friendship and their interactions are the best in the book.

I think this is a definite must for all middle school libraries and classrooms (and upper elementary as well). For anyone who knows a kid stuck in the game of middle school, this book may help them through it.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bryan Biggins is so sure that there's a secret level at the end of the Sovereign of Darkness video game he is playing it through for the 10th time (ok, and he kinda likes video games too). At the end of the 10th win, it does do something new...but then it proceeds to fry the computer. He goes to bed frustrated. But when he wakes up the next morning, things are seriously weird. He has to put a coin in a slot over his alarm clock to get out of bed, when he looks in the mirror his clothes have blue video game-type writing beside them dubbing them video game garb type names like "Breeches of Enduring Stiffness," he gets points for drinking his orange juice and his mother notices nothing strange. The day just continues to get more and more weird. His best friend, Oz, can't see the weird messages and thinks he might be going crazy. The middle school bully of course chooses today to come down hard on him. His classes are epically strange...and Bryan can't wait to finish this day of middle school video game style. Hey, he'll be happy to just survive!

Anderson got to be very creative with all the different classes and parts of Bryan's day and how they could incorporate video game elements. Crossing the road feels much like Frogger, geometry becomes an epic white board race to solve the problems before the figures drop off the bottom of the board, science becomes a quest to find an escapes lab mouse in the boiler room, PE is a dodgeball war game, but my absolute favorite was English where Romeo & Juliet becomes a role playing game you have to choose at each step how to continue the play and manages to incorporate a ninja, a dragon and a zombie horde (best version of Romeo & Juliet ever!). Lots of fun with an otherwise typical middle school day. Definitely recommended for middle school boys who a reluctant readers.

Notes on content: No language issues beyond some mild name calling. No sexual content beyond a kiss. There is a fist fight that results in some minor injuries, and a dodgeball game that has lots of bruises and one bloody nose. Some teachers fight over a treat (and one gets bitten).

[Amy]

*arc from edelweiss*

Summary

Bubbly middle school hijinks novel about a boy who wakes up to realize his life is a videogame. Subtle references to famous videogames like Tetris and Rock Band. While the premise sounds appealing to a wide range of reading experience levels, this book’s dry sense of humor and use of sophisticated vocabulary make it more appropriate for somewhat experienced readers. Less experienced readers looking for some video games in their books might be better off with a work like Gordon Korman’s Slacker

Review:

I fell absolutely in love with Ms, Bixby’s last day, so I was looking forward to reading another middle schooly book by John David Anderson. Coin and Bixby have some elements in common: they both feature adorkable boy main characters, they both poke fun and embrace the hero’s journey motif, and they are both pitch-perfect for middle school.

However, I found Coin more lacking in the character development department, where Bryan’s adventures felt episodic and some late-stage character growth felt incredibly forced upon the story. This may or may not be something the middle grade audience cares about, but when I compare this book against the tremendous characters of Bixby, I can’t help but feel that Anderson has done better.

Perhaps the biggest challenge to helping the right reader find this book is that a book talk is going to be misleading. Based on the premise, students are going to be clamoring for this one, only to be frustrated, bored, and confused if they are also not prepared for dorky humor like references to Bryan’s Boots of Average Walking Speed. It’s these moments of built-in laughs that will make this book delightful for some readers who are ready to infer tone and meaning based on specific word choices and difficult for highly literal readers or English Language Learners.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bryan has reached the end of a video game but he believes there has to be another step beyond the last level. When he repeatedly gets to the end level nothing happens over and over until something weird happens. He finds himself inside, living a video game. Really? He doesn't believe it yet how else do you explain what's happening to him. He finds strange blue words floating in the air giving him points or taking points from him. He needs to deposit a coin to continue playing....if he doesn't what could happen? He doesn't want to find out so he keeps playing. At school he's the only one who can see these odd things but the teachers and some students are joining in his weirdness....although they don't seem to know it. Yes, it gets confusing even to Bryan. Besides all this going on he has to deal with the everyday school issues like the evil hall monitor Amy Krug, the bully Wattly who has it out for Bryan and then there's Jenn. You could call Jenn Bryan's secret love I guess. He's had a thing for her since the third grade but is totally tongue tied when she's around. His best friends Oz and Myra just think he's gone crazy but they do their best to be supportive. They think he just needs to play the game until it ends....hopefully by the end of the school day....since it's Bryan's worst day ever. It's funny and strange with such odd things happening you can't wait to see what's next but you're rooting for Bryan to get through it in one piece.

[The Keepers of the Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Bryan Biggins defeats the secret Demon King level of his favorite game, he wakes up the next morning to find his life has turned into a video game. He can see his HP, XP, and see the same information on everyone around him. As he completes the quests the game gives him, he either fails them and has to insert a coin or he levels up. He knows he will come up against a final boss, like any good video game. Will he be up to the task? What happens if he runs out of coins to feed the video game? Who will be the boss he has to defeat?

This book is action-packed, humorous, and engaging. The plot is complex and pulls the reader into the story. The characters are fun to read about and add a lot of depth to the story. Fans of video game-based books like Julia Durang’s The Leveller and James Dashner’s Eye of Minds will enjoy reading this book.

Recommended for Grades 4 to 7 or ages 8 to 12

This book was featured on The Keepers of the Books' Weekly Reads 12 episode. For more book reviews, recommendations, or online librarian advice, please visit us at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK3v...

You may also find a copy of this review on kissthebook.blogspot.com

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay book, but it held more realistic fiction elements than I normally like to see. I prefer fantasy and I like video games, so I picked it up. It was alright, but the plot seemed jumpy and bits were hard to understand. The premise of 'my life is a video game' seemed inconsistent. The bikers on the way to school took me a while to get, along with Romeo and Juliet and the solo in band class. Since this is the style of book that I normally read in one or two sittings, this felt weird to me. The characters were interesting, though. The way people reacted to the mouse in the science classroom screamed "Middle School!" in big letters. It was nice seeing a character like Myra and Bryan's thoughts about her, because she seemed real. Normally in books, characters like Myra are shunted to one side, but she plays a definite role and is shown like a person. This might be because Myra is easy for me to connect to and just a me thing, but I think the author did a good job with her. This wasn't my favorite book, but I can see why people like it.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again John David Anderson has written a hilarious, sweet, thoughtful book! Of course, kids will probably just say hilarious, but I see what you are doing when you write, Mr. Anderson, with all of your awesome worldly wisdom . He is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. If he writes it, I buy it! PLEASE read this book...you will not regret it! (Also, be prepared to laugh out loud...yes, it's that funny!)
OH!!!
Read it aloud to someone! I wish my kids were younger so I could. This book BEGS to be read aloud! Do it!!! I dare you!!!

[Emily Carlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is awesome! Full of action and you absolutely never know when the next challenge will be! Bryan Biggins usually only plays his video game at home every night. Until one morning he wakes up to find the words “Insert Coin to Continue” flashing over his alarm clock. His legs won’t move, so he inserts a coin and bam! He’s back in action. That’s how his entire day at school goes. Teachers biting each other over a Twinkie and zombies in a Shakespeare story, what will Bryan earn XP or lose HP over next?!

[Maureen Tully]

This story of a middle school boy who wakes up and finds himself in the middle of his own video game is highly entertaining. It has likable characters, an engaging plot, and some hugely funny moments - great addition to the middle school library.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

At the end of the book, the author explains how much fun he had writing this book. I wish that I felt the same way as a reader. Instead the story felt overly serious and boring. I usually really like books by this author, and this premise is up my alley, but this was a miss for me.

[Ridgewood Public Library Youth Services · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy named Bryan Biggins is obsessed with a game called Sovereign of Darkness. He thinks that a pulsing light behind the credits is the key to the bonus level, but can never get to it. He therefore played all fifty levels nine times. After the tenth time he played it, his life suddenly became the game itself.

He gains points and loses some. Towards the end of the book, he is challenged by the school’s bully who is on the football team to a fight after school. He and his friends think that is what he has to do to win the game as at the end of the real game, the player fights the Demon King to win.

He wins the fight, but he only gets an upgrade. Then there is a party, which he goes to with his friend after realizing that to finish he needs to admit how he feels about the girl he has a crush on to the girl herself. He finally wins the game. At the end of the book, his friend, Oz, freezes in fright as the Demon King says the same thing it said to Bryan: “Congratulations, warrior. It is time for your true journey to begin.”

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can picture a gamer who isn't much of a reader totally getting into this.

The book is about a 7th grade gamer, Bryan, who defeats a video game multiple times, trying to find the secret level that is supposedly hidden. He realizes he's finally found it, when one night, his computer apparently crashes. The next morning, when he's trying to get out of bed, he sees blue letters hovering above his alarm clock. They say, "Insert coin to continue". Once he finds a coin from his floor and drops it into the slot, he is able to get up from his bed and start his day.

The rest of the book has references to video games real and imagined. It's very fun and not very serious at all. Which is a welcome change to some of these books! My only real gripe was that I kept picturing high schoolers as the characters, not 7th graders. It just didn't seem to fit.

[Goshen PL Childrens · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun to read a gamer middle grade book. There is a lot of humor, middle school turmoil (but not in the annoying angsty way) and gaming fun. I really liked the way Anderson used gaming terms and the power/level up to enhance the story. The scene from Romeo & Juilet was classic. I think this had the realm of gaming down pat much more that some of the other middle grade attempts I've read recently.

**Side note: I love Ready Player One . Unfortunately, I compare every game world book to it. This is a good middle grade edition to that adult book. It isn't the same kind of world building and that is okay. It is the level that middle graders are ready to read which makes it a successful read!

Good for 4th grade and up.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aimed at 8-12 year-olds, my two sons fit the demographic perfectly - 8 and 11 year-old video game fans.

What they liked: It was funny. Some of the teacher's names were puns. The great and powerful Oz. Romeo and Juliet re-imagined.

They also liked figuring out which video games were being referenced - frogger, mario brothers, etc.

What I liked:

Some stereotypes were maintained, but others were stood on their heads. It gave us good fodder to discuss bullying, cliques, and prejudice.

The "romance" was at the right level. My eight-year-old was a bit bored by it, still thinking girls are gross, but there was nothing that made any of us uncomfortable.

[theStorykeeper · Rating 2 out of 5]

CW: bullying, violence

This was not really what I thought it was going to be. I thought the video game aspect was going to play a bigger part; it wasn't really that integrated at all. The violence got a bit much for a realistic MG. This was basically like that episode of Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide where Ned daydreams his way out of Sweeney's science lair by solving the puzzly word puzzler. I found some bits humorous, and I liked all the references (though I doubt kids would get many of them).

On the back of my copy Bryan's avatar is spelled Kieran, but in the text itself it's Kerran. This is not a misspelling, these are two completely different names.

[Thistle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love this author, but I avoided this book for a long time because I suspected it wouldn't work for me, and unfortunately I was right. A middle grade boy is just living his life when gaming elements start to overlay his world. There was way way way too much "just normal kid in middle grade school life" for me, not nearly enough gaming elements.

This is totally a "it's not you, it's me" issue. The book is written for middle grade kids and they'd probably really enjoy it. DNF about a quarter of the way in.

[Walter Silveira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to spontaneously pick up and check out the books I find lying out of place at the library. It's pretty hit or miss as a selection method, but sometimes.... sometimes you strike gold.
John David Anderson's "Insert Coin To Continue" was a wonderful, lighthearted, laugh-out-loud-with-tears-in-your-eyes read. If you're a fan of "Ready Player One" or Austin Grossman's
"You", find a copy of it and read it. Now. You won't be disappointed.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2. Breezy, funny, and designed to appeal to kids who wish their life could be more like a videogame. Good for kids drawn to Gordan Korman. What knocked it down for me was some gratuitous snarkyness. The caricatures of the three, unattractive, female teachers dieting crossed a bit of a line for me into ugliness, ditto the caricature of the rich, party-hosting girl at the end with her talons and overdone hair and

[sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am back on my John David Anderson reading spree. I can't help it. His books are just so incredibly intriguing to me, and I really can't grasp why. This book in particular had a more goofy side to it, which I surprisingly loved. It was just so normal yet not normal. I guess this confirms that I just might never rate a John David Anderson or Gordon Korman book under 5 stars. Oh well.

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A perfectly fine YA fantasy book, very similar to the premise of Tron, where the main character gets sucked into a video game world. This would be great for the fifth or sixth grade boy crowd, I’d imagine.

[Marty Cosgrove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite the emotional punch of Miss Bixby’s Last Day or the strong social message of Posted, but this is a fun little romp and it has some nice moments that remind me of growing up, with first crushes and all that. I enjoyed reading this (had to read it to be able to be helpful to my son as he writes the corresponding book report for school).

[Carli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, full of action, and video game-based. Perfect for middle school boys.

[The Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asher (11yo) read. "Really funny. I would actually like to play the 'bonus' level on Sovereign of Darkness."