Tracey Baptiste’s recent novel, Boy 2.0 will likely appeal to readers who love science, who express themselves through art, or who themselves struggle with identity issues. By using allusions to artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Eduardo Kobra, and Banksy and through discussions about art and the political statements it makes, Baptiste captures the reader’s interest and develops her main character Win Keegan, aka Coal.
Thirteen and an artist, Coal keeps his eyes open for canvases, selecting vacant lots or other spaces to raise awareness. Coal is also a foster child who wonders what happened to his most recent guardian, Tom. A psychotic break marks Tom as unable to care for Coal, who winds up in the care of Doc and Jackson McCay.
Although Coal’s life has been one of upheaval and uncertainty, the one constant has been his best friend, Theodore Guzman, aka Door. While Door practices football, Coal sketches.
On one of Coal’s art forays into the surrounding neighborhoods, he gets shot at and chased by police. Somehow, Coal manages to escape because he was able to disappear. Confused, he consults Door, who claims Coal has superpowers. However, Coal has no control over how to change or why he changes, so the two boys conduct a science experiment, and Coal reads as much research as he can find on topics like camouflage, chameleons, and mimesis.
In his research, Coal stumbles across a nearby research facility called Mirror Tech. With Door’s sense of adventure, the boys attach themselves to a tour at Mirror Tech. Here, Coal finds some answers, but the information also raises a plethora of questions: Do his mimetic tendencies make him a monster? What influence has his DNA had on his “mutant” abilities? How did he come to possess this ability? Is he genetically modified?
When one of the research scientists, Dr. Achebe gets curious and befriends Coal, Coal is initially excited to learn more about himself, but Dr. Achebe’s intentions may not be so honorable. Soon, Coal sees through Dr. Achebe’s lies, and because “lies only happen when people care what you think” (160), Coal knows he has gotten in over his head.
How Coal breaks free from the hold Dr. Achebe has on him, how he unravels his parentage and his mysterious ability, and how he learns an important lesson in loyalty comprise key points in the plot of Baptiste’s novel for middle grade readers.
- Donna