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Aric Davis

Nickel Plated

Author: Aric Davis

Publisher: AmazonEncore, Mar. 22, 2011

Pages: 197

“Nickel Plated” is written in first person, from the perspective of a 12-year-old boy. However, Nickel doesn’t sound like a 12-year-old, not because he’s too mature, but because Davis’s dialogue is unconvincing. In fact, many words and phrases in this book seem forced and awkward, which makes for a cheesy and unrealistic story.

Many of Nickel’s statements read like they are channeling Sam Spade or some other are tough-guy stereotype. Excerpts like the following are unpersuasive and just read really weird:

         She was prettier than she’d sounded on the phone.  Strawberry blonde with violent red highlights, pretty nice set of cans from what I could tell through the sweater.  Hey, I’m twelve, not blind.  I smiled and she scowled back.

         “You’re Nickel?"

         “Yep. And you’re about a dime.”

         She blushed.  Girls are all the same.  “You’re just a kid.”

The plot is surreal. Nickel has run away from foster care and now lives on his own in a house he bought on Craigslist. To support himself, he grows and sells marijuana. He does not go to school and, with the exception of survival, has no personal responsibilities. In his spare time, he tracks pedophiles whom he finds in chat rooms online.

Nickel helps clients solve small crimes. He meets Arrow, a beautiful high school girl who is in despair because her younger sister is missing. Her parents presume that Shelby has run away.  But did she? Nickel becomes interested in Arrow but has to forget about a possible romance in order to find her sister.

The plot seems like it would be exciting, but it is so unrealistic that I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters.  I read this book without much interest.  It took me a few weeks to finish, though it is only 197 pages.

The vocabulary bored me.  Descriptions of crime scenes, people and places (and everything in general) are very vague. Other passages, such as this step-by-step depiction of Nickel’s routine, are just not very interesting:

            The next morning I woke up, took a shower, and ate Thai food.  Even stone cold it was terrific.  I went outside and watered my garden.  I was going to need to do some harvesting again soon.  From looking up, it seemed a storm was coming; I had to hope it would be gone soon, or my research project on Friday would be a bust.  I thought about Shelby and Arrow.  The storm was already here.  I went back in and put away the Thai food.  Went in my room and put on my camo.  I exited to the garage, got on my bike, and went back to Four Oaks.

This book has the potential to teach kids about drugs and sex offenders, but the language and storyline are boring and unconvincing.  Overall, “Nickel Plated” offers valuable life lessons. However, its adult concept is fatally compromised by the elementary language. I would not recommend this story to anyone.