From: Hyperion Publisher: Hyperion Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Hyperion Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 432 Publication Date: October 02, 2007 Reading Level: Ages 9-12 Release Date: October 02, 2007
Wonderfullly fantastic. This book is like 400+ pages of Christmas. There is a present to open on every page.
This book is a delight with a bite! I read this book aloud to my 8 and 6 year old. (The 6 year old was already inclined to love Rex's work because she is a devout fan of his "Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich" book. We all love that book, actually.)
We all loved this, too -- indeed, I'm pressuring my husband to read it.
First, this book is funny. Uproariously, infectiously funny. My kids and I keep debating which are our favorite parts of it. (The comic strip about Boov evolution? The scene on the "talkie-walkies"? The confusion of "exploring" and "exploding"? There are many more, and it's a tough call.)
Second, it's heartfelt. There are some pretty blatant parallels to U.S. history. (For instance, early on, as the alien Boov arrived on Earth and announced that, having "discovered" it, they now were entitled to name and possess it, scooting all U.S. earthlings to a fraction of their prior space.) It's presented in a way that is both one-sided (e.g., it's unfair for people to get pushed off their land) and somewhat nuanced (e.g., the Boov are desperate and not intrinsically evil). The budding friendship between the human and Boov main characters is heart-warming.
As children's literature goes, this one is a big-time winner -- engaging and thought-provoking for children (at any rate, mine) and adults (at any rate, me).
Celebrating Smekday! Adam Rex's THE TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY is a great read-alone and read-aloud, because parents will love it just as much as kids. The author takes sly digs at human and alien culture, and the contrast between the two is frequently hilarious. Tip and J.Lo's friendship is one for the ages!
Wicked Funny I bought this at a bookfair because I loved Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, and so did my kids. I can't wait for them to read this, it is so funny. Narrated by Gratuity "Tip" Tucci as a time capsule assignment, the story follows her quest to find her mother (who was abducted by the Boov, the aliens) in Florida, and then in Arizona. On her way she befriends a renegade Boov named J. Lo, and together they plot to protect Earth from another, scarier, race of aliens.
This book is full of funny digs at our society. I love how the alien is looking for Tip at the casino and he describes it as a "large, offensively colored building where humans who are bad at math give away their money."
A good laugh, great imagination. Not a book for young kids as the theme of abduction and occupation is sinister and scary. The writer has a crazy, dry sense of humour and his ideas on aliens is original - not your standard greys or reptiles here. Also another take on Roswell.
The story was not predictable in any way and had me guessing right up to the end. Worth a read.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
