By: Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson Publisher: Disney Editions Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: Disney Editions Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 400 Publication Date: October 14, 2008 Reading Level: Ages 9-12 Release Date: October 14, 2008
Product Description: Grdankl the Strong, president of Kprshtskan, is plotting to take over the American government. His plan is to infiltrate the science fair at Hubble Middle School, located in a Maryland suburb just outside Washington. The rich kids at Hubble cheat by buying their projects every year, and Grdankl's cronies should have no problem selling them his government-corrupting software. But this year, Toby Harbinger, a regular kid with Discount Warehouse shoes, is determined to win the $5,000 prize-even if he has to go up against terrorists to do it. With the help of his best friends, Tamara and Micah, Toby takes on Assistant Principal Paul Parmit, aka "The Armpit", a laser-eyed stuffed owl, and two eBay buyers named Darth and the Wookiee who seem to think that the Harrison-Ford-signed BlasTech DL-44 blaster Toby sold them is a counterfeit. What transpires is a hilarious adventure filled with mystery, suspense, and levitating frogs.
Hilarious - I loved it! I previously enjoyed the first two novels of the Peter and the Starcatchers series that Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry wrote, but I found Science Fair to be hilarious.
Science Fair is set in a middle school in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC. Toby, the main character, is enrolled in the school's gifted program, along with other gifted students and others whose rich, powerful parents have bought their way in. The rich parents are obsessed with their kids' success to the point that they do the work for their kids. For example, one mother was said to have worked hard for all of her son's grades, starting with the professionally bound animal report he turned in in first grade.
Each year, the school conducts a science fair with a large corporate-sponsored prize. One of the rich kids always wins, because they purchase complicated projects from a strange store in the mall. However, there is a problem - Grdankl the Strong, the leader of the rogue nation of Krpshtskan, has enlisted an operative to rig the science fair so that the rich kids' projects can be utilized for a terrorist plot. Toby finds out about this, and he and his friends have to fix things.
The plot and the details of Science Fair are absurd and over the top, but that is why I enjoyed it so much. Barry describes Krpshtskan in a way similar to the fictional Kazakhstan in Borat, with details like the national holiday for the tournament of the fighting death hamsters and Grdankl's slogan of "Vote for Grdankl or die." Another episode I found amusing was when two of Grdankl's operatives who were sent unwillingly to the U.S. to straighten out problems became addicted to the Home Shopping Network.
Science Fair is a book that definitely would appeal to kids, with its mix of humor and action. In fact, I loaned it to one of my sixth graders after I finished and he read the entire book in a single day. It would also appeal to adults who can enjoy a book that doesn't take itself seriously.
Young People Will Find Humorous, Groan-Worthy, And Even A Little Insightful At Hubble Middle School (somewhere near Washington, D.C.), students wait with much anticipation for the annual science fair. Founded by billionaire inventor and Hubble alumnus Lance Swingle, the Hubble Science Fair is seen as a chance for students to use their scientific knowledge, have fun, and hopefully win the grand prize.
Unfortunately, as many students, teachers and parents know, the Fair is far from a friendly competition, and the only winners are the ME (Manor Estates) kids --- known more for being spoiled rotten than for being science geniuses. This year, the prize is bigger than ever: $5,000. For the ME kids, it's pocket change; but for students like Toby Harbinger, that kind of money could mean a world of difference --- especially when they have a crazed Star Wars fan after them.
In a rebellious moment, Toby decided he absolutely needed a new gaming computer, and the only way he knew how to get the funds for it was by selling some of his parents' Star Wars "junk" online. Forget that the BlasTech DL-44 may have been signed by Han Solo himself --- a rumor Toby doesn't really believe --- or that his parents might find out. But when an angry fan named D. Arthur Vaderian and his burly associate, the Wookiee, demand their money back, Toby realizes he must win the school science fair to set things right.
However, being a favorite target of the ME kids doesn't help Toby's plan, and in a rash moment of retaliation (involving a disgusting tofu enchilada and a rather embarrassed ME kid), Toby ends up in detention. That's when he figures out the truth behind the ME kids' science fair reign. Unfortunately, getting the proof that they're cheating, much less being believed, isn't going to be easy.
When Toby and his best friends, Tamara Reilley and Micah Porter, go to the Science Nook, they are given advice by the weird owner and science genius Sternabite. As Tamara and Micah figure out their project ideas, Toby tries to determine what the ME kids are up to. After battling a robotic owl with eggplant, Toby retrieves evidence of the conspiracy. However, when he tells the Hornet (Principal Plott-Garnett) and Mr. Neckstrom, Toby gets suspended!
In the midst of his academic crusade, Toby ends up in more trouble than he ever would have imagined and discovers that there's a much bigger plan at play. Will Toby be able to summon the Force, or will darkness reign?
Meanwhile, Grdankl the Strong, the president of Krpshtskan ("a poor mountainous nation with few vowels and a population of four million including goats"), looks forward to defeating the United States of America. With his associates Drmst (his fourth Vice President) and Vrsk (a computer administrator) waiting to meet Prmkt (a secret agent), nothing can stop his grand plan from happening. Except maybe the lure of the home shopping channel.
More than just a thrilling mystery-adventure, SCIENCE FAIR is a funny, over-the-top satire featuring social and global commentary, along with several pop culture references (both well and lesser known --- such as a rollerblading doll and a pizza franchise that were popular for all the wrong reasons in the 1990s), that young people will find humorous, groan-worthy, and even a little insightful. After finishing the book, readers won't think of anything the same way again.
--- Reviewed by Sarah Sawtelle
Fun Book But Know Your Kid My boys and I enjoyed this book. It was fun and humorous for all of us. However, just like many kids' books, shows, and movies aimed at this age group, it demonstrated a huge disrespect for adults. For example, Toby, the lead character, lied and stole from his parents, didn't adhere to his parents' discipline, thought of his parents as weird, and gave every teacher a not-so-nice nickname. I can take this in a story if by the end there are some redemptive qualities revealed but there were none here. My one child has a great sense of right and wrong and can hear such a story and not have problems. My other child, however, already seems to think he knows more than any adult and this book only fed that thought of his. Consequently, despite the fun, we had to have a discussion at the end of it. So just know what you are getting into.
Barry and Pearson Write a Nice Little Sci Fi Book for the Kids Market Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson up to a year or two ago were adult novel writers and tried there hand at the junior fiction market with the masterpiece Peter and the Starcatchers. They've written a couple of spin offs and sequels to that adventure but this is their first attempt at a modern day set junior fiction book. Whilst they haven't quite achieved the extremely high bar they set for themselves with Starcatchers, this is still a very good and entertaining book that adults who pick it up will enjoy just as much as kids.
If you like this style of book where kids save the day also check out Carl Hiaasen's sensational masterpiece Hoot who is also a humorous author who normally writes for adults but crossed over to the kids side very well!
So what's Science Fair all about. Well the basic plot is Krpshtskan, a small poor country ruled by an incompetent fool wants vengeance on the USA (for an extremely funny reason which you'll find out when you read the book). An agent of Krpshtskan has been working away to manipulate a school science fair competition using spoilt rich kid brats, so he can initiate a plan to bring America to its knees. The poorer smarter kids however, especially main character Toby, know the rich kids aren't doing the projects themselves. Throw in two very stupid Krpshtskanies who get addicted to the shopping network, incompetent American agents, Star Wars obsessed parents, a man who walks around as Darth Vader with a hairy sidekick who resembles a Wookie and is after Toby, an eccentric science store owner, invisibility Ipod and you've got yourself a great fun read!
Wonderful Book My 9 year old son & I traded off reading this book out loud. We laughted, and were on the edge of our seats all the way through it. We couldnt put it down. A WONDERFUL BOOK for anyone we highly recomend it.
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