Weird kid

Title:

Weird kid

Author:

Summary:

Jake Wind is trying to stay under the radar. Whose radar? Anyone who might be too interested in the fact that he has shapeshifting abilities he can't control. Or that his parents found him as a ball of goo when he was a baby. Keeping his powers in check is crucial, though, if he wants to live a normal life and go to middle school instead of being homeschooled (and if he wants to avoid being kidnapped and experimented on, of course). Things feel like they're going his way when he survives his first day of school without transforming and makes a new friend. But when mysterious sinkholes start popping up around town—sinkholes filled with the same extraterrestrial substance as Jake—and his neighbors, classmates, and even his family start acting a little, well, weird, Jake will have to learn to use his powers in order to save his town.

Audience:

Ages 8-12. HarperCollins.

Grades 4-6. HarperCollins.

Edition:

First edition

Physical Description:

199 pages ; 22 cm

Genre:

Humorous fiction.

Science fiction.

Subject Term:

Extraterrestrial beings -- Juvenile fiction.

Human-alien encounters -- Juvenile fiction.

Friendship -- Juvenile fiction.

Shapeshifting -- Juvenile fiction.

Publisher:

Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers,

Publication Date:

2021

ISBN:

9780062970602

Publication Information:

New York, NY : Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2021

Call Number:

J VANEEKHOUT

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607003542134	Juvenile Fiction	VANEEKHOUT	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

From the author of Cog and Voyage of the Dogs, Weird Kid is a hilarious and heartfelt homage to everyone who feels like they don't belong. Perfect for fans of Gordon Korman and Stuart Gibbs.

Keeping his powers in check is crucial, though, if he wants to live a normal life and go to middle school instead of being homeschooled (and if he wants to avoid being kidnapped and experimented on, of course).

Things feel like they're going his way when he survives his first day of school without transforming and makes a new friend. But when mysterious sinkholes start popping up around town--sinkholes filled with the same extraterrestrial substance as Jake--and his neighbors, classmates, and even his family start acting a little, well, weird, Jake will have to learn to use his powers in order to save his town.

"The short page count, humor, and action make this a good choice for reluctant readers. A solid purchase for school and public libraries." --School Library Journal

Reviews (2)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3--7--Jake, a sixth grader, navigates middle school and his seemingly uncontrollable shape-shifting. Jake is an alien who "fell to earth in a flaming blob of goo." Now, that same goo is back, infiltrating his town and creating "imblobsters" out of the residents. It's up to Jake, along with his savvy new best friend Agnes, to solve the mystery of the goo and get everything back to normal. This has all the makings of a great middle grade sci-fi novel: an evil scientist, mysterious goo, an alien preteen, and more than one butt joke. Graphic novel fans will relate to Jake and Agnes's bond over their shared love of the comic Night Kite. Music also plays a large role in the story and Jake's life. At its heart, this is a tale about accepting who you are, taking control of your talents and abilities, and fighting for what is right. The ending wraps up neatly but hints at the opportunity for a sequel. Jake's (adoptive) parents are Dutch Indonesian, and Agnes is white. VERDICT The short page count, humor, and action make this a good choice for reluctant readers. A solid purchase for school and public libraries.--Katharine Gatcomb, Portsmouth P.L., NH

Publisher's Weekly Review

A shape-shifting alien faces middle school and strange local events in Van Eekhout's (Cog) funny, riveting novel. Raised as a human since falling to Earth "in a flaming blob of goo," narrator Jake Wind has spent the summer avoiding his best friend, practicing guitar in his Arizona suburb, and struggling to hold his human form as the child of Dutch Indonesian parents. If he shifts in public, everyone will know that he's not "a totally boring absolutely non-weird and completely solid individual." When school starts and large sinkholes filled with goo begin opening up all over town, Jake joins forces with new schoolmate and fellow comic enthusiast Agnes Oakes, who is white, to discover what the goo is, why it's turning people into "imblopsters," and whether it's related to the hum that accompanies his unwanted shifts. Impeccably toned middle school humor ("Those holes are really becoming a problem," Jake's proctologist father says of the sinkholes), paired with action-packed hijinks and a poignant extended metaphor about finding one's identity, results in a heartfelt, pitch-perfect middle grade novel. Ages 8--12. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (July)