Shelly's Book Blog

I had a difficult time getting into The Death-Defying Pepper Roux, by Geraldine McCaughrean, but about half way through I finally caught on. The narrative keeps up a dizzying pace from that point on, and I had to work to keep all the characters and events straight. The main theme is that Pepper's aunt declared when he was a baby that he would not live past his 14th birthday. Supposedly, she had several dreams where a saint told her so. Pepper and his family believed all his life that his doom was sealed. The book begins, then, on his 14th birthday, and Pepper, understandably, does not want to die, so he is running away from his fate throughout the whole story. Pepper sees angels coming to take him to heaven in the most commonplace sights. I really enjoyed the way the author made this idea of people seeing what they want, or expect to see, rather than what is really there, come alive in her story.

I was also amazed that she was able to come up with such a complex and imaginative plot. McCaughrean is a gifted writer, adept at poetic description. All in all a good read, but not, I think, for the reluctant reader. This author demands attention.

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President was written by Josh Lieb, who is executive producer of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. You don't have to be a fan of, or even know about, The Daily Show to appreciate the humor in this story, though. As far as the plot, the title pretty much sums it up: Oliver is an 8th grader who lives in Omaha, Nebraska. Most people, including his parents, think he's just a fat, stupid kid who will never amount to much. Actually, though, he is a genius who has already built a business empire which he runs from a secret underground bunker that he had built under his parents' house when they were on a Hawaiian vacation (that he arranged and paid for). Oliver is, of course, still a child, so he has a front man, Mr. Sheldrake, who the world thinks is a billionair but who is really Oliver's lackey. It's all very silly and improbable, but that seems to be kind of the point. It's fun to fantasize about ruling the world as a twelve-year-old.

When Oliver decides to run for class president of his eighth grade class, his father tells him he must have a credible opponent for victory to mean anything. To make a long story short, Oliver has some serious daddy issues, and this election becomes more important to him than perhaps it should, considering he has a billion-dollar business empire to run.

The humor is mature and, I think, more appropriate for teens than for elementary aged kids, despite the picture of a little boy's face on the book's cover. This is a book that I can see becoming very popular through word of mouth among middle grade kids. Lieb doesn't hold much back, considering he's writing a children's book; readers will find references to sex, swear words, and descriptions of some pretty cruel behavior scattered throughout the story. For those who appreciate dark humor, though, this is a winner.

Science Fair: a Story of Mystery, Danger, International Suspense, and a Very Nervous Frog was written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, the same duo who wrote the Peter and the Starcatchers series. This is a very fast-paced story, full of adventure and suspense. It is certainly not very politicially correct, though, because many of the laughs come from making fun of the bumbling characters who hail from a made-up and, presumably, developing nation called Kprshtskan.

Here is an example of the type of humor in this book: When the authors introduce this country, we learn that the citizens there "speak Kprsht (pronounced kprsht)." Also, one of the secret agents stores a very stinky brick of cheese in his pants and seems blissfully unaware of the offending odor. Barry and Pearson pander to negative stereotypes for laughs, and I really do think it's sad when people feel it's OK to laugh at and look down on others because they are different.

Still, I am ashamed to say, that I laughed a lot while I read this book. Maybe if you are talking about fictional characters then it's not so mean? Nah, that's just a rationalization. Still, I really enjoyed the story of these ordinary middle school students saving the world from the machinations of a deranged strongman and the power hungry nerds he manipulates into helping him, and I think a lot of kids will, too.