Shelly's Book Blog

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.