Geeked Out--A Lame New World

January 1, 2018

Gr 3-6-Dystopia meets "Wimpy Kid" in this this mash-up. Tip and his three nerdy sidekicks are bitten by long-dormant, ooze-eating spiders and end up with the superpowers necessary to triumph over their many foes: the Sox and the Jox, but mainly Darth Susan, the principal's secretary and secret power behind the throne. Upon realizing they now have supersonic hearing (Owen), the ability to shatter glass (Mindy), the power to start and stop machines at will (Tip) and, most powerful of all, the ability to shake the earth via sonic-level belching (Xen), the four friends band together to form LAME-the League of Average and Mediocre Entities. Their first challenge: make sure that their standardized test scores are counted, thereby thwarting Darth Susan's evil plan to have the school closed so she can retire early. Will they succeed, or will they just succeed in getting pantsed once again? Discerning readers will already understand that this is not your typical science fiction. It is the kind of fiction, however, that appeals to the many Greg Heffley connoisseurs and to those who aren't picky about complicated plot twists or character growth. VERDICT Hand Skye's latest to the crowd that appreciates Janet Tashjian's "My Life As A..." series, or any kid who craves comic-style illustrations and slapstick, laugh-out-loud humor.-Elizabeth Friend, Wester Middle School, TX

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2018
Grades 3-5 The creator of the Creature from My Closet series kicks off a new round of unlikely shenanigans set in a thoroughly dysfunctional near-future middle school. World social order has collapsed in the wake of a bad film version of an idolized fantasy series. Now, not only has a general curfew been established to protect citizens from rioting bands of selfie-snapping teen fanatics, but the educational system has likewise imploded. Then, to the clique-dominated halls of the Otto Waddle Junior High Government Outpost, comes LAME, the League of Average and Mediocre Entities. An encounter with a can of biting spiders in the lunchroom endows at least three members of the racially diverse quartet with peculiar but awesome new abilities. Can LAME scotch the schemes of autocratic school secretary Darth Susan (a character plainly modeled on Dolores Umbridge)? Skye inserts lots of line-drawn cartoon figures posturing and delivering punch lines into this not-exactly-subtle spoof and closes his opener by sending the victorious LAME-sters off on their next mission: tripping up a gang of bullies.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)