I wanted to like this book because I have loved all of Chris Grabenstein's books. This one I can't get into. I like the idea of the jelly beans that gave super human intelligence, but I got bored. I don't really like the main character. He seems so apathetic about everything. He doesn't care about school, he doesn't care about sports (until he gets good because of the beans), he doesn't have any outside interests, etc.

The only reason he wants to learn spanish or enter the quiz team is because he likes the girl who is the team lead. But he doesn't really even seem to know anything about her.

Even the subplot about some kind of treasure being under the school and the principal and a land developer trying to close the school to tear it down was underwhelming. Nobody cares about the school! Tear it down! It's falling apart anyway! The only person that cares is the girl on the quiz team.

I will not be finishing this book or the series. I expected more from the author of the Mr. Lemoncello series.

Another fun read from Chris Grabenstein! My students love the Mr. Lemoncello series and I knew they would enjoy the Smartest Kid in the Universe. Well developed characters, a fast moving but easy to follow storyline, and the typical Grabenstein fun added in - this is a hit! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

A wonderfully delightful middle grade story full of hijinks and sillyness. I love Chris Grabenstein's style of writing, and this book is just another reason to add to the list. It's fun and goofy and feels authentic to how kids act and behave in the most hilarious and sincere ways.

This book is a compilation of humor and fun. I love love love the construction of each of the character. What a ride!

This is a typical Chris Grabenstein book, in that it perfectly appeals to students of most ages from 3rd-7th grade! The characters are relatable and the plot really kept me interested, so I know my students will love this. It reads quick, which is great because the pandemic has led to my students choosing to read much shorter texts than before.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

The Smartest Kid in the Universe isn’t my favorite Chris Grabenstein book, but he’s set a pretty high standard, so don’t let that keep you from checking this one out. Jake specializes in doing the bare minimum — so when his mom asks him to handle dinner for himself and little sister Emma, Jake decides that the easiest solution is to hit up the hotel banquet where his mom works. It’s just a bonus when he spots a vial of jelly beans right when he’s ready for dessert — but it turns out the hotel’s banquet is for a big science conference, and the jelly beans are an experimental prototype for ingestible knowledge. Suddenly, Jake knows everything — which will come in handy since his school is going to be closed down if they don’t win this year’s quiz bowl. With Jake as their secret weapon, how can they lose? But more than just academic credibility is at stake: Turns out the school’s new evil principal and Jake’s crush and teammate Grace are the latest in a long line of competitors to find a pirate treasure hidden somewhere beneath the school. Meanwhile, Jake’s attracting the attention of all kinds of interested parties, from government agencies to mega-corporations. And just because Jake’s smart doesn’t mean he always knows what to do.

It’s a fun set-up, and while I think there’s probably a little too much going on, that certainly does keep the story moving. Jake’s fine — though I would have loved to see him experience some personal growth to match his intellectual growth — and the side characters are terrific. I loved pop culture-obsessed Kojo, hard-working little sister Emma, determined Grace, and the absent-minded genius behind the jelly beans — really, I liked them better than I liked Jake. I am a veteran academic bowler and always appreciate seeing that world in literature, but I do think book-smarts aren’t the only kind of smarts, and I would have loved to see this book play with that idea a little more. The villainous principal felt very cartoony, and it was hard to suspend disbelief about some of the things she did. Ultimately, I want a little more character development with my comedy-adventure, but this books was still a swashbuckling good time.

I don’t know about you guys but Chris Grabenstein has recently become one of my favorite middle grade writers. Well known for many of his past series, it’s been his more recent standalone works that have really spoken to me. Last year we reviewed Shine! (co-written with JJ Grabenstein) which blew me away. And now we’re back with Chris Grabenstein’s latest novel, The Smartest Kid in the Universe.

From the very first page I knew I was going enjoy this book if only because main character Jake McQuade reminded me so much of my own middle school-aged son. Jake’s character seemed authentic throughout as he juggled normal middle school issues with his new found title as ‘The Smartest Kid in the Universe.’ Grabenstein’s quick and clever writing hooked me immediately and had me reading massive sections of the book in each sitting.

I didn’t want to set it down!

The Smartest Kid in the Unverse‘s Jake McQuad is a chronic underachiever who is happy with just managing to get by, playing mediocre basketball, and hanging out with his friends. But then he eats some jelly beans left out in a room at the hotel his mother works in and suddenly he’s transformed into a genius. He and his friend Kojo – along with the jelly beans’ creator – seek answers about the jelly beans’ ability to pass on crazy amounts of knowledge. Meanwhile Jake also finds himself helping Grace Garcia (who he may be crushing on) solve a much more sinister mystery — that involves evil principals, real estate tycoons, and pirate treasure!

It seems like a bizarre combo, I know, but trust me – it works!

What’s also great about this book is that it just came out meaning it’ll make a great book to gift this holiday season or put to put your young readers’ stockings. It’s fun, funny, and worth a read no matter how old you are. I enjoyed it so much that I think we may even read this one as a family read-aloud soon. Definitely one to check out!

AN EXCERPT FORM A BOOK TOUR POST. A COPY WAS PROVIDED FOR THE PURPOSE OF REVIEW.

I absolutely love all Chris Grabenstein books, and this one did not disappoint!

This combines friendship, adventure, humor, and tons of little tidbits of knowledge throughout the book. I really enjoyed Jake's character and how his character develops through the plot of the story.

It was a pretty quick and fun read! I will definitely be recommending this to my fourth graders!

What would you do if you ingested a ton of knowledge? Jake has never been a star student, unlike his best friend Kojo. He would much rather skate by with Cs, play basketball on a losing team, and spend his free time killing video game zombies. So imagine his surprise when he eats a bunch of jelly beans and suddenly knows all kinds of information. In fact, an IQ test shows him to be the smartest person in the world! Will he use his new-found intelligence to save his school and help his friends win the Quiz Bowl championship or will Jake cave under the pressure? This is a fun and fast-paced story with a bit of a Goonies vibe toward the end.

I’m a sucker for humor reads lately, so when I saw this book, I thought it’d make a nice break from the heavier books I normally read!

The Smartest Kid in the Universe is a great book for younger middle grade readers, combining adventure, humor, non-stop action, and a ton of really interesting nuggets of info that’ll have you turning to your neighbor and saying, “Hey, did you know …”

This book was for a different audience, I think, and I can see this being a big hit for mid-grade readers who love adventures (which isn’t exactly my niche). This was a fun read, and I enjoyed it (my favorite parts are definitely all the things I learned along the way), but the plot felt a bit forgotten or meandering in places and relied too much on suspension of disbelief in weird ways. I’ll definitely be recommending this one for younger kids looking for a quick, fun read (plus, it has the added bonus of actually *gasp* making learning fun!)

My Thoughts:

- Kids will easily be sucked into this adventure, which has our everyday middle schoolers hunting for treasure. There’s nothing particularly remarkable about our trio of heroes, except maybe that they’re smart. Two of them, at least, have worked hard for that designation. And Jake? Well, Jake is an exception, and maybe there’s a little something special about him, through no fault of his own. For the most part, though, I really enjoyed that these were just ordinary kids in an extraordinary situation. The part about this book that I thought was the most fun was the sense of extraordinary adventure in an everyday setting, really playing up the fact that anyone can stumble into an adventure and undertake a quest. I think the “everyman” feel of the plot, along with Jake’s character in general, will appeal to a lot of kids, who could easily see themselves in a somewhat similar situation.

- Jake is so relatable as a character that I think many kids will easily be able to see themselves in him. Heck, I’ve left kid-dom waaaay behind, and I still feel Jake’s personality deep in my soul. He doesn’t like studying. He’s not a huge fan of learning. In fact, putting effort into anything is hard, and he’d just rather not, thanks. Which, if I’m honest, is pretty much a mood for 2020. Jake isn’t particularly special in any sort of way, and in a lot of ways, he just wants to skate through life and not be bothered with the whole working hard and studying thing. On its surface, it may seem like it sends a bad message, but this is far from the case! First of all, a lot of Jake’s sentiments are really common ones for people to have. Second, he has a character arc! So obviously, he does, in fact, learn things along the way, despite his best efforts.

- Despite (or maybe because) of his more unbecoming traits, Jake has a really satisfying character arc. What could be better than an incurably lazy person who hates learning actually … you know, finding out that they can, in fact, study and get better at things when they do that? It’s just so *chef’s kiss*. I think Jake’s arc is particularly powerful because of how much of an “everyman” character he is. Because it’s so easy for a reader to see themselves in Jake, it’s just as easy for them to make the leap that, oh, okay, maybe if I apply myself, too, I could also learn and get better at things!

- Any reader, no matter what age, is guaranteed to learn a lot from this book … and have fun doing it, too! I love books that really make me think or teach me something, and there are so many snippets of wisdom packed into this book. Some of them I knew, but I also learned a lot! It’s mostly in a fun way in the middle of some treasure-hunting action, which is always fun. I very much enjoyed Jake’s little asides, and I’d definitely recommend this book for anyone who’s a fan of random trivia and loves gathering interesting facts.

I read this book out loud to my 6 and 11 year old sons - we all loved it! Comedy. adventure, friendship and a great story line - everything a great middle grade book needs!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books for Young Readers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun read. Some of it reminded me of Gordon Korman's Slacker, but I liked Jake's character much more. Overall I enjoyed Jake's development and growth. There were some funny parts, and some adventure, so I think this will appeal to many different types of readers.

My son is reading this and likes it a lot. He normally reads print copies but wanted to read this one enough that he was ok with the kindle. He said he likes that the kid got to be very smart and the teacher was surprised.

What a delightful book! The Lemoncello Library and Max Einstein series are so popular in my Media Center. I know Grabenstein's latest will be in demand as well for my older elementary school students.
The theme of friendship is reflected throughout this book. The main characters stick together through the good and bad. At the same time, they experience such exciting adventures that you are rooting for them. It's one of those "I can't put it down," until you finish the last page. Being smart is revered and the main character, Jake, maintains his genius status with a humble decorum. The facts that the author relates to you are interesting and informative throughout the text.
The element of good versus bad and the inevitable "good" winning makes it s a very satisfying and entertaining read.

This was a fun, quick read. Grabenstein skillfully created a main character that readers will instantly root for because he doesn’t take himself too seriously - even after becoming the smartest kid in the universe. I found myself laughing out loud many times.

At its heart this is a story about friendship and I know my sixth graders will devour it. And as a teacher I love that one of the story’s messages is: it’s cool to be smart.

Thank you to Random House Childrens for sharing an eARC with #BookAllies in exchange for an honest review.

My children loved reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein so I wanted to give his latest, The Smartest Kid in the Universe, a read. It was definitely not a disappointment. The main character, Jake, is your average tween until he stumbles onto some jelly beans that make him super smart. Jake's best friend, Kojo, is a quirky but intelligent kid who will have you laughing at his frequent references to retro T.V. shows. They both end up friends with Grace as they join the school's Quiz Bowl team. This threesome is a force to be reckoned with. Not only are they smart but when they put their minds to something they don't give up, especially to help those they care about. Additionally, with Jake's newfound smarts, he's put into some chance-of-a-lifetime situations that make things even more interesting. Spanish speakers might enjoy the bits of Spanish peppered throughout the story. It's also fun when Grabenstein throws in a few brainteasers to give your noggin a little challenge. The end gets a bit intense as some bad guys attempt to outsmart the talented trio. Readers who enjoy a Cinderella story and love to laugh need to check out this five-star book.

Jake isn't great at school, mostly because he'd rather play video games than study. But when he scarfs down some jelly beans that actually turn out to be Ingestible Knowledge, he suddenly becomes the smartest kid in the universe.

This book is completely unbelievable and completely fun. Treasure hunts, math problems, and cheesy jokes combine to make a fun read for fans of Grabenstein's Limoncello series.

4 stars - Great! Might re-read.

This was so fun! Great characters and a fun story. I loved Jake and his friends and family. There are some great layers to this story - the jelly beans and Jake's newfound brilliance, buried treasure, and the forces trying to close down Jake's school. The different pieces are so engaging and well-balanced. Short chapters add to the fast-paced feel of the book (and would probably be great for a classroom read-aloud). I felt like there were hints that there could be more stories in the future for Jake and his friends - and I am here for them. Middle grade readers - and teachers - should not miss this one!

I received this book from RockstarBookTours in exchange of an honest review.

So, this was a book I was looking forward to A LOT. I love Chris Grabenstein books and I was eager to try out his newest. It was a bit of a surprise getting selected for this tour (just got the confirmation late evening Nov 23rd) and I was wondering if I would make it to read the book. Well, my knee (still not 100%) decided to hurt so much I couldn’t sleep so I decided it was time for some distraction and this book sounded perfect for that.

This book is about a boy named Jake. He is a chill dude who just likes to do as little effort as possible and just wants to have fun and play video games. Well, his life is about to change as he finds some yummy jellybeans and suddenly he KNOWS everything (or well all that is in those beans). Moral of the story: Don’t eat candy that is just lying around.. before you know it your head knows all sorts of trivia facts. 😛
Jake is a pretty good character, he really grows as the story continues and I was very proud of him. He learned quite a few new things, he wasn’t always happy with the beans, but it is thanks to the beans that he became a much more responsible person in many different ways. And, if I have to be honest, much more interesting as well. Because beginning Jake was fun, but I am not sure if I could have gone through 300 pages of him like that. I loved how much he cared for his sister and how bothered he was that he couldn’t help her out with Spanish. I found his love (would call it that) for Grace adorable and was hoping he could tell her for once.

I found it hilarious that he could just sprout out random trivia, though I also have to mention that after a while I just skipped those facts, but that he couldn’t do a word of Spanish. Even later instead of Spanish he can now do Spanish cuisine. I was happy to see Jake grow up a bit more in the story and later just watched Spanish shows to learn the language (and there we learn something new and exciting about the beans).

I loved Grace, though her short bursts of Spanish here and there didn’t making reading easy. We don’t get taught Spanish here in school. While I did a short course in Spanish for a few months (I would have stayed longer but I found my hubby and I moved to his city to start living together), that has been a few years so while I recognised words, I couldn’t fully understand them. But I did like her character and I loved how smart she was and how she kept going.

Kojo was fun and I just love his love for old detective shows. I remember watching those as well when there were re-runs on the TV here. He was a good friend to Jake. Though could he please stop saying those sentences, and the word baby. It was just too much.

The villains were properly evil, though at times a bit too much for me. I am just not a fan of POV’s from villains. I just get frustrated about it. But it was interesting to see how far they went to get what they wanted (the treasure + the building) and what they did to get so far.

Yes, I mentioned treasure. There is treasure. But so far in a long time no one has cracked the code. No one has found the treasure. It wasn’t until much later in the book that the treasure part truly begins but I didn’t mind. There was enough to read until then with FBI/CIA, a crazy scientist with a very dangerous lab setting, Quiz Bowls (which I always love reading about as we don’t have something like that here), and more. Yes, I was looking forward to the treasure but I was sure that would come. And when it came, OH BOY, the book really took the adventure switch up a level. There are riddles, geometry (eww but also awesome in this case), and will the kids find the treasure… or will the villains find it first. It was exciting and I just had to continue reading.

The ending (the Quizbowl and how things continued for Jake, but also for the school) was fantastic. I am so happy with the route the author picked for Jake. Throughout the book I was worried about the beans and if they would stop working. Or if Jake would get an antidote. Or if he would just be smart forever. I am not going to tell you which route the author picked, but I loved it to bits. Perfect!

All in all a fun book! I would have loved illustrations, I think that would have made the book even more awesome. Great characters, a fun story with tons of humour and never a dull moment, and tons more. I would recommend this one!

I really liked this book. I had never read a book by Chris Grabenstein, but now I want to go read his other books. This book followed 3 main characters as they are trying to find the hidden treasure to save their middle school. Along the way they are competing in a Middle School Quiz bowl. Jake, the main character, sees a container of jelly beans and ends up eating them all. Those jelly beans cause him to be the smartest kid in the universe and he uses his new found smarts to work with his friends. I know my middle schoolers will really like this book.