Another incredible John David Anderson best!! Zeke is a creative, reckless troublemaker, who is named Top 5 Greatest Kids- winning would mean a lot to his beleaguered family, but- how to win? This book had me laughing out loud, crying, wincing, cheering… Zeke’s gotta win, right??

Another fun and heartwarming story by Anderson.
Zeke, who is always in trouble at school for pulling pranks and causing disruption, is nominated for an award; Greatest Kid in the World. When the letter arrives, he thinks it is a hoax and tosses the letter in the bushes. But the next morning, the director and his cameraman show up with paperwork and contract and the lure of winning $10,000. Zeke knows his single mom and two siblings could really use this money. He decides to give it a shot. What follows is a dysfunctional family wallowing in grief learning to come back together and find happiness.

I needed a book to make me laugh and this one did it. Zeke is one of a kind in many ways but never thought of himself as the greatest. This is a great discussion topic for kids. There are many connections to be made and lessons to be learned.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy to review.

Zeke never thought of himself as great, unless you were talking about getting into trouble. But he receives a letter that he is a finalist in the "Greatest Kid" contest. Follow Zeke on his way through the contest.

This book would be a wonderful addition to any classroom library. Zeke is a very relatable character. I think kids will enjoy his story.

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it,

Zeke is a lot of things. Creative, inventive, intelligent. But he'd never thought of himself as great. Unless, of course, it was great at finding ways to get into trouble.

So, when he gets a letter telling him he's been picked as one of 5 finalists in the "Greatest kid in the world" contest, he thinks it's a joke. Then he realizes how much the money would help his family, and how nice a trip to Hawaii would be...

Zeke is a relatable protagonist. He's not a perfect kid, doesn't have a perfect family, and is trying to hold it together when things are falling apart. A lot of kids are like that, too. Zeke's struggles to find his way through the contest, and the lessons he learns, will make this an enjoyable book for young readers, and possibly give them something to think about as well. This is a solid book that would be appropriate for school and classroom libraries.

Zeke receives a letter notifying him that he’s one of five finalists for the Greatest Kid in the World Competition and he could win $10,000 and a trip to Hawaii. He can’t believe it and even his mom thinks it’s a mistake. When they come to his house to confirm and tell him he will be filmed over the next four days, Zeke begins to think how he can show off how great he is. When things don’t go quite as Zeke had planned and he’s not getting many votes, he become discouraged. Logan, who’s filming Zeke, tells him you’ll figure it out. Zeke knows he can be great in his own way. Does he figure that out in time?

This was a heartwarming story! I thought the characters were well developed and enjoyed their individual personalities. I liked the story line as well. Fun concept and it is written perfectly. The conversations were not only funny at times but also meaningful. The relationship of the main character, Zeke, and his mother was perfection and real to life. The ending was great, made sense, and written true to the characters in the story. Overall, a really good book!