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.

I  received a free digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This was such a cute story! It's as lighthearted and as captivating as Mr. Lemoncello's Library and The Island of Dr. Libris!

The Smartest Kid in the Universe is a middle grade novel about Jake, a 5th grade kid who accidentally eats a jellybean that suddenly makes him a genius. However, with great knowledge comes great challenges and being the smartest kid isn’t always the easiest thing. This one mistake sends him on all types of adventures. This is a story about using his smarts to save the world. 

I found this book very similar to other Chris Grabenstein books in terms of the story arc and the types of characters in the story. Like all his other books, there is one character who will go to any means necessary to reach his or her goal. In this case, it is the principal, Mrs. Malvolio, who wants to tear down Riverview Middle School to create a new, bigger building. She also has her eyes on a hidden treasure under the school which doesn’t belong to her, but that doesn’t matter because she is determined to get it. Jake and his friends work to get the treasure to its rightful owner and save the school.   

This is a very fast paced story with short chapters which makes it an easy read. As a story, I wasn’t really enjoying it very much when I was reading it. Since it is a middle grade novel, I found it quite predictable and the characters not anything new. Despite these factors, for which I cannot blame the book since it is a book for middle graders, I did find the story very creative. I like the twist on a classic school story with the jelly beans that make you a genius. Many of the characters are positive role models and the ending of the book is very sweet.

One of my favorite parts of the book was Jake’s interactions with professor Haazim Farooqi, the scientist who invented the jelly bean. He was a very fun character and some things happen to him in the story that were very unpredictable and added some scenes in the plot.

I would recommend this book for readers between the ages of 8-12 and especially boys and reluctant readers. The story is interesting. It is a very light read and I think could be highly enjoyable for kids. I also think that readers of Chris Grabenstein will enjoy this one as much as his other works because it is the same high energy, slightly unrealistic type of story that his readers devour.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this e-arc. All my opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an early copy in return for an honest review.

Jack is a typical 12-year-old, doing typical 12-year-old things. A middling student, avid video gamer, likeable enough. One day, Jake happens upon a jar of jelly beans. He's hungry, he eats the jelly beans. He inadvertently becomes the Smartest Kid in the Universe.

The jelly beans are the brainchild of a zany scientist who has created "Ingestible Knowledge" which allows the consumer to have instant knowledge downloaded into their brain.

Jake finds a way to use his super knowledge for good when his middle school becomes at risk for demolition at the center of a plot for his principal to steal a long buried treasure.

I read this with my 10-year-old and it was enjoyable for both of us. My kid found Jake's crime procedural obsessed sidekick Kojo especially humorous. The story is engaging, fun, and adventurous. Parts almost reminded us a bit of National Treasure. Having also read Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library I can say it's of a similar quality.

The book ends in a way which suggests a forthcoming sequel, but is satisfying enough to be enjoyed as a standalone.

My rating: 3/5

10-year-old's rating: 4/5

I'll defer to his judgement since he's the target audience for the book.

Title : The Smartest Kid in the Universe

Author : Chris Grabstein

Genre : Children's Fiction

Whenever I'm pretty much around on my reading slump, I pick up a Middle Grade or a Children's fiction to get over it. These books are pretty light and are so wholesome at times that one could not be more delighted about it and it comes as a fresh breath of air. So, this time my pick was The Smartest Kid in the Universe and here is my take on it.

Jake is a pretty much ordinary 12 year old boy who does ordinary things that every 12-year old boy does. As the fate would have it, one day he comes across a jar of jelly beans which he devours it without any second thoughts and that changes his life forever. The jelly beans which are an experiment by a certain scientist are something that makes him smart and now Jake finds himself in midst of saving his school from being shut down to finding a pirate's treasure.

This was my first encounter with the author's work and I was pretty much surprised at the way the novel has been so delightfully written. In simpler words, the novel is for anyone and everyone who would love to have something to pick to read for their children and also for themselves so that it gives them certain moments that would surely take them back to their childhood. A much recommend work by the author.

Thank you so much Netgalley and the publishers for the e-Arc.

Chris Grabenstein has to be one of the best middle-grade novelists there is, and that reputation will be further cemented by the release of The Smartest Kid in the Universe. Grabenstein excels at writing stories that are both zany and funny but with heart, too. That’s evidenced in The Smartest Kid in the Universe in the way that Jake cares about his sister, his friends, and his school – and the crazy way in which he learns to care about these things.

Most books that are this far out feature potty humor and are poorly written in grammatical terms, but Grabenstein’s ability to create fun puns that kids will understand, as well as to use situational humor, elevate his books far above other in the genre. His clean, smart writing style allows his work to be used as a mentor text for kids who are looking for examples of great writing to emulate. The Smartest Kid in the Universe does this exceptionally well, because while Grabenstein does come dangerously close to throwing some rotten humor into the mix, he also stirs in a great deal of trivia, history, and vocabulary. He uses these things in a natural way, as he does in his Lemoncello books, so that kids will be learning without even realizing it.

The story’s very premise is fun: and how many exhausted kids these days wouldn’t be interested in learning without having to put in endless hours of hard work? I like the way that Grabenstein created a kid-friendly story with real value.

Still, one of the very best parts of any Grabenstein book is, for me, the inherent character lesson. He always includes a great ‘moral of the story’ that comes with an example of how one should be. While The Smartest Kid in the Universe isn’t entirely missing that, the plot does leave one ethical question unanswered to which I would have loved to see some sort of resolution reached.

Or, perhaps, there’s a sequel coming – because that, too, would be a great way to handle it, and then we could dig further into the world of Jake, The Smartest Kid in the Universe. That would be a very good thing.

Middle-grade readers are going to love The Smartest Kid in the Universe – and their teachers will, too.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an early copy in return for an honest review.

Read this in one cozy Sunday afternoon curled up on the couch in front of the fire. After eating a large handful of mysterious jelly beans, Jake becomes the smartest kid in the universe. This unexpected twist in life leads him on a treasure hunt and lands him in some unexpected locations. Jake has to learn how to navigate his new levels of greatness, and that's not always easy. With The Smartest Kid in the Universe, Grabenstein has published another well written middle grades novel that I am confident my students will enjoy. I particularly appreciated the emphasis of using math to solve real world problems and think there are some excellent writing prompts to go with this title.

My kids loved reading and watching the movie Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, so I was very excited when I had the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of The Smartest Kid in the Universe. The story is about an ordinary boy, Jake McQuade, who is a middle school student and how he becomes the smartest kid in the universe. He literally goes on a pirate’s treasure hunt with his two friends Grace Garcia and Kojo Shelton, while trying to beat some dastardly villains to the treasure. They are also trying to save their worn down school, Riverview Middle School, from being torn down to build high rise condos. In all these adventures, he works with a mad scientist at the local university, Haazim Farooqi, the FBI, and with the Pentagon! I took this opportunity to read this book out loud with my 10 year old son and he loved it. There were many laugh out loud moments and suspenseful moments, when he asked “come on, just one more chapter.” The only comment from my 10 year old was that he wished the climactic moment towards the end of the book was just a little bit more dramatic. We cannot go into further detail without spoiling the story. But he did say, “this is now my favorite book.” This book is identified for age groups: 8-12. Random House Children’s and NetGalley provided me with an advanced reader copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review. #TheSmartestKidintheUniverse #NetGalley

The Smartest Kid in the Universe is a great book for children. They will all wish they had smarts-granting jelly beans. The action and adventure will keep kids up all night to see what happens next.

The Smartest Kid in the Universe by Chris Grabenstein was such a wonderful book and I enjoyed it so much! The beginning was great and drew me into the story immediately. The characters were so lovable and I was rooting for them and the plot was amazing. In the book, Jake is a 12 year old whose middle school is about to be shut down and he and his friends want to save it, but they're not sure how. One, day Jake is at the hotel where his mom works and he sees a jar of jellybeans and decides to eat them. However, the jellybeans belonged to a scientists developing digestible knowledge pills and that's what Jake ate. Soon, Jake is without a doubt the smartest kid in the universe so he'll have to navigate his middle school life while the government and other big people want want him, and somehow find a way to save the school with his friends. I loved the concept of this book and I think it's one of my favorite books I've read by Chris Grabenstein. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Kids for providing me with a digital arc in exchange for a review!

Chris Grabenstein has created another well rounded middle grade novel. With the target audience of 4th-6th graders, I believe he hit the mark with the fast-moving plot and adventure. I think many readers will enjoy the humor and excitement that goes along with Jake when he eats the mysterious jelly beans, making him the smartest kid in the universe. He's so smart that the Pentagon and FBI are wanting his help. While most people think having all of the information would make things easier, Jake quickly finds there are troubles that come along with it. I can't wait to share this humorous story with the middle grade readers in my library.

I enjoyed this book very much! I have read almost all of Chris Grabenstein's other books and think he is a wonderful author. This book was funny, engaging, fast-paced. I read a lot of middle grade and I think kids will definitely enjoy this story.

The Smartest Kid in the Universe is such a fun middle grade novel! Jake accidentally becomes a genius by eating some un-tested information pills and has to try to learn to deal with life as an accidental genius. This is a fun story by the author of the Mr. Lemoncello series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced digital copy of The Smartest Kid in the Universe.

This funny book talked about the ups and downs of being the smartest kid in the universe. I loved the idea and I thought it was very smart. The treasure map got me thinking and the craziness of the hunt was hilarious. I think this book is perfect for readers ages 8-11.

Even Better Than Expected

The author is a reliable guy and the premise was amusing, so I figured that this would be an entertaining school daze comedy. I did not expect it to be as good as it is.

Sure, we have a slacker turned genius main character. We have the standard colorful wingman, and a smart crush worthy girl. There is intrigue and a lot of complications arising from our hero's new geniosity. The good news is that the central character/hero is an appealing sort with a refreshingly understated and slightly deadpan sense of humor. The wingman is an ironic and deeply cool riot. The crushy girl is smart and pulls her own weight. Great care and attention has been paid to all of the supporting characters, which is unusual, and there are over a dozen players who have distinct personalities and make memorable contributions to the story. Instead of just turning on the one-note joke of Jake suddenly being a genius, the plot follows a half dozen different lines, half of which were unexpected.

And the book is smart. The story isn't told for low laughs or the easy angle. There is snappy banter, some adventure, brain teasers, even fairly sophisticated math. There are funny mini-bits and clever throwaway lines and observations. Lots of times books like this have a fair amount of filler, (some bully stuff, some home drama), because the premise can't carry an entire book and you have to write something to fill pages. This book, though, screams along, and everything fits and comes together to create a wild, seamless ride.

An excellent entertainment.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Chris Grabenstein takes us on another funny, puzzling adventure.
Jake is just an average middle school kid at Riverview Middle School. He comes to school mostly to hang out with his friends, but all that changes when he innocently eats a handful of jelly beans. Now not only is Jake super smart but he needs to use those smarts to save his middle school from demolition. Take an adventurous journey with Jake and his two best friends, Kojo and Grace, as they race against time to save their middle school from the evil principal, Mrs. Malvolio, and her stinky breath uncle, Mr. Huxley.

This book is a fun easy read that would best suit 5th grade and up.

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Children's Publishing through NetGalley.
Admittedly, I'm a huge fan of Grabenstein's other series - Mr Lemoncello's Library and the Wonderland hotel, so I was ready to like this book before I opened it.
Jake is a believable middle school boy who is getting by on minimal effort. One evening, he eats some jelly beans while being somewhere he should not have been, and, presto, his brain kicks into overdrive. He suddenly knows facts and information about pretty much everything except Spanish. Together with his friend, Kojo, he tracks down the creator of the beans. Armed with new abilities, he, Kojo and another new friend, Grace, set out to save their middle school from being torn down by winning the Quiz Bowl State Championship. Oh, and pirate treasure is also involved. What middle schooler wouldn't like this one?
Grabenstein is a master of humor and characters who look like stereotypes until readers explore beneath the surface. He weaves serious topics through his stories for readers to discover and think about. This one ends on an obvious start to the next book in the series.

Jake is a middle school student who is self-admittedly very lazy. He coasts by doing the least amount possible. and it seems his only regret is not being able to help his younger sister with her Spanish homework and his only worry is winning the attention of a beautiful, smart classmate. When Jake, taking the easy way out, takes his sister to the hotel where his mother, an event coordinator, is hosting a grand event for a free, easy dinner, he gobbles down a jar full of jelly beans. Unbeknownst to him the jelly beans are a science experiment to enhance knowledge and brain power. Jake wakes up the next morning as the Smartest Kid in the Universe. He uses his intelligence to save his middle school from the conniving principal who is plotting with her uncle to have it torn down to make way for a high rise development.

This was fairly entertaining, but not my favorite Grabenstein book by far. The ending is left open for a sequel, but I'm not sure where it can go. I was a disappointed as I am a huge fan of the Mr. Lemoncello's Library series and the Wonderland hotel series. I have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Grabenstein twice, and I feel like I am being very harsh in not loving this book. But....I just don't. I'm going to read the next Lemoncello and Wonderland book instead.

Jake McQuade is content with being an average student at Riverview Middle School. He isn't that interested in "learning stuff" and mainly comes to school to have a good time with his friends. However, Jake's perspective changes when he ingests some jelly beans that turn out to be the world's first ingestible information pills. It doesn't take long before Jake becomes known as the smartest kid in the universe. However, Jake's newfound genius doesn't go unnoticed and Jake must now find some long lost treasure, save his school from shutting down and help catch some bad guys. This is a fun, over-the-top adventure that will appeal to many middle-grade readers.

Chris Grabenstein is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. This story is ridiculous and unrealistic, but in all the right ways. It was full of adventure and likeable characters making it entertaining and engaging.