Weird Kid was the perfect combination of science fiction and coming of age. Set in an Arizona town plagued with mysterious sinkholes, a young shape shifting alien, adopted by humans must figure out where the sinkholes are coming from while trying to keep his heritage a secret.

I was pleasantly surprised by how complex the characters were. I don’t read a lot of middle level books and was expecting a little bit of a watered down version of characters and plot-lines. However, Weird Kid depicted the struggles of feeling like you don’t belong extremely well. The plot-line was interesting and well paced. It was a quick read but kept me engaged the entire time! I would highly recommend Weird Kid for any sci-fi lovers!

ET meets Harriet the Spy and you've got me pulled in! This was such a fun book to listen to. I love the fact that this is such an out of this world science fiction book for middle grade. I would recommend it.

Well, nail on head with that title. This was a WEIRD book. But it was cute and I think kids will enjoy it and parents will enjoy reading it to their kids. It's funny and gross which kids love. And aliens! The narrator was good as well.

This was an easy, fun read. I think my daughter (7.5) will really like this one, and I will definitely be picking it up to read with her. I think if you enjoyed Cog by this author, you will like this one too! The characters were fun, the sci-fi elements interesting but not hard to follow the logic of, and there was plenty of tension with both the main character's fear of discovery and the villains., I loved the friendship as well.

This was a quick cute story about a preteen alien struggling with identity and middle school (who hasn’t!). I enjoyed this story, great character development, a fun mystery to be solved and things were not as black and white as they could have been. My favorite aspect of the story was the friendship between the main characters and the idea of having a goo body.

Weird Kid was an engaging audiobook to listen to. Our protagonist in the book sticks out, but one thing I found especially relatable to middle-grade kids is that he seems to notice his "differences" much more than his peers. Through friendship, family, and exploration, we see a coming of age story that would be enjoyed by middle school or upper elementary students who are into science fiction.

The Weird Kid comes by it naturally. He’s an alien, you see. He has been raised human and has always been able to blend in. Until now. Starting middle school and not being able to control himself as his body morphs into different forms...those are hard times for a kid. Feeling like he fits in less and less, he makes a new friend in Agnes, superhero in the making. The two of them begin to get suspicious of the large sinkholes and strange behavior suddenly taking over their town. So, like in all good kids’ books, they investigate on their own.

This was a fun little book to listen to. Quick tip for many audiobooks done in this computerized voice, speed it up a little and it sounds less robotic. I imagine that if I were reading this myself I would have made many of the voices far more sarcastic in my head, but I still managed to get the idea and chuckle a little to myself. This is one I would definitely bring to my class library.

*I received an advanced reader’s audiobook copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I liked this book, but writing a review is a little harder than normal because the audiobook version was by a computer voice instead of the final real narrator of the book. So some of the nuance was a little lost.

Puberty is hard enough, but 12 year old Jake has just found out that he's actually an alien. With the help of a friend who accepts his 'weirdness', he fights a conspiracy that threatens his town and everyone he loves.

I know that sounds like an odd plot but it's well written with lots of humor.

3.5 stars

This was a cute story for younger Middle Grade readers. I did listen to the audio version and found the story to be a bit confusing at first (even for an adult), but I love that the audio option is available for children. The story ended with a sweet message of humanity even toward an alien.

Jake is a shape-shifting, alien who usually takes the form of a 12-year-old boy. Weird things start happening in his town and he knows they have something to do with him. His parents are reluctant to send him to school or anywhere else in case he can't prevent himself from turning into a puddle of goo or changing into an animal. Jake just wants to be a normal kid. Luckily, he meets Agnes Oakes, a classmate who wants to help him get to the bottom of the town's odd events. This book is like Stranger Things for the middle-grade crowd.

Thanks to Harper Audio and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this title.

I'm not going to lie: this is a WEIRD book. But, I think that's the greatest thing about it! The book is quirky and unlike anything else I've ever read; I think it will really appeal to young readers who want to dip their toes into Scifi or maybe feel like outsiders themselves. It's a sweet tale of belonging and friendship and heroism. The main character is charming in all of his weirdness, and I think people will really fall in love with this little alien. I will definitely be recommending this to young readers in my classroom.

This book has interesting elements, but is presented strangely with a lack of suspense and plot connection. There is a lot of mystery and sci-fi happening in this book, but the plot points aren't well-connected, so the arc of the story is rough. The climax and ending were on track to rescue the story from itself-- when it was randomly undone last minute to set the stage for some cliff hanger? A sequel? I was disappointed with this book.

What do you do when you have trouble controlling your body? I don't mean sitting still. I mean, you turn into a seal when you are at the mall. Or your arm turns into a bird wing. Then, you realize the whole town is turning into imblobsters. Who is behind it? It's up to Jake and his new friend Agnes to figure it out. Before it's too late.

Interesting parallels here between the idea of being an alien in disguise and the isolation and changes we go through in the middle school years. van Eekhout takes those standard middle grade plot elements of changing friendships and feeling out of place and neatly integrates sci-fi elements. It's a bit over the top at times but over all a solid, pleasant read.

Jake Wind is not your typical kid. He's actually an alien adopted by human parents in Arizona, but nobody else at school--or anywhere knows that. Otherwise he might become some kind of terrible government experiment. But between school, changing friendships, and his new tendency to suddenly shapshift without warning, life is becoming complicated. Especially when a mysterious government agency starts snooping around town to get to the bottom of the new goo-filled sinkholes popping up all over town. The same goo that Jake is made of.

A bit ridiculous at times, but mostly in a good way I think kids will enjoy. Full of voice and heart and lots of otherworldly shenanigans. It's kind of like Alex Mack meets Superman, which, honestly, you've just got to love.

Title: Weird Kid
Author: Greg van Eekhout
Publisher: Harper Audio

Source: Audio Copy from publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

From the author of Cog and Voyage of the Dogs, Weird Kid is a hilarious and heartfelt homage to everyone who feels like they don’t belong. Perfect for fans of Gordon Korman and Stuart Gibb.

Jake Wind is trying to stay under the radar. Whose radar? Anyone who might be too interested in the fact that he has shapeshifting abilities he can’t control. Or that his parents found him as a ball of goo when he was a baby.

Keeping his powers in check is crucial, though, if he wants to live a normal life and go to middle school instead of being homeschooled (and if he wants to avoid being kidnapped and experimented on, of course).

Things feel like they’re going his way when he survives his first day of school without transforming and makes a new friend. But when mysterious sinkholes start popping up around town—sinkholes filled with the same extraterrestrial substance as Jake—and his neighbors, classmates, and even his family start acting a little, well, weird, Jake will have to learn to use his powers in order to save his town.

The audiobook ARC used a computer generated male voice which I shouldn't comment on but I felt it was kinda perfect for the book since Jake is trying to fit in. You know, someone who isn't entirely sure of the right things to do or say sometimes, and takes things literally may not always pick up on the subtle verbal and social clues being given by others and may come across as monotone themselves. I'm sure the publisher will find a great voice actor or several to read this book.

Jake started having a shapeshifting problem over the summer and kept turning down invites to things because Jake didn't want to have to explain why he is literally grinning from ear to ear, or sprouting extra hands. This can really damper someone's social life; they can only decline so many times before they stop getting invited. It's very reminiscent of the awkwardness of puberty thanks to hormones and changing bodies.

Jake and his new friend look into the sinkhole mystery which deepens their friendship. I found the book highly entertaining. I was pretty confident nothing bad was going to happen to anyone which didn't create a lot of tension for me, but it might for a much younger reader. At one point, they infiltrate a lab facility and the small talk

Fun story, loved the characters. Good introduction to sci-fi for middle grade students. It is a great coming of age and feeling comfortable in your own skin story.

Thank you to NetGalley for a eARC in exchange for a review. I listened to this as a synthetic audiobook, there were several times it skipped with a odd voice over lap, even with "rewinding", I do not know if deleting & downloading again might have helped but it seemed too much trouble to do so. I have a feeling I missed out on a few pages but I was able to follow most of the plot none the less.

I have read Norse Code from this author and still recall it fondly.

Jake Wind delightfully reminds me of Beast Boy (of Teen Titans) or I Was A Sixth Grade Alien series. I was glad he had both his parents, adopted or not. I was quite intrigued by Agnes Oakes, how the two's shared love for a comic hero, Night Kite, who's adventures acts as a light to shine upon their own histories and choices. I would want to read Night Kite comics, as sometimes happens to me in series who's characters are fans of something like a comic - or tv series (most recently that happened with Geekerella and me).

Ghost hunting seems like a good next step for Jake and Anges, hope we'll get to see them at it!

What a fun and heartfelt story that had me relating to a boy blob from outer space as he reminded me of what it was like to be a kid. This book will do well in my school!

This is a delightfully fast paced Sci-Fi that middle graders will gobble up. The humour is spot on, and the storyline is compelling enough to keep you reading. To tweens and young teens looking for a lighthearted read that helps them temporarily escape from the concerns of the real world, this book is for you.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.