DNF at 85%

I got this (robotic) audio file in order to review this book. The fact that I stopped so close to the end (especially since this book is on my "made-me-cry" and "seriously-funny" shelves) may seem strange.

It really is a tragedy. It started out brilliantly. GREAT voice. Clever writing, lots of humor. Original premise. The butt doctor conversations were priceless. (And I'm not one for eschatological humor.) I was thinking 5 stars for sure. The part that got me all teary was when he officially became best friends with Agnes. (Was there a note/text? I can't remember.)

Then the "middle grade" seemed to get in the way. Little by little, it grew more shallow (or I supposed it never got any deeper). By the halfway point, the plot felt as simplistic (but not as coherent) as a picture book—vapid and on-the-nose. There was no realistic motivation. It felt like a Disney channel show for seven-year-olds.

-- MINOR SPOILERS BELOW --

I might have finished even with the zaniness, but at one point the MC throws a drama-queen fit and refuses to speak to Agnes because she "told his secrets" to the twins, despite her actually helping him out -- since he gets valuable info from the twins and nothing negative happens as a result of Agnes' innocent attempt to help. The MC treats her like crap until he needs her to do something, then he goes right back to ignoring her again. Later he does a 180 because he "thought about it" and realized it "wasn't her fault." WHAAA??

By the end I didn't really feel anything for any of the characters. The plot was ludicrous. Nothing made sense. There was no clear goal or antagonist. Such a major disappointment.

Jake is an alien who is working hard to control his shape shifting abilities. His parents are very protective of him. My middle school students can relate! Jake makes friends with Agnes. Together they decide to investigate the curious sinkholes that are appearing all over town.
This is a fast paced middle grade book that will have strong appeal for my middle school library patrons. The mix of mystery and humor in a lighthearted sci-fi read are a win.

Thank you NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was interesting, I think it would be a good introduction to science-fiction.

This is such a fun book! I just flew through it! The book follows Jake Wind, a young boy that came from outer space. Jake's parents found him as a ball of goo and when they touched the goo, it changed to baby Jake. Jake has been brought up to hide himself because he has shape shifting abilities but after he talks his parents into letting him go to public middle school, mysterious sink holes start appearing all over town with the same goo inside them as Jake is made of. No spoilers but I highly recommend this book! Thanks to #Netgalley for the early review copy. I loved it.

Weird Kid is a sweet middle-grade story about a boy who is not from Earth. Twelve years ago, he came from outer space. A human couple found him, and they became his parents. Now he is living a life of a regular human boy. He does and likes things boys his age do. He plays the guitar, he has a dog named Growler, and he is wandering about his origin. One thing other boys can't do is shift into different forms. 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this! All opinions are my own.

This book has something for every middle school kid! Alien life in the form of a gooey blob, comic book super heroes, guitars, action, adventure, humor, and self-discovery. Very fun and worth the read!

4.5★s
Weird Kid is a science-fiction novel for children by American author, Greg van Eekhout. Jake Wind has managed to convince his parents to let him attend Cedar Creek View xx middle school. They’d rather home-school him, because they’re worried he’ll accidentally shape-shift into something in public. Since about June, there’s been an occasional Hum making him feel ill, and his shape-shifting has been unpredictable.

On his first day, he meets Agnes Oakes, who is clearly very smart (she’s a Night Kite fan) and they happen to be sitting together when a sinkhole opens up in the schoolgrounds, not the first in Cedar Creek View in the last week, and she spots (and catches a sample of) some goo. Agnes plans to analyse it.

When a scientist from the Collaboratory turns up wanting to question witnesses, Jake talks Agnes out of sharing what she knows more widely, telling her it will be more fun to investigate together: that goo looks uncomfortably like what he melts into when the Hum is at its worst, and being dissected for scientific research holds no appeal.

It’s when Agnes calls him to the site of another sinkhole, very early one morning, and they witness what happens to the resident family, that Jake really gets worried. Not long after this, Agnes has figured out Jake’s secret: he’s an alien life form. She tries to persuade him to learn how to use his power instead of avoiding it.

Soon enough, the pair discovers that the town, perhaps the country, perhaps the whole world is at risk from the goo and, in true adventure story style, it is, of course, up to them to save it. Who would have thought that saving the world involves playing guitar at the Desert Sky Pavilion?

There’s plenty of humour in this tale, not the least in Jake’s very literal interpretations of language, and the errors that the Imblobsters make. Another fun aspect is how Jake and Agnes find solutions in various back issues of their favourite comics which, as avid fans, they know by heart. This one is clever and funny and carries a nice message of tolerance and acceptance. It’s aimed at 8-12 year-olds, but older readers (even those aged sixty-six) will probably enjoy it too.

This unbiased review is from a voice galley provided by NetGalley and Harper Audio. The voice galley is an interesting concept in itself: it is created with a synthetic voice only, so is not a preview of the audio book. Hence the narration can be quite stilted, with strange emphasis. In this case, as the protagonist is an alien life form, it fits quite well. Without access to the print- or e-version, this also means that the spelling in the review may be incorrect.

4.5 stars
This was such an enjoyable short middle grade book. I absolutely loved the theme of learning to accept yourself for who you are...even if you're an alien made of goo.
The characters in this book were wonderful, Jake had great growth and Agnes was such a good friend. Jake's parents were just like any other parents, just worried about their child and wanting the best for them.
The plot was so much fun. It was basically a goo alien invasion in the town where Jake crash landed 12 years ago. The goo took over people, dogs, even plants and objects. Jake and Agnes have to find out why this is happening and how to stop it.
The writing style was so humorous. Jake's dad is a proctologist (a butt doctor) and there are some hilarious butt jokes (but nothing inappropriate for young readers) and I found myself laughing several times.
Overall, this is a great standalone for young readers with a lot of humor and aliens!

This wild adventure following alien gooey boy Jake and his spy loving friend Agnes. This sometimes sci-fi but always silly middle grade story was funny and enjoyable throughout. Jake's fear about being the Weird Kid is overlooked when sinkholes and ooey gooey imblobsters start taking over their hometown in Arizona. This tale of aliens and teens has all sorts of underlying messages for maturing teens. I fully enjoy YA literature and this book did not disappoint!

I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book courtesy of HarperCollins via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

The Good:

This was a fun read as an adult, and would be especially fun as a Middle Grade reader. It’s a tale about finding who you are and what you want in this world, through the lens of a secret-alien boy. Seems like an odd plot on first read of the summary, but it’s worth the read. I found the last lines of the book especially heart-warming and important words for kids to read and remember. It’s got enough adventure, mystery and sci-fi without too much logistical complexity (especially regarding the aliens) for any kid or adult to enjoy. The pacing was perfect for this genre, as were the word choices.

The Bad:

My reviews always feature “The Good, The Bad and The Bottom Line”, but I really don’t have many faults with this book. If anything, I wasn’t expecting the alien-based plot when I started the book, but it’s realistic enough sci-fi that I barely noticed the alien-aspect later on. I’d imagine if you or your Middle Grade reader weren’t huge fans of sci-fi, the title of this book could have you caught unaware. However, it’s worth a shot even if you don’t often read this genre.

The Bottom Line:

A fun middle-grade adventure ultimately about finding yourself and who you were meant to be.

Author Greg Van Eekhout has created an alien character middle grade kids can relate to. Weird body changes, check. Unexpected noises, check. Struggling with parents, check. Oh yeah, and you also happen to be goo. When sinkholes and more goo appear, Jake and his new friend must prevent the whole town from becoming imblobsters.

Jake is a completely relatable character who would really rather just hang out with his friend and dog, play his guitar, and leave the brave super-hero action to his best friend. This not being an option he challenges himself to attempt new things. Van Eekhout has created a storyline and character with appeal and a fresh feel.

Thank you to Net Galley for my eARC audio copy, all opinions are my own.

WEIRD KID, written by Greg Van Eekhout, is a Children’s Science Fiction book for reading ages 8 to 12 years.

About:

‘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).’

My Thoughts:

As I read WEIRD KID, my mind ventured back in time over thirty plus years when I was in middle school, recalling what life was like as a shy, awkward kid who was horrible in sports, couldn’t do a cartwheel to save her life, and, admittedly, found butt jokes funny a not surprisingly I still do.

WEIRD KID is a heartfelt, laugh-out-loud story about love, friendship, sacrifice, bravery—and most importantly—accepting who you are, even though you’re different.

Highly Recommend!

Scheduled To Release - July 20, 2021 (Subject To Change)

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishing, for loaning me a Voice Galley of WEIRD KID in a request for an honest review.

Voice Galley—A synthetic voice used for early reviews and is not a reflection of the audiobook version.

👽 Weird Kid by Greg van Eekhout 👽
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E.T. meets HARRIET THE SPY in this middle grade adventure about a boy trying to find his place in the world—despite the fact that he’s an alien from a distant planet.
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This was such a cute and adventurous story about Jake, an alien from a distant planet, trying to figure out who he is and what the world has to offer for him. It was absolutely a blast following along his journey.

Agnes decides to help Jake and understands him. Their friendship is absolutely amazing and so wholesome. Although this story was a middle grade read, it made me feel such happiness and comfort. It was so beautifully told in such a quick and lovely way. I really did enjoy everything about this. From the characters to the writing style. It honestly was fun living through this twelve-year-old’s life and him trying to fit in.

Jake shares a lovely story without him knowing it. Although he struggled so much trying to hide the truth about him shape shifting and being an alien, there was a lesson to it and Agnes helped him find that. No matter where you think you are, no one will ever be the same. We are all unique and “weird” in our own ways and this story definitely showed that. It was so hard to put down so I finished it all in one sitting. It was also super short so I don’t want to give too much away.

I would definitely recommend this if you’re into lovely middle grade stories. I would really suggest this if you just want something that will make you feel so happy and comfort. In addition, if you just want a lovely story about an alien trying to figuring out where he is in this world, then I would highly recommend this to you. I had such a fun and lovely time with this one.
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Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
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**Huge thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio, and Greg van Eekhout for providing me with an ARC via audio.**

I thought the book was fun and entertaining. I wish it was a bit longer. Highly recommend for middle grade students. A great add to a classroom library.

Every middle school student thinks he or she is weird. Most don't transform into a literal puddle of goo in response to loud noises though. Twelve-year-old Jake is doing his best to make it through the day without accidentally shape-shifting into something that might alarm his classmates when he and his friend Agnes start to suspect that there's something unusual about the sinkholes that are appearing around town and the hum that only Jake can feel. Between Jake's unstable ability and Agnes's determination to save as many as possible, the two discover that love is still one of the most powerful forces in the universe.
Peppered with Eekhout's classic humor, Weird Kid is a fun way to explore the ways we think about natural ability. Is shape-shifting really any more unfair than being born tall? Is it okay to treat someone differently because they're more or less intelligent? If you have the ability to help someone, but you are afraid to do so, is that wrong? This book didn't set out to answer those questions, but I love that I'm left thinking about them. I think it's the mark of really good writing to be able to present something that's short and easy to read without compromising deeper thinking. I may eventually forget the characters and the plot and maybe even the concept of this book, but the proctology jokes will stay with me forever.
Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for letting me get a sneak-peak of this audiobook. I'm looking forward to hearing it read by a real voice actor, although I admit that the simulated voice was extremely convincing during the alien impostor segments.

I actually DNF this one, which I try not to do with ARCs. I just couldn’t get through this one it was boring and a little all over the place. I liked the premise but not the execution.

I absolutely loved this book! I would read this book to and with my higher ability students. I know they would love it. I love the message of loving yourself for who you are. I look forward to buying a physical copy when it is released.

I listened to this as a voice galley. Even though it's not a performed audiobook, the story was good enough, and short enough, that I was able to overlook that easily. There were a few points where I was like, "Yep. Not a finished audiobook." but all in all, it was fine. Definitely going to get it when it comes out as an audiobook. I tried a different book as an voice galley and just couldn't stick with it. This one kept me engaged despite the text-to-speach monotone.

3.5 stars It was goofy and full of heart and fun... Growler the dog was my favorite :) .........................................................................................................................................................................

I think I smiled the entire time I listened to this. It was such a heartwarming story about an alien boy trying to fit in to a not so simple world.

Jake is a shape shifting alien who is just trying to make it through the school day without his hands sprouting feathers. When mysterious sinkholes start popping up all over town, he senses a connection between the blob substances and his own past. He sets out on a mission with his friend Agnes to save their parents, the town, and one very grumpy dog from becoming overrun by the blob.

This is a love letter to the kids who are a little bit different from everyone else. This is such a fun adventure story but it also has such heart. I truly think I smiled the entire time. It was laugh out loud funny at parts and it made me remember the value of arts programs in schools. I really enjoyed this and would recommend to anyone who enjoys middle grade stories.