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True Meaning of Smekday, The ( Hyperion )
Release Date: 2007-10-02
Average Customer Rating:
List Price: $16.99
Price: $6.39
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Product Description
It all starts with a school essay. When twelve-year-old Gratuity ("Tip") Tucci is assigned to write five pages on "The True Meaning of Smekday" for the National Time Capsule contest, she's not sure where to begin. When her mom started telling everyone about the messages aliens were sending through a mole on the back of her neck? Maybe on Christmas Eve, when huge, bizarre spaceships descended on the Earth and the aliens - called Boov - abducted her mother? Or when the Boov declared Earth a colony, renamed it "Smekland" (in honor of glorious Captain Smek), and forced all Americans to relocate to Florida via rocketpod? In any case, Gratuity's story is much, much bigger than the assignment. It involves her unlikely friendship with a renegade Boov mechanic named J.Lo.; a futile journey south to find Gratuity's mother at the Happy Mouse Kingdom; a cross-country road trip in a hovercar called Slushious; and an outrageous plan to save the Earth from yet another alien invasion. Fully illustrated with "photos," drawings, newspaper clippings, and comics sequences, this is a hilarious, perceptive, genre-bending novel by a remarkable new talent.
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 going against the grain
I love Adam Rex books, but this book I only got to page 52. I bought it for my young daughter to read (7yrs) and was previewing it and quit because of the language. By the time I had closed the book, it cursed God twice and said "a**" twice. The story might be great for older kids, but I do not appreciate language like this in a youth book. And I know there is at least one other parent out there who will appreciate this knowledge.
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Life, the Universe......and Smekday!!
Earth has been invaded, the human race conquered quickly by an advanced race called the Boov. Everyone in America has been ordered to relocate to Florida (or, er, uh, Arizona.....instead, as the Boov really like to wear oranges). But the conquerors themselves are about to be conquered, and it's up to an intrepid 12-year old girl named Gratuity, a renegade Boov named J. Lo., and a cat named Pig to save the Earth.
Adam Rex's "True Meaning of Smekday" has to be one of the smartest, funniest books that I've read in quite some time. Douglas Adams fans take note, as this book easily matches the "Hitchhiker" series for sheer laughs and subtle, subversive social satire. Although the book is aimed at a teen to pre-teen audience, there is still plenty to amuse older readers. I was introduced to this book by my 12-year old book devouring daughter "Cat", and I think that it's important for prospective buyers to hear from her, especially as she's smack-dab in the middle of the target demographic for this novel. Her review appears below:
"Gratuity "Tip" Tucci is in a bit of a mess. The earth has been invaded by the Boov, her mom has been abducted, every human on earth has been required to move to Florida, and her car just got a flat tire. This book is full of hilarious twists and turns and keeps you laughing. As the story progresses, Tip soon learns that it's now up to her and her weird friends, one of them being a Boov called J.Lo, to save the earth, or "Smekland, from a horrible new bunch of aliens. Trust me, it's weird but funny and very enjoyable! If you read it, which I highly recommend you do, you'll love it!"
Well, yeah, exactly! What she said! There are a few violent scenes, and a couple of cases of implied violence, but the action is in keeping with the story line. Rex keeps the story light and amusing as Tip and J. Lo. build their relationship and figure out a way to save the world. The jokes stay smart, the action hums along, and the text is buoyed by hilarious illustrations throughout. It's a quick read, but I found myself going back and re-reading several sections again just because they were so funny.
HIGHLY recommended, especially if you like your science-fiction with a healthy dose of humor.
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The True Meaning of Spectacular!
This book is truly amazing and I will always count it as my favorite science fiction story. If you are considering buying this book, you should. It is both hilarious and memorable, and you will probably find yourself dreaming of it and waking up to hungrily devour more of it. I simply could not put it down and I agree that this story has no age limit. Kids and adults might interpret it differently, both they both will love it. The True Meaning of Smekday is full of witty dialogue, takes at pop culture and famous people (Jennifer Lopez and Chelsea Clinton, for example), and wonderful illustrations. Some of the pictures in this book are comic book style. The others are pretend newspaper clippings and photographs from Polaroids. I discovered this book on a trip to the local bookstore. I opened up the front flap and read the product description. I was a bit confused when I got to the part about the mole (Aliens sending messages through a pimple. What's up with that?) I put it down and my attention was drawn elsewhere. I forgot it existed, really. I would not of read one of the most magnificent books EVER if on the faithful day my dad decided to purchase new books for me the book I had selected turned out to be not at all what I thought after reading an exerpt. It was terrible. I turned away and out of the corner of my eye, The True Meaning of Smekday twinkled serenely. I proceded hesitantly to read an excerpt which I found quite marvelous. Forgetting the fact I originally had not been atracted towards the book, I found myself dashing to the cash register as fast as I could. After reading it, I sat for a while, shaken from such a powerful read. I plan to make a landing tarmac in my backyard for the Boov ships. Just kidding! Enchanting and emotional, The True Meaning of Smekday will grasp you and never, ever let go.
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The True Meaning of Spectacular!
This book is truly amazing and I will always count it as my favorite science fiction story. If you are considering buying this book, you should. It is both hilarious and memorable, and you will probably find yourself dreaming of it and waking up to hungrily devour more of it. I simply could not put it down and I agree that this story has no age limit. Kids and adults might interpret it differently, both they both will love it. The True Meaning of Smekday is full of witty dialogue, takes at pop culture and famous people (Jennifer Lopez and Chelsea Clinton, for example), and wonderful illustrations. Some of the pictures in this book are comic book style. The others are pretend newspaper clippings and photographs from Polaroids. I discovered this book on a trip to the local bookstore. I opened up the front flap and read the product description. I was a bit confused when I got to the part about the mole (Aliens sending messages through a pimple. What's up with that?) I put it down and my attention was drawn elsewhere. I forgot it existed, really. I would not of read one of the most magnificent books EVER if on the faithful day my dad decided to purchase new books for me the book I had selected turned out to be not at all what I thought after reading an exerpt. It was terrible. I turned away and out of the corner of my eye, The True Meaning of Smekday twinkled serenely. I proceded hesitantly to read an excerpt which I found quite marvelous. Forgetting the fact I originally had not been atracted towards the book, I found myself dashing to the cash register as fast as I could. After reading it, I sat for a while, shaken from such a powerful read. I plan to make a landing tarmac in my backyard for the Boov ships. Just kidding! Enchanting and emotional, The True Meaning of Smekday will grasp you and never, ever let go.
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For story-lovers of all ages
An utterly fantastic, highly creative book that both my 9-year-old son and I loved. The story details the adventures of an 11-year-old African-American girl and a friendly alien as they search for the girl's alien-abducted mother on the way to the new subportion of America set aside for humans. The first section is the school essay on "The True Meaning of Smekday" written for a time capsule project, from which the book gets its name. "Smekland" is the renamed term for Earth, and "Smekday" was the date of Earth invasion by the Boov.
This book is very funny, both directly and via the use of satire and irony, and very absorbing. I finished it, went to see what else the author had written (he's an illustrator, and this is his first major novel), and then immediately began rereading it. My son and I still quote portions of the book at each other, several weeks later, and my husband is next in line to read this.
I cannot recommend this enough, especially for fans of humor and/or fantasy. What a delightful surprise!
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