The Gollywhopper Games

The Gollywhopper Games
by Jody Feldman

Are you ready?

Gil Goodson's future happiness depends on winning the Golly Toy & Game Company's ultimate competition. If Gil wins, his dad has promised that the family can move away from all the gossip, false friends, and bad press that have plagued them ever since The Incident. Inside the toy company's fantastic headquarters, Gil will have to master trivia, solve puzzles, and complete physical stunts—and he'll have to do it better than all of the other kids competing.

Oh, and did we mention that Gil's every step—and every mistake—will be broadcast on national television? Hold on tight, because the ride of his life is about to begin! (description from Amazon.com)

I love riddles. I love toys. I love the fantastic. Is it any wonder, I loved The Gollywhopper Games?? Reminiscent of Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Feldman even states this was one of her inspirations), this book again captures the wonder that children can find in almost anything and there is nothing more exciting than going through a giant toy factory if you are under...well, let's say 75~ lol.

I loved the concept of the games that these kids got to participate in. I was trying to solve the puzzles right alongside. The only thing I thought could have been improved was that in some spots, the author presents the riddles as they are being solved, giving the reader little time to try to solve them on their own. A great example of books with riddles that you can try to solve "before" the kids is The Mysterious Benedict Society series.

I loved not only just the fantastical things in this book, but also Gil's family's storyline. Poor Gil has been ostracized because people think his father stole from the Golly Toy & Game Company. When the truth is finally revealed, I cheered! It was a good and pretty believable ending. A bad guy who was bad, but not totally... well done.

For a quick and fun read, try picking up this great middle grade puzzle book!

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President
by Josh Lieb

Oliver Watson, an overweight 12-year-old from Omaha, NE, fools his family and classmates into thinking that he is slow-witted when in fact he is the world's third-richest person and an evil genius. He overthrows foreign dictators, owns corporations, is a successful inventor and investor, and is on the way to attaining his goal of world domination. His father and arch nemesis is too involved in running a local PBS affiliate to be involved in his son's life. What Oliver really wants is his dad's approval and attention. He decides that the way to get this is to win the election for president of the eighth-grade class at Gale Sayers Middle School.

At first, I found Oliver's snarky tone to be a little obnoxious and almost overwhelming, but as I continued reading, I came to really enjoy this book. It feels very much like the Artemis Fowl that I miss...the pure evil genius from the first book of the series... Oliver begins to hide his genius at a very young age to shelter his unprepared parents, then evolves to hiding his genius to get revenge on his uncaring father. As he makes his way up the world domination ladder, he continues to subconsciously look for approval.

I loved how he continuously looks out for his mother, adores his adopted doggie, pines for the meanest/cutest/pinkest girl in school, and befriends a homeless recovering alcoholic who becomes his "cover." This is all interspersed and contrasted by his actions towards his father, his election opponents, and other threats to his worldwide standing. Though he behaves badly quite a bit, as you read more you begin to see where his motivations come from.

Personally, I loved his snarkiness by the end of the book. I can very much see how this book will appeal to a large audience...there's revenge plots, teens showing up adults, secret codes and lairs, and one teen setting out to rule the world. This book is nominated for our state's book award for seventh and eighth graders...if it wasn't up against something like The Hunger Games, I would have said it had a shot at winning!

PS - If you are looking for an amusing audio book, I'd definitely recommend this one. It was only five CDs long, but the narrator uses distinct voices for each character and it's really well done!!