MADreads

OMG TRIP FUN

January 22nd, 2010 Katharine - Sequoya

OMG (oh my god) TRIP FUN (triple funny). That is the description I put in the subject line of the email I sent to my junior high school nieces about this book.  I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be your Class President by Josh Lieb is a riot.  Though its targeted audience is young adult it’s a must read for any fan of the Daily Show, Judd Apatow movies or a good episode of the Simpsons, all of which the author has been involved with in some capacity.  His take on a middle school class election will keep you in stitches from beginning to end.

Eight grader Oliver Watson is overweight, sarcastic and by all appearances the class dunce.  Except for one deep dark secret, he’s covertly running one of the world’s largest corporations and is one of the richest men on the planet.  He runs his operations out of a secret location (a bunker underneath his house) and conducts most of his business through a bluetooth device that puts him in touch directly with Lionel Sheldrake the man he has set up to be his decoy around Omaha, NE.  Oliver has everyone fooled, his annoying parents, his teachers and his classmates.  He can have anything he wants (with a hidden button in the gym class water fountain he gets root beer instead of crappy water) until he realizes the one thing he wants more than anything.  The title of 8th Grade Class President.

Most of the story revolves around Oliver’s attempts to manipulate everyone in his life to make this happen.  What makes this book so funny? hysterical dialogue and real life black and white photos interspersed with the text that makes this crazy story somehow believable.  Lieb’s take on middle school seems to be right on, my niece replied and had already read the book and LOVED it.  Of course there is a dramatic conclusion when the candidates give their speeches and we find out if Oliver did indeed win his coveted presidency.  Its an outstanding finish to the funniest book I’ve read in ages.

Entry Filed under: Young Adult