Inside Out meets Gremlins in Peeves, a story that follows Steven “Slim” Pickings—a kid who has to face his fears, literally. It’s a rollicking, hilarious middle grade debut from award-winning screenwriter and first-time author Mike Van Waes.
Steven “Slim” Pickings always seems to be on the edge of a breakdown, but this time, it’s different. This time Slim’s worries have come alive—literally! Slim has accidentally set loose a host of irksome, annoying, and contagious creatures—and they’re massing to take on the world.
But first, let’s go back to the beginning. One day after school, Slim and his sister, Lucy, wind up at their dad’s workplace, Clarity Labs, where Slim gets sprayed in the face with a not-yet-human-tested medicine. It’s called Personal Vexation Zoners, or PVZ, and the side effects are much worse than anything he could have imagined.
Now Slim is infected by a genetically engineered amoeba that causes him to sneeze out creatures that represent his biggest peeves. Noisy Peeve, Lazy Peeve, Asking Peeve—they stick with Slim at all times, wherever he goes, and drive him nuts. The Peeves are also spreading quickly, wreaking havoc on the town, and left untreated, they’re getting worse and way more destructive. To stop them, Slim will have to do more than just team up with his family and friends—he’ll have to fight back and face his fears.
Debut author Mike Van Waes brings intelligence and wit to this utterly original, magical coming-of-age story.
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“Gremlins meets Inside Out in this sneaky parable about courage and self-control. Fun, funny, and surprisingly heartfelt.”
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Ernest Cline, author of Ready Player One