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.
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"I had put off reading this book because the title was strange, but after listening to it, I must say it was a lot of fun. The reader did a wonderful job with the quavery voice of the alien. It was good enough for me to consider it for my 5th and 6th grade book club next year. " — Vicki (4 out of 5 stars)
"I had put off reading this book because the title was strange, but after listening to it, I must say it was a lot of fun. The reader did a wonderful job with the quavery voice of the alien. It was good enough for me to consider it for my 5th and 6th grade book club next year. "
" Wonderful book! Sure it was long, but it was worth it!! Every sentence I read made me want to keep reading! It was funny, cute, and great characters! J.lo, gratuity, pig! Overall great book!? "
" I read this in 4th grade at school. I loved it. "
" A hilarious and touching story of a 12-year-old girl (named Gratuity), a cat (named Pig), and an alien (called J. Lo) saving the world from another alien race that wants to destroy Earth. Great book, nice plot (never gets boring); Grades 9+ "
" What a fun book! I actually listened to the audiobook and the reader is first class! Fun story of alien invasion, with plenty of non-heavy-handed social commentary and wacky situations. Loved it! "
" The narrator rocked this audio. Lots of fun humor and large appeal for kids. One of my new favortie recs for kids that are ready to graduate from Diary of a Wimpy Kid. "
" Wonderful! Who knew a book about alien invasion(s) could be so humorous and make such a wonderful background for a coming of age story!! Can't wait to talk about this at book group next week! "
" The funniest, sweetest book I've read in a while, The True Meaning of Smekday is a wild and goofy sci-fi adventure. I didn't think I could by this entranced by the old trope of the alien invasion, but Rex imbues the premise with enough humor and twists that it felt entirely new. "
" This book is excellent in the audio version! Absolutely hilarious. Not surprising it is an award winner! "
" this was a really stupid juvenile book "
" Absolutely fabulous book for reading aloud to children if you can manage to not laugh hysterically while speaking. "
Adam Rex is the author of many books, including the New York Times bestselling picture book Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich, the middle-grade novel The True Meaning of Smekday, and the teen novel Fat Vampire. Garlic and crosses are useless against him. Sunlight has been shown to be at least moderately effective. A silver bullet does the trick. Pretty much any bullet, really. He currently lives in Arizona with his wife.
Bahni Turpin, winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and several prestigious Audie Awards for her narrations, was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. Publishers Weekly magazine named her Narrator of the Year for 2016. She is an ensemble member of the Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles. She has guest starred in many television series, including NYPD Blue, Law & Order, Six Feet Under, Cold Case, What about Brian, and The Comeback. Film credits include Brokedown Palace, Crossroads, and Daughters of the Dust. She is also a member of the recording cast of The Help, which won numerous awards.
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