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.
This is a story about aliens. Kind of. Well, it's more the story of Gatuity Tucci and how she survived the alien invasion that just happened to occur on Christmas Day and the months following. Basically it's a journey story and a friendship story. The Boov are the aliens, who happen to be pretty nice all things considered, and they take over the planet. Funny thing is Tip meets this lone Boov (named J. lo) on her way to Florida (where all humans in the U.S. are ordered to live now) and ends up taking him along for the ride. Tip's perspective is pretty funny and allows her to tell about the bad stuff, the weird stuff, and the downright hilarious in an awesome perspective. Fun read, if a little slow at times. There is some language, but Gratuitiy always appologizes when she swears. :)
I give it a 3 out of 5
Love, love, love this book!
ReplyDeleteYou have to have the right kind of sense of humour for it since it can be a little random at times but apparently I do since it is pretty much my favourite book.