Weird Kid

Jake Wind isn’t like other kids. Twelve years earlier, a glob of goo fell to Earth. When Jake’s father touched it, it turned into a baby, and that was Jake. Sometimes feathers sprout from his fingers or, when swimming, he grows webs between his toes. Jake’s parents want to homeschool him, but he really wants to go to middle school. He makes a friend the first day. Agnes is into science and action comics. Jake reads the same comics, and he gets her. Sinkholes start appearing around town, and Agnes grabs some goo from one of them to study. It isn’t long until they discover the goo is changing people, taking them over. And Jake realizes the goo is exactly what he’s made from. Can Agnes and Jake save the town? Can they save Jake?

Greg Van Eekhout has written a funny and touching sci fi story for middle graders that they will love. The characters are fully formed and believable––well, most of them are believable––and the voice of Jake in the first-person narrative is perfect for a twelve-year-old boy. The story is compelling and will keep readers engaged all the way through. This is a winner.