THE SMARTEST KID IN THE UNIVERSE

A seventh grade slacker experiences a synaptic growth spurt.

Grabenstein returns with another fact-filled, puzzle-packed, multigenre romp. This new series stars Jake McQuade, a freckled White 12-year-old who’d rather play video games and schmooze than exert himself in the classroom or on the basketball court. Everything changes when Jake accidentally chows down a scientist’s jar of jelly beans imbued with Ingestible Knowledge, sending his IQ sky-high. Accompanied by brainiac buddies Grace Garcia, a Cuban American girl with a secret connection to Riverview Middle School, and Kojo Shelton, a Black science geek and aspiring detective, Jake soon finds himself navigating previously unimaginable scenarios. Sometimes the stakes are local: say, the Riverview Pirates’ Quiz Bowl competitions. Sometimes they’re a bit larger, like working with the Pentagon on military intelligence or cracking an interstate robbery on behalf of the FBI. All the while, malevolent school principal Patricia Malvolio is scheming with her uncle, real estate tycoon Heath Huxley, to bulldoze the school and erect a condominium, a project funded by a pirate treasure. Can Jake and his pals save their school—or is his brain blast bound to burn out? As always, Grabenstein’s cast is more defined by caricature than characterization, and the collective is far stronger than any of its constituent parts. High-paced humor offsets nerdy digressions while light commentary on public education and academic effort lends a veneer of thoughtfulness.

Clever, concise, and compelling.