The Accidental Genius of Weasel High by Rick Detorie

The Accidental Genius of Weasel High by Rick Detorie

Review by: Lauren

Copy From: Publisher

Amazon Associate: Buy book, we get small percentage

Official Summary: A book for the Wimpy Kid who has grown into a Wimpy Teen


Larkin Pace desperately wants a new camcorder. How else is he going to become the next great filmmaker? But his dad won’t give him any money, his sister is determined to make his life miserable, and his nemesis Dalton Cooke is trying to steal his girlfriend. Now this height-challenged aspiring director must chronicle his wacky life for a freshman English assignment.



Review:

Though the summary says this is great for those Wimpy teens, I have to admit I haven't yet read any of those books...however, I do know a bit about them and I have to say, I do see the connection and I think if you are looking to expand on the Wimpy Kid series (or even if you're like me and haven't read them) you should give this book a shot.

Unlike a traditional comic, this story isn't told entirely in panels and with pictures. It has a normal narrative that you would find in a traditional book. However, it does include drawings that "Larkin" adds to his English assignment notebook. I loved this idea as it made you feel as if you were reading a grown up picture book, without feeling like you're a "bad" reader or something silly like that.

Larkin is a lot of fun and I could definitely relate to some of his issues...like falling for a best friend, wanting something really bad but not having the money and being too young to do much about it, and having some goofy friends that can be difficult to deal with. Larkin also has one insane sister. I loved that the parens seemed to realize she was a bit crazy, and yet, they did let her get away with a lot that was kind of frustrating...as you really do get inside Larkin's head and see his point of view.

Larkin does have an enemy named Dalton. I felt for this kid, as they do give you a bit of insight into his life...but that never justifies the things he does and says, so I felt bad for Larkin as well.

Plus, Larkin's best friend Brooke leaves you feeling "why are you so crazy?!" at some points in the book. She redeems herself a bit by the end, but that's high school for you I suppose. People do silly things sometimes.

One of the things that I really enjoyed were the references to various films. Larkin has a tremendous memory for old films and their directors, actors, quotes, etc. He just remembers it all! Throughout the book, he quotes various films (with some help from Brooke every now and then). I'm a big film fan, and though I didn't get all the quotes or have seen all the movies...it was still fun to read. I know one that most people will recognize is Titanic. Larkin and Brooke act out random parts of the movie in public, leading to an amusing notebook entry.

I'd definitely recommend. It's a quick read but super fun and I hope there will be more books to come! Accidental Genius is OUT NOW!