The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. 2007.Audience: ??? This is my question...who is this book for? The main character is 12, but very smart-talking and mature. There is plenty of swearing and semi-swearing. It weighs in at over 400 pages and overall is pretty sophisticated, sarcastic, and mature IMHO.
We have this title in Juvenile. Plano has it in YA. Dallas has it in Juvenile. SLJ says grades 4-8...4th grade? Really? Publisher's Weekly says ages 8 and up...8? Really?
I really enjoyed this book, but am a bit baffled by where it really belongs and who is the best audience for this one. Please weigh in if you have input!
1 comment:
I really enjoyed it, too, and my husband just loved it. He scanned one of the comics pages and it has become a family in-joke: "My shirt is the largest!" But, I see what you mean. I don't remember much language, but I was reading it for me, not with an eye out for it. I remember thinking at the time that the cover make it look more J, but after I read it, I was glad ours was in Y. I don't remember why, though.
It's one that I want to handsell, but I haven't figured out what to say yet. Some boys glaze over when I say it's about a girl, and "Trust me, it's funny," never leads to much actual trust.
I think the people I'm usually trying to handsell it to are middle schoolers, if that is an unconscious indicator of who it's for... Hmm.
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