Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities

Countless people have praised high and low Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities by Mike Jung. So many people I know and trusted recommended this book that by the time I finally acquired a copy my anticipation level was pretty high. And it totally lived up to it.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Can knowing the most superhero trivia in the whole school be considered a superpower?
If so, Vincent Wu is invincible.
If not (and let’s face it, it’s “not”), then Vincent and his pals Max and George don’t get any props for being the leaders (and, well, sole members) of the (unofficial) Captain Stupendous Fan Club.
But what happens when the Captain is hurt in an incident involving BOTH Professor Mayhem and his giant indestructible robot AND (mortifyingly) Polly Winnicott-Lee, the girl Vincent totally has a crush on?
The entire city is in danger, Vincent’s parents and his friends aren’t safe, the art teacher has disappeared, and talking to Polly is REALLY, REALLY AWKWARD.
Only Vincent Wu has what it takes to save the Captain, overcome Professor Mayhem, rally his friends, and figure out what to say to Polly. But will anyone take him seriously? Seriously. Anyone??

I love Vincent's voice. He reads as genuine as they come. Completely a geek. Completely a middle school boy. Completely wonderful. (As an adult I particularly enjoyed his observations on the adults in his life.) Sometimes he is overly dramatic. Sometimes his self esteem hits bottom. Sometimes he is ranty. Sometimes he is considerably full of himself. I love how real he is. The people around him are real and true characters as well. Max and George are great best friends and I loved each of their very different personalities. And Polly is just pure awesome.

The world the story takes place in is a world where super heroes and super villains fighting on the street are a common occurrence. Anyone who has ever enjoyed any type of story with these types of characters will immediately have access to and understand this world. It is a book you can hand to pretty much any kids with an assurance that they will enjoy it. It also is written well making it a book I want to give to kids even more.

I can't say much more about it because it is an action packed ride that deserves to be enjoyed with no spoilers. It is a fun read and I highly recommend it to anyone. (Bit read it, loved it, and highly recommends it too.)

Comments

Charlotte said…

I'm glad you liked this one! I was so afraid that there would be a but.... in the first paragraph!

February 16, 2013 at 7:18 AM

Brandy said…

Nope. Definitely not. It is far too entertaining for that.

February 16, 2013 at 6:47 PM

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