[Book Review] Jacob Smith is Incredibly Average
Jacob Smith is Incredibly Average / Erin Hayes
Jacob Smith truly is an average boy. He's not really horrible at anything, but never really shines. No matter how hard he studies he never manages to be more than a B student. His skills at football will never stand up to the extraordinary talent of dedicated athletes. Even what he likes can be considered average. Life's still has its ups and downs, the joys of teenaged hormones and high school bullies in particular stand out, but nothing exciting or out of the ordinary happens in Jacob's life.
Then the dreams start, nothing too weird, but enough to leave Jacob unsettled, and what follows is a cascade of changes turning Jacob's life upside-down. It turns out that a race of aliens have plans for Earth, plans that do not fare well for the survival of humanity, and the key to their machinations is a specific human specimen, the most average person in the world.
Suddenly being average is not quite so average anymore.
Jacob Smith is a pretty average read, but still fun. The threads of the story suffer a little due to Jacob Smith's worldview, such as a creature/device that is identified to him with the nickname "Mr. Ed" comes up at later times as various characters' "version of Mr. Ed." The plot proceeds at a decent pace, with character growth as Jacob confronts both new challenges and everyday life. Probably best for readers around 9-10.
Advanced Reader Copy copy courtesy of Netgalley; differences may exist between uncorrected galley text and the final edition.
Jacob Smith truly is an average boy. He's not really horrible at anything, but never really shines. No matter how hard he studies he never manages to be more than a B student. His skills at football will never stand up to the extraordinary talent of dedicated athletes. Even what he likes can be considered average. Life's still has its ups and downs, the joys of teenaged hormones and high school bullies in particular stand out, but nothing exciting or out of the ordinary happens in Jacob's life.
Then the dreams start, nothing too weird, but enough to leave Jacob unsettled, and what follows is a cascade of changes turning Jacob's life upside-down. It turns out that a race of aliens have plans for Earth, plans that do not fare well for the survival of humanity, and the key to their machinations is a specific human specimen, the most average person in the world.
Suddenly being average is not quite so average anymore.
Jacob Smith is a pretty average read, but still fun. The threads of the story suffer a little due to Jacob Smith's worldview, such as a creature/device that is identified to him with the nickname "Mr. Ed" comes up at later times as various characters' "version of Mr. Ed." The plot proceeds at a decent pace, with character growth as Jacob confronts both new challenges and everyday life. Probably best for readers around 9-10.
Advanced Reader Copy copy courtesy of Netgalley; differences may exist between uncorrected galley text and the final edition.
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