Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Girl blasts off to alien moon in wacky, wise sci-fi sequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
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What's the Story?
Now 13, Gratuity "Tip" Tucci is having to make a few adjustments in the wake of her zany, world-saving adventures in The True Meaning of Smekday. For one thing, her mom, the formidable Ms. Tucci, is no longer abducted by aliens, so Tip has to follow a lot more rules. Also, the Boov alien known as J. Lo, Tip's companion for most of the first book, is living with them but having trouble getting along with the locals. Then J. Lo learns that, back on the Boov world, he's being blamed for pretty much everything bad that happened to the Boov in Book 1. So, defying the woman known as Tipmom, the two head to the Boov world in the decrepit car Slushious, now converted to a spaceship. There, J. Lo is soon thrown into a dungeon, and Tip must brave sleazy politicians, flying billboards, people-sucking transport tubes, garbage-disposal facilities, space guns, and lots more if she's to save him.
Is It Any Good?
Just fasten your seatbelts and hold onto your hats, because Adam Rex is in classic form here. I mean, what can you say about a book whose narrator/protagonist is a 13-year-old with the given name Gratuity, who goes by Tip, whose BFF is a short gelatinous alien who goes by the name J. Lo and who often converses with a deceased character from a previous installment in the tale? A book that features the unlikely meeting of the pop star and her otherworldly namesake at the Latin Grammys?
Also in classic form is a relentless marketing machine. Smek for President! coincides with the March 2015 release of the movie Home, a somewhat altered version of The True Meaning of Smekday. Just in case you might miss that fact, the book cover features a fetching portrait of the protagonists with the announcement that this is the series that inspired "Home, Now A Major Motion Picture." Protagonist/narrator Tip begins her tale with "Maybe you read some other book that got the Smekday Invasion wrong, or saw that animated movie they made about it ... " If you didn't, she brings you up to speed anyway, as the events of the first book play a large role in the second installment of a planned series -- as does a fair amount of foreshadowing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about space aliens and why people like stories about them. Do you think aliens really exist? Would you like to meet them or stay far, far away?
In the movie Home, the Boov protagonist's name is no longer J. Lo. Why do you suppose this might be? What do you think will happen when they make a movie of the sequel and have to deal with the Boov known as Rihanna?
Adam Rex's books combine graphic-novel sections with text narrative. Do you think this is the best way to tell these stories, or would you prefer something else?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Adam Rex
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Disney-Hyperion
- Publication date : February 10, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 272
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : December 4, 2025
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