Parents' Guide to

The True Meaning of Smekday

By Matt Berman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Alien invasion is comical and fun, but too long.

Book Adam Rex Science Fiction 2007
The True Meaning of Smekday Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

See all
age 9+

Based on 7 parent reviews

PerryGF
PerryGF Adult
November 3, 2019
age 10+

Excellent! A ton of fun

A great read. The story flows nicely, great characters, and all around fun. Some very mild language, but clean overall.
Jack D.
Jack D. Parent
April 3, 2018
age 10+

Awesome

I recommend this book to people who like science fiction because it to do with aliens and unrealistic technology. The true meaning of Smekday has many puzzles to solve. The book was really long but, felt really short. It's guaranteed to make you laugh. Thumbs up!!!

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 7 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In essays for school and a time-capsule contest, Gratuity Tucci describes her cross-country road trip with a Boov alien she calls J.Lo. The Earth has been invaded, her mother kidnapped, and all Americans are herded into a reservation in Arizona. From there she and J.Lo work to stop yet another invasion by even worse aliens, the Nimrogs, who were inadvertently drawn to Earth by J.Lo.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (6 ):

This is good, silly fun. It's the kind of story in which the main characters bicker over a walkie-talkie about what to call their plan (Operation: Catastrophe vs. Operation: Piggyback, both puns) even while running and being shot at by marauding alien monsters. And the evil alien monsters love fighting and musical theater, and "fought one another in a three-hundred-year-old civil war that is believed to have started over a parking space." You know, the kind of goofy, off-the-wall humor that many kids think is just hilarious.

Illustrated with a few comic strips (could have used more of those) and other drawings, the book bogs down in places, and would have benefitted from a firmer editorial hand: lopping off about 150 pages would have done the story no harm and done more to hold the interests of the kind of kids who will be drawn to something like this. Still, this will be a popular choice for fans of Terry Pratchett and Larry Gonick, and, with its abundance of strange creatures, whacky scenes, and silly accents and voices, it should make a great read-aloud.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about some of the issues the author raises. What are the parallels between what the Boovs do to humans and what Europeans did to Native Americans?

  • Are the Boovs ultimately good or bad? What do you think of the way Americans organized themselves in Arizona? What do you think would really happen if all Americans were shipped to Arizona?

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate