by John David Anderson
First sentence: “Zeke’s letter informing him that he might be the greatest kid in the world came while his brother was baking in the driveway.”
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Content: There are a ton of pranks and less-than-stellar behavior, which may or may not give some kids ideas. It’s in the Middle Grade (grades 3-5) section of the bookstore.
I read this book for the Cybils, and this is a reflection of my opinion and not that of the whole panel.

Zeke is one of those kids. You know the ones: they’re smart, but almost too smart for their own good. (He tried to lead a revolution in his fifth-grade class, convincing everyone to go commando, until the teacher stopped him.) So when he got a letter saying he’s been chosen as a finalist in the “world’s greatest kid” competition, he thinks it’s a prank. Seriously: his single mom works hard to barely make ends meet, his older sister who is supposed to be watching Zeke and his younger brother doesn’t care… they’re the picture of a dysfuntional family. 

But they agree to do this competition, and over the days that Zeke is being filmed, he makes some realizations. Like maybe he really likes his family, after all. And maybe expectations for what is “great” aren’t necessarily what people thing they are. 

Oh this one was delighful. The family felt so real, from the struggles of the mom trying to make ends meet, to the exsperation of the older sister, to Zeke just trying to entertain himself for the summer. I also thought the whole competition, while silly and unreal, was handled really well. I think Anderson is exploring what it means to be “great” and the ways in which small things can be great as well. I love the way Zeke develops a relationship with his camaraman, and the way he is with his younger brother. Oh, and the ending made me ugly cry in the best way. 

I really loved this one.