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jennymock's review against another edition
4.0
Fun read! Definitely will appeal to super hero fans both boys and girls thanks to the author's little twist to the typical super hero story archetype.
brandypainter's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Originally posted at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
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.
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.
Originally posted at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
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.
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.
saidtheraina's review against another edition
4.0
It's funny, this year in my elementary Summer Reading promotion visits, I blurbed both [b: A Whole New Ballgame (Rip and Red, #1)|22718747|A Whole New Ballgame (Rip and Red, #1)|Phil Bildner|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1415428985s/22718747.jpg|42164925] and this book, which was namedropped in AWNB.
Hip juvenile fiction (particularly "diverse" JF) is a small world.
And sometimes it feels like there are a million chapter books about superheroes, but I've never encountered this exact premise before. There's some interesting gender stuff, there's some interesting bullying stuff, and it's nice to see the geeks having their day because (at least in part) they're geeks. I'm glad the plot wasn't spoiled for me before I started this, so I won't spoil it for you.
I do wish there were some female-identified characters besides the mom and the love interest, but this feels developmentally appropriate, and talking about the grossness of Higgleman Park was a hit with classrooms all over the school district.
Also, sidenote for fellow/aspiring booktalkers, I found that the kids were actually more into it if I did not say the transgressive words. In some schools, I said the word, "poop," and in some I just said "the... stuff the geese left all over the park." The kids were really into the wink, wink, nudge, nudge of not saying the word, even though I could. There's an element of suspense in the is-she-gonna-say-it-this-time quality. #protip
Hip juvenile fiction (particularly "diverse" JF) is a small world.
And sometimes it feels like there are a million chapter books about superheroes, but I've never encountered this exact premise before. There's some interesting gender stuff, there's some interesting bullying stuff, and it's nice to see the geeks having their day because (at least in part) they're geeks. I'm glad the plot wasn't spoiled for me before I started this, so I won't spoil it for you.
I do wish there were some female-identified characters besides the mom and the love interest, but this feels developmentally appropriate, and talking about the grossness of Higgleman Park was a hit with classrooms all over the school district.
Also, sidenote for fellow/aspiring booktalkers, I found that the kids were actually more into it if I did not say the transgressive words. In some schools, I said the word, "poop," and in some I just said "the... stuff the geese left all over the park." The kids were really into the wink, wink, nudge, nudge of not saying the word, even though I could. There's an element of suspense in the is-she-gonna-say-it-this-time quality. #protip
inkygirl's review against another edition
5.0
LovedLOVED this book. I had expected an entertaining kid-focused superhero story, but it was so much more than that. Mike Jung has added a wonderful twist on the typical superhero theme. His writing is fresh and truly funny, with sweet/touching moments as well. An entertaining and thoroughly satisfying read.
See my illustrated Micro Book Review here: http://inkygirl.com/inkygirl-main/2012/10/2/micro-book-review-geeks-girls-and-secret-identities-by-mike.html
See my illustrated Micro Book Review here: http://inkygirl.com/inkygirl-main/2012/10/2/micro-book-review-geeks-girls-and-secret-identities-by-mike.html
kellerm's review against another edition
4.0
Good story -- very good interaction between boys and girls. A couple of "bad" words -- pissed. Super hero theme good. I think especially 4th, 5th graders will like -- I'm not sure about early third. good themes about parents, divorce etc.
sngick's review against another edition
4.0
review to come AFTER Batty about Books talks and blogs about it!
drbird's review against another edition
4.0
A great, fun ride that does some playful stuff with superhero-ing. Polly and Vincent make for the most interesting duo of the cast. I love the complex use of Vincent's mom and dad (especially since the plot doesn't involve any silly twists -- I won't say more to avoid spoilers.)
I'm curious to see if Jung explores this world more.
I'm curious to see if Jung explores this world more.