The True Meaning of Smekday

AADL has no copies of this item

When her mother is abducted by aliens on Christmas Eve (or "Smekday" Eve since the Boov invasion), 11 year-old Tip hops in the family car and heads south to find her and meets an alien Boov mechanic who agrees to help her and save the planet from disaster.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Hilarious! submitted by 0liviap0pp on June 22, 2011, 3:52pm This is probably one of the funniest books I've ever read. This book takes on a whole new level of comedy with aliens flying about, trying to take over, when another species of aliens comes and wants to take over everyone else!

A fun romp around the country submitted by valeriemates on June 27, 2014, 9:36pm This book takes place in an alternate future where the country has been taken over by aliens, with more aliens coming. The main character of the book, an eleven year old named Gratuity, teams up with a wacky technological genius alien to drive across the burned-out land that used to be the United States, to try to find Gratuity's mom.

The book has interesting parallels to how the white settlers treated the Native Americans when they arrived in America. But mostly I loved reading it because it was entertaining and absorbing. Definitely the best kids' book I've read in a long time.

Much better than the movie adaptation (Home) submitted by cherylo on June 13, 2015, 3:10pm This is one of my most favorite books intended for young readers ever. The aliens have come to take over the earth, and young Gratuity, Tip to her friends, has the job of explaining the impact of their arrival for an essay contest. Ultimately, she goes above and beyond the scope of the original assignment and takes the reader on a terrific romp of defiance against the invaders.

Although the movie Home is based on this wonderful book, other than its starting point and a few scenes and bits of text, it diverges wildly both in ultimate direction of the plot and messages.

Both the audio book and printed book have charms, so it is a puzzle which to recommend more highly. Perhaps for a summer travel adventure, get both so the family can enjoy the wonderful performance while the passengers can follow along and enjoy the graphic elements in the printed copy.

Smekday has concepts and themes that may be upsetting to younger readers, including harm to and separation from family members, as well as the pending destruction of the Earth. Most middle school and older children should not only tolerate but ultimately enjoy the ride.

I can see why people like it, but not my cup of tea submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on August 8, 2015, 9:06pm This just didn't do a lot for me, although I will firmly admit that I am not its intended audience. (It's a YA book and I'm 44. An 11 year old might have a very different reaction!)

The two things that didn't appeal to me were (1) that the 11 year old narrator didn't feel very 11 to me. I have an 11 year old in the house, and so what I read just didn't ring very true. (2) I thought that the early parallels between the Boov (aliens) and humans, and what humans have done to the Earth, or what Americans have done to Native Americans, was just obvious and overdone.

But then, maybe that's what opens up learning and discussion for those who don't know history that well yet. Because the book eventually makes all these parallels come to life over and over, from the Boov to humans, Americans to Native Americans, and the Gorg to the Boov. So what struck me as obvious was used to make a point. And I really did like the various aliens' use of spoken and written English... that was fun and funny. I also thought the way the author wrapped up the story was (regarding the aliens) pretty creative and would appeal to the YA set. The human part was pretty obvious to me, but then, I've read a LOT of books, so seeing it coming wasn't hard.

So, in sum, not a bad book, and likely to appeal pretty well to the younger set. Just not my cup of tea. You should probably go read some kid reviews if you are thinking of handing it to a kid.

This is a really great book! submitted by claraerosenfeld on August 10, 2020, 9:29pm The True Meaning of Smekday if funny, action packed, and definitely one of my favorite books. The plot is really great, the characters are funny, and overall the book is just HILARIOUS! This is a great book and if you're deciding whether to read it or not, you should read it. definitely.