About This Book
Reach for this book when you want to help a child navigate the absurdity of leadership or when they feel like their voice is too small to change a big system. In this sequel to The True Meaning of Smekday, Tip and her alien friend J.Lo travel to the Boov home planet to interfere with a high stakes election. It is a brilliant satire that uses humor to explore how people in power can be fallible, selfish, or just plain ridiculous. While the setting is zany and full of space travel, the emotional core focuses on the loyalty between two friends who are very different from one another. It encourages children to look critically at 'great leaders' and value honesty over popularity. It is perfect for kids aged 8 to 12 who enjoy snarky humor and are starting to ask questions about how the world is run.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
While the tone is comedic and safe for the target age group, parents may want to prepare for questions about fair elections and what happens when leaders use lies to gain power. There is some slapstick humor and light science fiction peril.
Ideal Reader
A middle grade reader who loves 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' style humor but wants more sophisticated world-building and sci-fi stakes. It is perfect for the kid who uses humor to process the weirdness of the adult world.
Parent Prep
This book can be read cold. However, knowing the basic premise of the first book (aliens invaded Earth but were mostly just annoying) helps set the stage. This is also a great opportunity to discuss leadership and fairness if a child begins questioning why certain people are in charge at school or in the community.
Age Experience
Younger readers (8-9) will gravitate toward the physical comedy, the funny alien names, and the illustrations. Older readers (11-12) will better appreciate the political satire and the irony of the campaign trail.
What Makes It Special
Adam Rex's unique voice combines genuine heart with a cynical, absurdist edge that respects a child's intelligence. The use of mixed media within the novel makes it a highly engaging, visual experience.
Read plot summary
Picking up after the events of the first book, Tip Tucci, a sharp-witted Black girl, and her alien friend J.Lo find themselves traveling to New Boovworld. The inept former leader Captain Smek is running for High Boov (essentially president), and our protagonists are determined to stop him. The narrative is told through Tip's witty, observational voice and includes various mixed media elements like comics and memos that flesh out the Boov political landscape.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Captain Smek isn't very good at his job, yet many Boov still want to vote for him. Why do you think that is?
2
Tip and J.Lo are very different species with different ways of thinking. How does their friendship help them solve problems that they couldn't solve alone?
3
If you had to run a campaign for president of a distant planet, what would your three main promises be?
4
At one point, Tip has to decide if it's okay to use a little bit of trickery to stop a bigger unfairness. Do you agree with her choice?
