5^th Grade and Up

Jake McQuade is the smartest kid in the universe – and he’s back to defend his title!

This time, he is heading off to a camp for geniuses sponsored by billionaire tech mogul (and brilliant inventor) Zane Zinkle.
But genius camp is not like regular camp. There are limo-buses, robot polar bears, and high-tech cabins with high-tech toilets! But it isn’t all fun and brain games at camp, especially when Jake goes up against the artificially intelligent Virtuoso quantum computer – the smartest machine in the universe – which also happens to be Zinkle’s latest genius creation! It’s boy versus bot in this epic showdown packed with s’mores, puzzles, action, adventure, and hilarious, jelly bean-fueled fun!

I love how Jake wants to use his smarts to help others. Most people would use them for their own gain. He’s trying to make the most of his abilities because he doesn’t know when or if the intelligence jelly beans he ate are permanent or only temporary.

Zane Zinkle is your classic cartoon supervillain. He’s like a younger version of Mr. Burns from The Simpsons. He even tents his fingers together while saying ‘Excellent’ in a sinister way.

If you’ve read Chris Grabenstein’s other book series, Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, you’ll recognize Abia Sulayman as one of the genius camp campers. I read the first three books in the Lemoncello series, and they were okay, but they focused too much on wackiness and games for my liking. I liked Abia Sulayman. She’s naturally intelligent and, like most brilliant people, a bit socially inept. She was a great addition to Jake’s team.

The moral of the story: spending too much time on your screens, eating junk food, and blindly following advertisements can be bad for your health and brain.

I’ll end my review here out of fear of spoiling the story. The story ends with Jake and his friend Kojo setting off on another adventure, which means there will be a book 3.