The Smartest Kid in the Universe, Book 1

Meet the Smartest Kid in the Universe in this brand new, fun-packed read from the New York Times Bestselling Author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library and coauthor of Max Einstein!

"For centuries, humans have consumed information through their eyes and our ears," said Dr. Backbridge. "Here is my prediction. In the not-too-distant future, we are going to ingest information. You won't need to read a book or attend lectures. The chemicals in these pills will do your learning for you."

12 year old Jake's middle school is about to be shut down. Jake and his friends know their school's worth saving-if they could only figure out how! When Jake spies a bowl of jellybeans at the hotel where his mom works, he eats them. But uh-oh-those weren't just jellybeans, one of the scientists at his mom's conference is in the process of developing the first ingestible information pills. And THAT'S what Jake ate.

Before long, Jake is the smartest kid in the universe. But the pills haven't been tested yet. And when word gets out about this new genius, people want him. The government. The mega corporations. Not all of them are good people! Can Jake navigate all the ins and outs of his newfound geniusdom (not to mention the ins and outs of middle school!) AND use his smarts to figure out how to save his school? (Hint-it will take someone smart enough to decipher an almost forgotten pirate legend!) It turns out, sometimes even the smartest kid has a lot to learn!

About the Author

Chris Grabenstein is an award-winning author of books for children and adults, a playwright, screenwriter, and former advertising executive and improvisational comedian. Winner of two Anthony and four Agatha Awards, he is also the co-author with James Patterson of The #1 New York Times bestseller I FUNNY . A former writer for Jim Henson's Muppets and past president of the New York Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America , Chris co-wrote the screenplay for the CBS-TV movie, The Christmas Gift, starring John Denver.

He lives in New York City with his wife, three cats, and a rescue dog named Fred, who starred in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Broadway.