Aka Genius

Aka Genius by Marilee Haynes. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780819808301.

Thirteen-year-old Gabe Carpenter is just like any other middle-school boy at St. Jude Academy…well, except for the fact that based on his scores on some seventh grade test, he is considered a “genius” and is placed in an enrichment class with other gifted students. But he sure doesn’t seem like a genius—after all, he can’t even open his own locker and his brain stops functioning when Becca, his sister’s best friend, comes around. As if these problems aren’t enough to deal with, he is convinced that one of his arms is longer than the other, he has yet to grow a mustache, and his second best friend is mad at him. Even worse, his nervousness causes some pretty embarrassing bodily functions. And at home, his dad expects him to be some kind of basketball star athlete instead of a science nerd who predicts the weather. Join Gabe as he navigates the trying times of middle-school, wonders what it means to have brains, and learns what it truly means to be himself. Themes include: self-acceptance, giftedness, and humor.