pwbalto's review against another edition
1.0
I can't with this book. Maybe it was the audio performance that made it so insufferable for me, but the book just went to such insane lengths to establish the main character as not just bitter and hateful, but possibly mad, that the story suffered. To the point that it took an age to even start, and then didn't seem to have a point. Nope, nope.
librariann's review against another edition
3.0
Ages 10+
A mix of Stewie Griffin and Artemis Fowl from a Daily Show writer. Some of the jokes might go over the heads of middle school audiences, but a good humorous recommendation.
A mix of Stewie Griffin and Artemis Fowl from a Daily Show writer. Some of the jokes might go over the heads of middle school audiences, but a good humorous recommendation.
mcallan0627's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this. The book seemed to struggle to find a consistent audience, though.
sliverphish's review against another edition
2.0
While reading this I kept wondering if this was the story of a kid who is being bullied and kept retreating into the confines of his imagination to come up with a coping mechanism. I kept hoping that Oliver would finally admit to the reader that all these evil schemes were not true. However, everything was supposed to be taken at face value. Oliver was really evil, really powerful, and only pretended to be a moron to the people in his real life. When that never happened, and I realized that Oliver was who he represented himself to be, I didn't like him.
While I understand that the "Oliver" that everyone believes him to be is just a facade, I found very little that I could sympathize with.
I found little redeeming qualities in his story and I don't feel he grows at all.
In the same vein, [b:Diary of a Wimpy Kid|389627|Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #1)|Jeff Kinney|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255573105s/389627.jpg|2617009]'s Greg Heffley doesn't have any redeeming qualities whatsoever. That is why I don't rate the books very high. However, I can understand the popularity of the series because kids can relate to Greg. I don't think Genius will be popular because no person can relate to Oliver. He's a billionaire, whiny, selfish glutton who could have friends if he stopped acting like a baby.
While I understand that the "Oliver" that everyone believes him to be is just a facade, I found very little that I could sympathize with.
I found little redeeming qualities in his story and I don't feel he grows at all.
In the same vein, [b:Diary of a Wimpy Kid|389627|Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #1)|Jeff Kinney|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255573105s/389627.jpg|2617009]'s Greg Heffley doesn't have any redeeming qualities whatsoever. That is why I don't rate the books very high. However, I can understand the popularity of the series because kids can relate to Greg. I don't think Genius will be popular because no person can relate to Oliver. He's a billionaire, whiny, selfish glutton who could have friends if he stopped acting like a baby.
dannb's review against another edition
1.0
I have seen this title around a lot...we listened for about 10 minutes on our car ride to our FL spring break. Both parents and kids had enough...every phrase is hateful and disrespectful...not even remotely interesting or amusing. I give this ZERO stars!
curiouslibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
This book is a one-note joke with no payoff or twist at the end.
kellyhitchcock's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed the hell out of this book. I ear-read this one, and it definitely did not hurt that the reader for this book really nailed the voice of the main character, a 12-year-old evil genius with a sniping inner monologue but a speaking voice meant to disguise his intelligence to protect his identity.
The plot is solid but definitely has some curve balls thrown in as the author reveals the true level of genius and power Oliver Watson holds. The characters are definitely the strongest point of this story, from the main character and his ditzy popular pre-teen campaign assistant, to the public television worker dad and the Star Wars fanatic principal.
It's good for a laugh. You should definitely pick it up.
[a:Kelly Hitchcock|5322812|Kelly Hitchcock|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1328755713p2/5322812.jpg]
Author of [b:The Redheaded Stepchild|13438623|The Redheaded Stepchild|Kelly Hitchcock|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328823780s/13438623.jpg|18197340]
The plot is solid but definitely has some curve balls thrown in as the author reveals the true level of genius and power Oliver Watson holds. The characters are definitely the strongest point of this story, from the main character and his ditzy popular pre-teen campaign assistant, to the public television worker dad and the Star Wars fanatic principal.
It's good for a laugh. You should definitely pick it up.
[a:Kelly Hitchcock|5322812|Kelly Hitchcock|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1328755713p2/5322812.jpg]
Author of [b:The Redheaded Stepchild|13438623|The Redheaded Stepchild|Kelly Hitchcock|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328823780s/13438623.jpg|18197340]
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
4.0
This was an extremely quick little read. It was cute and made me chuckle in places. Other than it's funny title, it's probably not something I'd even think to mention to people and is completely forgettable. It was a nice little read though.
orangerful's review against another edition
4.0
I'd really say this was a 3.5 - amusing, sarcastic book that made me laugh though I still want to talk to an actual kid who reads it. I know I thought it was funny, but I'm not sure what an 8th grader would think of it...
abigailbat's review against another edition
2.0
Oliver Watson is an evil genius and he'll stop at nothing to win his middle school election and become president of the 7th-grade class. The book is funny and unusual and the title alone will get kids to pick it up. Unfortunately, I got tired of the gimmick about halfway through the book and realized that the story was slow-moving and there's not a lot of character development. Still, kids who like this type of snarky potty humor will eat it up.
Read more on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2010/01/book-review-im-genius-of-unspeakable.html
Read more on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2010/01/book-review-im-genius-of-unspeakable.html