The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
The True Meaning of Smekday
by Adam Rex
Amazingly fun book. It's the story of a little girl named Gratuity (Tip) whose mother had been kidnapped by aliens, an alien named J.Lo who doesn't quite fit in with the others invading Earth, and a cat named Pig who (like all cats) adores the aliens because they smell like fish. There's a flying car. A theme park. A cross-country journey, a fake(?) space ship, cloning technology, and evil aliens who want to invade Earth a second time (and turn humans into slaves or furniture).
It is an amazing story. It starts as an essay Tip writes for school. But the essay is short and she is convinced to write more. When she does, she reveals a great and complex adventure. And, even when she's done with the essay, she writes more for her own piece of mind. And the result was just fantastic. I loved the drawings/illustrations and also the comic pages inside as well. It really made it feel like it really was written by a girl (and an alien).
I watched the movie, which had the same characters but no other similarities, unfortunately. Because the book was such an entertaining read.