The Greatest Kid in the World

by John David Anderson, Josh Hurley (Read by)

Overview

From the beloved author of Posted comes the story of Zeke Stahls—a thoroughly average twelve-year-old who somehow finds himself in a competition to be named the World's Greatest Kid.

Zeke Stahls is not the best kid in the world. Some days he struggles just to be good. He'd rather be pulling pranks than doing extra credit, and he's too busy performing experiments on his little brother, Nate, or tormenting his older sister, Jackie, to volunteer for charity.

Which is why Zeke and his entire family are shocked when they receive word that he has been selected as a contestant in an online competition to find the World's Greatest Kid.

Zeke has no idea how he was chosen for this, and he knows that measuring up to the other nominees—a saintly lineup of selfless, charming and talented do-gooders with photogenic smiles and hearts of gold—is hopeless. Still, with a $10,000 cash prize on the line, and Zeke's mom struggling to hold the family together on her single-parent salary, he decides to give it his best shot.

As Zeke concocts various plots to show the world just how “great” he is, however, he finds himself wondering what that word even means, and who gets to decide. And what kind of kid he wants—and needs—to be.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798212710312
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/09/2023
Product dimensions:	5.59(w) x 5.78(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

John David Anderson is the author of many highly acclaimed books for kids, including the New York Times Notable Book Ms. Bixby’s Last Day, Posted, Granted, One Last Shot, and Stowaway. A dedicated root beer connoisseur and chocolate fiend, he lives with his wonderful wife, two frawesome kids, and clumsy cat, Smudge, in Indianapolis, Indiana. You can visit him online at www.johndavidanderson.org.

Josh Hurley is an actor, improviser, narrator, and writer. His audiobook credits include Saving Lucas Biggs and Where Things Come Back. He has won two AudioFile Earphones Awards and lives in New York.

Editorial Reviews

"The novel’s premise and the understated wit of Zeke’s engaging first person narrative make this title easy to booktalk and rewarding to read." — Booklist

From the Publisher

10/20/2023

Gr 3–7—Life offers very few second chances or opportunities to make amends. Twelve-year old troublemaker Ezekiel "Zeke" Stahls does not even realize he needs to atone until he is offered an exclusive spot in the Greatest Kid in the World competition. This competition is sort of like "America's Got Talent," where videos capture a week's worth of greatness and viewers log in to vote. Zeke, an endearing yet unrepentant prankster, plans to scheme his way into winning the contest (and its impressive prize) through trickery. But as the competition gets more serious, Zeke finds himself growing up and getting honest about who he is, and how his behavior affects the people who love him. Anderson crafts a prankster with a heart of gold desperately seeking attention and some joie de vivre. This text could be used in social-emotional lessons about family dynamics, guilt, grief, and how certain friend groups negatively impact decision-making. Rambunctious middle schoolers will be drawn to Zeke's humor and high jinks. VERDICT Although resembling Gordon Korman's Restart and Ungifted, Anderson's latest aims to infuse more kindness in the world by recognizing how one's actions impact others.—Laura Dooley-Taylor

School Library Journal

2023-06-21
Do you have to be good to be great?

Twelve-year-old Zeke Stahls wants to be good—or rather, he wants to want to be good, but he has an irrepressible mischievous streak. He is a dreamer and a schemer, both qualities that can lead to greatness but that, in Zeke’s hands, look more like a series of escalating pranks. Though certainly innovative, these hijinks do not endear him to his teachers and frequently cause his mother, a hardworking single parent, to clean up his messes—literally and figuratively. So it’s surprising to Zeke when he receives a letter from Gordon Notts, charitable programming director of the Klein Agency for the Betterment of All Mankind, inviting him to participate in a competition for the title of World’s Greatest Kid. Aware that he’s no kind of altruist, Zeke disregards the letter, but when Gordon Notts appears on his doorstep, Zeke is presented with a complex problem—a Gordian knot, if you will: Should he participate in an impossible contest on the off chance that he could win the $10,000 prize his family desperately needs? Of course he should. There is no shortage of enjoyable golden-hearted rascal stories in middle-grade fiction, and this one stands comfortably among them. Though readers will find no big surprises here, the character development, pacing, and writing are strong, making it an enjoyable read. Zeke and his family read white.

The world’s OK-est kid makes good in this fun romp. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews