D-This book's mere existence makes me smile. ( )

Loved, loved, loved this J book. The illustrations are just as engaging as the story. Characters wonderful. Adults may be several steps ahead of the young readers, particularly if the youngsters haven't been introduced to UFology, but if you have a budding sf reader, take the time to discuss the "events" in Roswell, NM! ( )

Gratuity (her mother didn't realize that it meant "tip") had a homework assignment,

"Write an essay titled THE TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY.
What is the Smekday holiday? How has it changed in the year since the aliens left?"

The winning essay will "be buried with the National Time Capsule, which will be uncovered one hundred years from now."

Fast forward to 2114 and read Gratuity (Tip) Tucci's essay (both the official and extended versions) and find out what happened when the Boov invaded the Earth, or Smekland, as they prefer to call it.

Tip falls in with a renegade Boov, who goes by the name of J.Lo. Together (with her cat, Pig) they go in search of her mother, who has been relocated with the other humans to Florida (No, scratch that, Arizona), in a floating car called Slushious.

Despite the language barrier,

"I awoke in the afternoon to find a note from J.Lo saying he'd gone ahead to Vicki's to eat soap. Actually, it just said "JLO(BiKi5OP," but I thought that was pretty good."

J.Lo's interesting method of explanations,

"Let us say , after televisions are invented, that there is only then a few channels. Three or four. We will call them, A, G, Semicolon, and Pointy."

and the great technological differences between the two,

"I scattered J.Lo's tools around the car, searching for some kind of rope, or something that could be used like a rope. I should have paid more attention to anything that looked like a pencil sharpener made of lemon Jell-O that, when cranked, would spit out superstrong yarn that smelled like ginger ale. I only mention this because J.Lo really did have such a thing. He told me so later,"

Tip and J.Lo are a formidable duo. But can they save the Earth? And who are they saving it from?

The True Meaning of Smekday is laugh-out-loud funny, but more than just humor - it offers a fresh look at war, politics, race and of course, alien relations. Irresitibly funny!
Don't take my word for it - Here's 10 reasons to read The True Meaning of Smekday! http://www.smekday.com/10reasons.html...
Just released in paperback.

http://www.shelf-employed.blogspot.co... ( )

I don't really read Science Fiction books, but I did enjoy this story and thought that it was an interesting journey of self-growth. I love Rex's use of words and how he managed to keep the book with in reality so the reader didn't feel too disconnected from the real world that they couldn't understand the alien ideas and at the same time you still got to escape from reality. ( )

Outrageous story about a girl who has to write a story for a contest through her school in which she writes about aliens that are trying to take over Earth and her adventure to find her abducted mother. Only good for those who like fantasy. ( )