The novel Control Freaks by J.E. Thomas has been said to be (via the publisher description) “What if Louis Sachar’s Wayside School were a little less wacky (but is as funny).” I am not sure if that fits this story, but I would say “What if a book that deals with super smart kids was set in middle school, where STEM is the core and things are a bit wacky.” And the students include: one who is called The Shark, one who is always changing the gel amount and wacky style of his hair, one who likes magic (but are not very good), one who is going to be an astronaut, one who’ll win a Nobel Prize, and one who’s going to be the most famous inventor.
The kids at this school are super smart. They each have their own specialty (in STEM). The usual cliques happen. And even in a school of “nerds,” there can be “nerds, outcasts, uncool kids.” And when their principal forgets the first two rules of Middle School (don’t mix the cliques and don’t create a competition where the world is at stake) all heck breaks loose and friendships are made.
There are several ins and outs of what is happening. There are son and father relationships; step-parents and their relationship with the child; sports and the “importance” or “lack thereof” depending on the character; step-siblings; and the “actually smart but acts like a dumb jock” vs. “actually smart but looks actually smart.” There are a few cliches, some new goodies and a mix of other stuff.
Overall, I did not hate or love this book. I tried reading it during lunch so it took awhile to read and therefore it didn’t flow smoothly. Ages 10 to 14 will be fine, it is modern enough and “parent/grandparent friendly” so things work on multiple levels. I liked it, probably won’t do sequels and probably will read more by Thomas.