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The King of Average cover art

The King of Average

By: Gary Schwartz
Narrated by: Gary Schwartz
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Summary

Named one of Kirkus Reviews best books of 2016, Gary Schwartz's heartfelt, hilarious, pun-filled middle grade novel tells of an 11-year old's quest for love and self-acceptance in a land where psychological states are actual places.

James isn't the world's greatest kid, but he's not the worst, either: he's average!

When he decides to become the most average kid who ever lived, James is transported to another world where he meets Mayor Culpa, a well-dressed talking Scapegoat who recruits him to become the new King of Average. He is joined on his quest by a professional Optimist and his grouchy companion, an equally professional Pessimist. Together, they set out on a journey of self-discovery that leads them all the way from the Sea of Doubt to Mount Impossible, the highest peak in the Unattainable Mountains. There, James stumbles into a Shangri-La called Epiphany, he uncovers the secret of who he really is. Follow James on his hilarious, adventure-packed journey to find self-worth in this heartfelt middle grade novel by debut author Gary Schwartz.

©2015, 2016 Gary Schwartz (P)2016 Gary Schwartz

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A middle-grade adventure story

A middle-grade adventure story with some clever word-plays.
This is going to be a difficult review to write as I'm not quite sure how I feel about this audiobook. It was a middle-grade adventure story with a large number of word-plays and puns, that seemed to be more directed at adult readers; yet the adventure itself was more suited for a younger audience.
The audio version was expertly read by the actor, turned author, Gary Schwartz.

James is an average kid, with a mother who is too busy to give him any time and who claims he should never have been born. Not surprising then, that he has identity issues and a lack of confidence. He decides he must be the most average boy alive - average in school, in sports and in all other areas of his life, in fact, he could be the King of Average.

Thus begins an adventure where James must perform certain tasks to prove how average he is and thence take on the crown of a country known as The Kingdom of Average. Along with a crowd of friends that includes a pessimist, an optimist and a scapegoat, who always takes the blame, he travels through countries such as Epiphany,
via The Sea of Doubt to Mount Impossible, the highest peak in the Unattainable Mountains.

This is a strongly moral story, but how many children are going to stop to think about the book's message once the narrative ends? In my opinion, the target audience is teachers who are looking for a book to read aloud to their class, that also has some interest for them by way of the word plays and puns.

My thanks to Gary Schwartz, Audiobook Boom and Audible, who gave me this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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  • Overall
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Just brilliant!!!!

Would you listen to The King of Average again? Why?

It has so many layers to it, Excellent for both adults and children alike.

What did you like best about this story?

How it creates hope, adventure, family and friendship, with cleverly explaining things like what an optimist, a kill joy or a scape goat is and how they got to be like that.

What about Gary Schwartz’s performance did you like?

All accents fitted the characters perfectly

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the little boy chose his love for his mother over his new pals. There are many moving parts to this tale.

Any additional comments?

“I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.”

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