A hilarious new series featuring an average teenager grappling with his super-charged brain.
When an unassuming, rather clueless teenager is zapped by lightning while working on his computer, he absorbs all the
information off the internet and his (very) ordinary brain starts to exhibit extraordinary potential.
As Howie struggles to control his new-found power he is faced with all sorts of hilarious predicaments, from contending
with mega-mean teachers to being ridiculed by the school braniac, a petite know-it-all determined to humiliate him.
Can Howie overcome the enormous obstacles before him to defeat his annoying arch-nemesis and solve the peculiar mystery of the stolen Great Quiz Trophy?
Chris Grabenstein –
“Googol Boy turned me into a giggle boy. John Michael knows how to make readers laugh and keep on reading!” – Chris Grabenstein (New York Times bestselling author of the Mr Lemoncello series and other great books.)
M.P Kazlowsky –
“Milk-out-your-nose funny! Absolutely fantastic and truly hilarious. It’s going to make for a great series. One can’t compute just how hysterical this book is and every paragraph is a lightning strike of hilarity. Every kid’s dream come true.” – M. P. Kozlowsky (Award winning author of Rose Coffin and Juniper Berry.)
Gary D Schmidt –
“Reading Googol Boy is a romp, a riot, a rambling through everything that makes school wonderful and ridiculous at the same time. Read it! It will help you survive!” – Gary. D. Schmidt (Two-time winner of the Newbery Honor Award and a Printz Honor Award for Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and The Wednesday Wars.)
J.A. White –
“Googol Boy is a great read with a winning protagonist, hilarious jokes, clever wordplay, general insanity, and useful information such as the difference between brabbensacks and sackenbrabs!” – J. A. White (Award winning author of the Shadow School series, the Thickety series and Nightbooks (now a Netflix series)).
Poppy Gee –
“A refreshingly original, laugh-out-loud, action packed story. In the tradition of Roald Dahl, Googol Boy presents a deliciously vile line-up of teachers and a teen protagonist everyone will be cheering for. From the moment Howie becomes super-intelligent in a freak accident, every page sparkles with clever dialogue, hilarious twists, and fascinating facts. Kids will absolutely love it!” – Poppy Gee (Author of literary thrillers Vanishing Falls and Bay of Fires. Poppy has worked as a journalist, editor and book reviewer and currently teaches journalism and creative writing.)
James Miller –
An enjoyable and captivating read, the witty jokes and relatable character portrayals made it impossible to put the book down. It’s an easy 5 stars, the plot alone kept me enthralled along with the funny illustrations which helped visualise the peculiar characters. Definitely my favorite book of the year! Can’t wait for the second book of the series!!!
Hamish Winters –
I was lucky enough to receive a ARC of this book! It was hilarious and provided me with such an interesting outlook into the Howie’s world. I rate it as one of my favourite middle grade books out there at the moment. 😍 The world building of weird characters, unusual animals and peculiar customs of Quockingpoll Flats make this such a terrific and unforgettable book!
Alison Zhou –
To my favourite English teacher – this book was everything! Wickedly funny, suitably hyperbolic and infused with that tongue-in-cheek humour I will always remember you for. Despite being beyond the age of the book’s target demographic, I found all the characters and scenarios surprisingly relatable – there were moments when I could imagine myself in Howie’s shoes, in Barney’s… and god forbid, even Savani’s! I also loved how interspersed with all the slapstick humour and ridiculous antics, there were some really poignant moments which reminded us that every individual has this extraordinary potential within them waiting to be actualised … sometimes it just needs a lightning bolt to awaken us to it! Thanks for putting out such an incredible piece of work into the world – I am so excited to follow you and Howie’s journey in the Googol Boy series, can’t wait for the sequel!!
Kane –
I won an advanced copy of this book and thought I’d read a few pages… big mistake! I couldn’t put it down! I kept reading through the night and got in trouble from my mum because I was laughing so hard that I woke my parents. My sister had an exam the next day and she wasn’t happy either. But then she some it from me and read the whole thing!This novel is really different – there’s a really weird world with its unusual customs, strange characters and awkward situations we can all identify with! Get a blender and throw in some Roald Dahl, David Walliams, Diary of A Wimpy Kid, James Patterson and then add some spice, chilli and fire crackers and you can imagine what Googol Boy is like. Can hardly wait for the next Googol Boy book which is supposed to be a sci-fi streampunk story!
Poppy Gee –
A refreshingly original, laugh-out-loud, action packed story. In the tradition of Ms Trunchbull from Matilda, Googol Boy presents a deliciously vile lineup of teachers and a teen protagonist everyone will be cheering for. From the moment Howard becomes super-intelligent in a freak accident, every page sparkles with clever dialogue, hilarious twists, and fascinating facts. Quirky and fun illustrations appear throughout. My eleven-year-old son loved it!
Gill D Anderson –
Googol boy is a witty and original tale about a young boy who ends up with some unexpected super powers. This causes much hilarity and payback to those that deserve to be kept in their place at school! Upper primary aged children will love this book as they live vicariously through the main character Howard when he becomes a wonder nerd during a freak accident. A rather entertaining read – Bravo!
Clara N –
Great surprise! I bought it for my son’s birthday and just read a few pages to see what it was like. But then I just kept reading, enjoying the funny story and the quirky characters. My son loved it too. Even though he was used to reading shorter stories. The illustrations are also funny and help you imagine the characters. He loves all the jokes, sarcastic gags and slapstick but he has also been asking me about some of the more challenging vocabulary. He can’t wait for book 2.
The Baxter Six –
This book is very different! In a very good way! The novel opens with endorsements from some big hitting authors, “Milk-out-your-nose funny!”, “Googol Boy is a romp, a riot”, “hilarious jokes, clever wordplay, general insanity”, “every page sparkles with clever dialogue, hilarious twists”. I read a few pages and was hooked. My kids absolutely devoured this novel! Then my nieces and nephews got their mums to buy them the book too! Then their school friends bought the book and the bookstore sold out! Which is great news because every kid will absolutely rip through this book!
Poppy –
A refreshingly original, laugh-out-loud, action packed story. In the tradition of Roald Dahl, Googol Boy presents a deliciously vile line-up of teachers and a teen protagonist everyone will be cheering for. From the moment Howie becomes super-intelligent in a freak accident, every page sparkles with clever dialogue, hilarious twists, and fascinating facts. Kids will absolutely love it!
Tina –
Googol Boy gets zapped by lighting while doing his homework on the computer and suddenly he knows everything. Sounds too good to be true?! You bet it is! And the readers of this novel are in for a hilarious roller-coaster ride of laughter, madness and adventure! My 12 year old gave this book 10 stars out of 5! (And he’s not a keen reader) At over 400 pages it seems rather long but my son just wouldn’t put it down – there are terrific illustrations to break up the prose and a ‘fun-facts’ section in each chapter. So great to find such a refreshing and captivating series and from an Aussie author too!
Jimmy –
This author did a book tour show at our school and it was so much fun! The characters are pretty crazy and there were many times I was laughing loudly at the different events and adventures! This has to be one of the funniest, wacky and craziest books I ever did read – with some very scary teachers! At the end of the show we all lined up and he signed my book! :)) The next book in this series comes out soon and I can hardly wait!
Google Books –
Such a comical read with clever word play, slapstick situations, exaggeration and funny (and scary) characters. Loved it from beginning to end, sometimes you’re wondering why am I reading about this situation or this character but it all comes neatly together when it needs to! So many favourite parts that I need to reread the book again – as soon as my brother finishes with it.
Amazon Books –
What a romping good time! This was so fun, & FUNNY! When Howie, a rather clueless teenager, is zapped by lightning while working on his computer, he absorbs all the information off the internet & his (very) ordinary brain starts to exhibit extraordinary potential. As he struggles to control & understand this new power, he is faced with all sorts of hilarious predicaments, from contending with mega-mean teachers to being ridiculed by Savani the school braniac, a petite know-it-all determined to humiliate him. It’s so fun to read & find out if Howie will be able to overcome the enormous obstacles before him to defeat his annoying arch-nemesis & solve the peculiar mystery of the stolen Great Quiz Trophy-which has been stolen. I recently read my 1st Roald Dahl book(Matilda), & this to me is very reminiscent of that writing-which is a huge compliment in my opinion. The teachers, each more awful than the next were hilarious(which is even funnier considering the author IS a teacher, makes me like him more for this humor!), the students were hilarious, & this town w/it’s weird activities, food etc were hilarious! Lol The author makes you really root for Howie & him succeeding in this school full of wretched people. Barney has my heart, & I adored their friendship & their banter. There are even some words with a * beside them that gets the word highlighted w/a description-I actually learned a few things I didn’t know! The mystery was even fun, & I had no idea whodunnit! The illustrations throughout really bring to life the kooky characters & crazy antics, & they were awesome! Highly recommend, especially younger MGs or Roald Dahl fans who are looking for a fun read! Can’t wait for book 2! Amazing illustrations are by Dave Atze!💜
Marua Pierlot – Reading Time –
This action-packed book has everything a young reader could want: quirky characters, scary teachers (we’ve all had a Miss Fremskey; mine was named Sister Anunciata), zany antics, non-stop adventure, loads of humour, clever wordplay and more. Through the imaginary setting of Quockingpoll Flats, author John Michael, an English teacher by day, has crafted highly relatable characters including a protagonist that we can’t help but cheer for. The cartoon-like drawings by Dave Atze, illustrator of the Max Booth series and more, convey an extraordinary range of emotion and expressiveness through the eyes alone.
Tackling themes of friendship, identity, family, adversity and justice, Googol Boy is a highly entertaining read for young and old alike. Fans of Googol Boy take note: The second book in the series is coming out later this year.
Reading Time –
A sure-fire way to get kids to read is to make them laugh and Googol Boy certainly delivers.
Tina –
So great to find such a refreshing and captivating series and from an Aussie author too!