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Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen

by Donna Gephart (Goodreads Author)

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 137 ratings · 51 reviews

Olivia Bean knows trivia. She watches Jeopardy! every night and usually beats at least one of the contestants. If she were better at geography, she would try out for the show’s kids’ week. Not only could she win bundles of money, she’d get to go to the taping in California, where her dad, who left two years ago and who Olivia misses like crazy, lives with his new family....more

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published March 13th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

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Jan 19, 2013 Gundula rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: older children (actually anyone) who likes warm family stories (and those who love trivia)

Shelves: childrens-literature, family-stories, book-reviews, school-story

Twelve-year-old Olivia Bean lives and breathes trivia and never misses an episode of Jeopardy!. She used to watch it every night with her father, but since her parents' divorce and his move from Philadelphia to California (with Olivia's best friend's mother and her daughter, Olivia's erstwhile best friend forever Nikki), Olivia usually watches the game show by herself (and often knows the answers better than some of the contestants). When Olivia realizes that testing for Jeopardy! Kids Week is a...more Twelve-year-old Olivia Bean lives and breathes trivia and never misses an episode of Jeopardy!. She used to watch it every night with her father, but since her parents' divorce and his move from Philadelphia to California (with Olivia's best friend's mother and her daughter, Olivia's erstwhile best friend forever Nikki), Olivia usually watches the game show by herself (and often knows the answers better than some of the contestants). When Olivia realizes that testing for Jeopardy! Kids Week is about to commence, she is determined to try out. She desperately wants to win one of the coveted 15 spots on the show, not only because she is eager to be on Jeopardy!, to show off her trivia skills, but also, and perhaps more importantly, because the studio where Jeopardy! is filmed is located in California (close to where her father now lives), and she hopes that she will be able to visit with her father (and that he will make time for her).

Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen is a sweet and engaging story, full of humour, trivia, and fun (I especially love Livi's little brother Charlie and his tendency to talk about gross trivia facts at the dinner table), but also teeming with emotional poignancy, sadness, the problems faced by many children of divorce (missing the absent parent, hero-worshipping the absent parent even when faced with and by ample proof that he/she is not worthy of being thus idolised). Throughout the story, Olivia clearly adores her father, but it is painfully obvious that he is most definitely not a model parent (that he is entirely self-centred, a compulsive gambler who basically only cares for and about himself, and while he might at times remember Olivia and her little brother Charlie, more often than not he forgets to phone, he forgets birthdays and Christmases, and only thinks about and of his children when and if it suits him).

Some reviewers have stated they find it somewhat problematic that Olivia takes so long (almost the entire book, it seems) to fully appreciate what her father is really like (that he is basically a self-indulgent jerk) and that she is too immature for her twelve years of age. However, I think it is always easier to be on the outside looking in, and while I do think that Livi is a bit emotionally immature and definitely blinkered with regard to her father, I do think that Donna Gephart has actually portrayed this very realistically (as it is often hardest to admit that those nearest and dearest to us have or can have major faults, majorly negative character traits). That Livi and Charlie's father basically feels only scant commitment to his children is a realistically painful learning process for Livi and Charlie, one that will take time.

I also believe that Donna Gephart has realistically portrayed Livi's negative reactions towards Neil, her mother's new live-in boyfriend. While Neil is portrayed as the exact opposite to Livi's father (caring, helpful, loving), it takes Olivia a bit of time to realise not only how different Neil is from her own father, but that he is a much more dependable, positive and loving person than the former (the reader might be a bit angry at Olivia's attitudes towards Neil, but again, these attitudes are realistic, even if one does find them rather immature, even bordering on being nasty). For me, it is more than understandable that to Olivia, who desperately misses her father (and is likely still harbouring some remote hope of him returning one day to his family), Neil is regarded as an interloper, as an invader (and just like with her realisation that her father is not the loving, dependable parent she had imagined, or rather had wanted to imagine, it takes time for Livi to appreciate just how special a person Neil is, and how different, in a positive way, he is from her father).

As much as I generally enjoyed Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen, I do have a few minor issues with some aspects of the story. While I generally enjoyed reading about Tucker and Olivia's reemerging friendship (and Olivia realising that she has made a major mountain out of a molehill with regard to the "unfortunate hula hoop incident" and that Tucker has not been "mean" to her at all, that their present problems are due to a huge misunderstanding mostly on her part), I think it would have been more poignant if it had been Neil, not Tucker, who helped Olivia with her geography block (considering that most of Livi's problems with geography stem from the fact that her father had always told her that geography was not "her thing" it would have been a great literary device for the author to have used Neil, her mother's new boyfriend, and the opposite of Olivia's and Charlie's father as the key to unlocking Livi's abilities in and knowledge of geography). I also think that while Donna Gephart has, for the most part, created rich and nuanced characters (characters who are loveable, but who also have negative traits, who can and do make mistakes), the two main adult male characters (Olivia's father and Neil) are, unfortunately, rather stock-like and flat (Livi's father, as someone entirely negative, as someone who can do no right, and Neil, as someone entirely positive, as someone who can do no wrong). A bit more nuance (some even mildy positive character traits for Livi's father, and some mistakes, some minor negative character traits for Neil) would have made both the father and Neil more realistic (they kind of seem like allegories to an extent, while most of the other characters featured, even little Charlie, possess both laudable and not so laudable characteristics, making not only good decisions, but also making their share of mistakes). All in all though, Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen is a sweet coming of age novel, a novel that can be enjoyed by both older children and teenagers (and even if one is not a trivia buff, there is much to love and cherish in this delightful and emotionally satisfying story).

This is another book that, if half stars were possible, I would have rated with 3.5 stars (as it is, I am rating Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen with four stars, as I think the book is definitely worth more than three stars, but if I had had a choice, 3.5 stars would have been my preferred rating).(less)

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Mar 14, 2012 TG rated it 3 of 5 stars

*ARC from NetGalley*

I thought this was a great children's novel. Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen feels like a story its target age group would connect and identify with and there are enough emotional layers to make it worthwhile for an adult reader, too.

Twelve year-old Olivia is nuts about the gameshow Jeopardy! and never misses an episode. She loves trivia and she also loves the fact that it's something she shares with her dad. Olivia's dad left the family and broke their trust in a really awful way,...more *ARC from NetGalley*

I thought this was a great children's novel. Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen feels like a story its target age group would connect and identify with and there are enough emotional layers to make it worthwhile for an adult reader, too.

Twelve year-old Olivia is nuts about the gameshow Jeopardy! and never misses an episode. She loves trivia and she also loves the fact that it's something she shares with her dad. Olivia's dad left the family and broke their trust in a really awful way, but of course, Olivia still misses him and wants him back in her life, the way he used to be. The gradual reveal of Olivia's dad as a total scumbag is subtle and well done. Olivia often mentions things her father said and the reader begins to see that he is constantly putting her down, even though Olivia, being a kid who loves her dad, phrases his insults in a way that shows she thinks she is to blame.

Olivia's dad is a character you want to kick in the groin, repeatedly and a better alternative is her mother's new boyfriend, Neil. I also think this relationship is nicely portrayed and develops realistically. Olivia resents and dislikes Neil at first, but comes to accept him and there's no over-the-top heroic moment where Neil rescues a dog from a burning building or anything - Olivia grows to think of him as her family almost without realising, because he does what fathers are supposed to do: Be there.

One of the reasons I think Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen is such a nice read is because of its focus on family. The scenes of the family together actually made me miss being that age and living at home. Baby brother Charlie, really reminded me of my own youngest brother, who was also simultaneously annoying and cute. There are also some good messages in this: Olivia does seem younger than twelve, but I was glad to read about a kid who wasn't bratty or spoiled and I like that the novel encourages girls to be smart.

Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen is a little predictable for adult readers (who have been around the reading block and know that, obviously, Olivia must make it onto Jeopardy! or the novel would stop there) but it's enjoyable nonetheless. And I wholeheartedly recommend it for children with a reading age of 8 and up. I'm keeping it on my Kindle in preparation for any nieces or nephews I may have to entertain.(less)

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Jan 14, 2013 Alex Baugh rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: randomly-reading

Olivia Bean is one unhappy girl. Her father and mother are divorced and he has since remarried - to her best friend's mother and now, the three of them are living clear across the county in California. Even watching Jeopardy is the same. Mom's fiancee Neil keeps trying to hone in on it, but Olivia has no use for playing Jeopardy with him. Trivia and Jeopardy used to be Olivia and her father's thing to do together. Olivia is still obsessed with trivia, and she's pretty good at it, too. Well, exce...more Olivia Bean is one unhappy girl. Her father and mother are divorced and he has since remarried - to her best friend's mother and now, the three of them are living clear across the county in California. Even watching Jeopardy is the same. Mom's fiancee Neil keeps trying to hone in on it, but Olivia has no use for playing Jeopardy with him. Trivia and Jeopardy used to be Olivia and her father's thing to do together. Olivia is still obsessed with trivia, and she's pretty good at it, too. Well, except for geography.

Then one day her former friend and neighbor turned enemy Tucker Thomas tells Olivia that auditions for kids' week on Jeopardy are going to be held in NY. Brilliant! Olivia has been dreaming of seeing her dad again, since he is always too busy to call her and her little brother Charlie. She knows that once they were together again, things would be better. And if she could only master geography, she would have a chance of getting on Jeopardy. And that means going to California and seeing Dad. And as it happens, Tucker is pretty good at geography.

Pretty soon, Olivia is getting trivia help from everyone - Tucker, Mom, little brother Charles and even pain in the neck Neil. And Olivia does indeed makes the cut at the auditions. Pretty soon, the whole family, including Neil, is on its way to California. Olivia's can hardy contain her excitement over her planned reunion with her dad. But will it all be as perfect as she has imagined it will be? Or will Olivia finally see her dad for who he is?

When I first started reading Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen I didn't much care for it. What a selfish, whinny brat, I kept thinking. But I pushed on and to my surprise, I ended up really liking this novel and Olivia. She is a strong protagonist, and it turns out, a very kind one. While Olivia may be a girl with a dream who works very hard to make that dream come true, she is really not so self-centered that she doesn't appreciate the people around her who care about her. Even in the face of so many obstacles, like her mother losing her job and money being so short, she doesn't get so discouraged, she gives up.

Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen is a very nice coming of age story for middle grade readers, many of whom may be facing the same difficulties in their lives as Olivia does in hers - things like divorce, job loss, money problems, dealing with a new dad. But in dealing with these things, Olivia finds out as much about herself as her does other people. Personally, I think the biggest most important thing Olivia learns this that people are not always who she thought they were, and she learns to handles this revelation with a new found maturity.

This is a well written, tight story that has as much humor as it does problems, giving it a nice balance. I do wonder how many kids are so taken with trivia and Jeopardy, but I don't think they would have to be to relate to this book.

I also love the Jeopardy trivia at the end of the novel, interesting stuff for anyone interested in this popular show.

This book is recommended for readers age 9-12
This book was borrowed from the Webster Branch of the NYPL(less)

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Jul 27, 2012 Cindy Hudson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ever since she can remember, Olivia Bean has loved to watch Jeopardy! It used the be the thing she did with her dad, before he left the family in Philadelphia and went to California with Olivia’s best friend’s mom. Now she watches the game show every night on her own, and sometimes she knows the answers when the adult players don’t.

So when Olivia finds out that testing for Kids Week is coming up, she knows she has to try out. Not only that, she’s got to win a spot on the show. That way she’ll ge...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult, non-erotic

Originally posted at: http://aurorareviews.blogspot.com/201...

What is family? Ask Olivia at the beginning of this book and she would say her mom, Little Bother (uh, brother) and her dad, who happens to live several states over with his new family. It would NOT include Neil. No way, no how!

If only life was as structured as a game show. Olivia Bean is smart. Really smart. Could-win-at-Jeopardy!- if-she-could-just-earn-a-spot-on-their-kid’s-week-show smart. Best of all, she would make her dad proud...more Originally posted at: http://aurorareviews.blogspot.com/201...

What is family? Ask Olivia at the beginning of this book and she would say her mom, Little Bother (uh, brother) and her dad, who happens to live several states over with his new family. It would NOT include Neil. No way, no how!

If only life was as structured as a game show. Olivia Bean is smart. Really smart. Could-win-at-Jeopardy!- if-she-could-just-earn-a-spot-on-their-kid’s-week-show smart. Best of all, she would make her dad proud and he would come see her, and maybe Neil would go away and maybe her little brother would be less of a Little Bother…if only.

Children think on such simple terms. If only this one big thing could happen, the rest of the world would fall into place and things would be perfect. Olivia Bean: Trivia Queen is a coming of age story for 12 year old Olivia. At a very pivotal point in her life, her world, as she has known it, is totally turned upside down. Sure her mom and dad fought, regularly, but she never imagined there would be a time that she wouldn’t get to sit down with her dad and watch their favorite show together.

I really liked how Ms. Gephart created this character. I have a ten year old daughter and it was so easy to relate to how Olivia viewed the world. I could see/hear my daughter saying some of the same things Olivia said and with just as much attitude. Watching Olivia grow and mature as the book progresses was a joy. From the beginning where her goal is to avoid her mother’s live in boyfriend, Neil, and not kill her annoying little brother to when she realizes the true definition of family.

What is family? By the end of the book it was easy to see that Olivia had faced some tough truths and learned more about what’s important in life. She has an incredible support system right under her own roof and the very same person she thought she could never talk to, much less befriend, is the one who becomes her closest ally.

This was a really fun book. It was a story within a story that highlighted the value found in family (even an unconventional one) and friends. Young readers as well as adults who simply like to keep up with what their children are reading will enjoy this book.
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Dec 09, 2011 Seanean rated it 3 of 5 stars

http://librarytalker.blogspot.com/201...

Olivia has always been the master of trivia. Terrible things await those who interrupt her Jeopardy! time on any given night. She's as good, or even better, than the adults on the show. Her only weakness is the dreaded Geography.

Each year, Jeopardy! devotes one week to kids and it's Olivia's last chance to enter before she ages out of the competition. With the help of her mother, brother, maybe-not-so-evil-almost-stepfather-Neil, and her maybe-not-so-evil-...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: jeopardytrivia

Twelve-year-old Olivia Bean can tell you the four parts of a cow's stomach: she reads trivia for relaxation! And when her neighbor turns into a nemesis, hirsute Neil takes her father's place in her home, her mom spends days alone in her bedroom crying, Olivia's passion and genius for trivia leads her to a coveted contestant spot on "Jeopardy!" Kids Week. Olivia shares her emotional rollercoaster ride as she moves from avid TV watcher in Philadelphia to competitive whiz with the "signaling device...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley

I can totally relate to Olivia, because I definitely watched a lot of Jeopardy! in my childhood years, although I was not nearly as good at it as she is. Unfortunately, I definitely suffer from brain freeze (and not the kind you get from drinking something cold). I really liked the basic storyline, focusing around her quest to win Kids Jeopardy!, and to improve her life along the way. Olivia's a little tightly-wound, but I suppose that's what I expected from a girl dealing with a new stepdad, th...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Melissa (Book Nerd Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is truly a book that will make you smile. Olivia Bean knows a lot of trivia for her age... more than most adults even know for that matter. Her favourite TV show is Jeopardy!, which is her obsession. When Jeopardy! announces it's Kid's Week on the show, she just HAS to be a part of it!

The really endearing part of this book is that whilst it seems cute on the surface, there's really some bigger sub plots at hand. For instance, Olivia's parents are divorced. Her father cheated on her mother w...more This is truly a book that will make you smile. Olivia Bean knows a lot of trivia for her age... more than most adults even know for that matter. Her favourite TV show is Jeopardy!, which is her obsession. When Jeopardy! announces it's Kid's Week on the show, she just HAS to be a part of it!

The really endearing part of this book is that whilst it seems cute on the surface, there's really some bigger sub plots at hand. For instance, Olivia's parents are divorced. Her father cheated on her mother with the mother of Oliva's best friend (are you still with me?) and then moved all the way to the other side of the country taking Oliva's best friend with them. He never calls Oliva or her adorable younger brother Charlie when he says he's going to, and honestly, he is too busy with gambling his money away to even care about them. When Olivia calls him, she's nothing more than an inconvenience to him.

To make matters worse, her mother has been acting strange lately, locking herself up in her room and crying all the time. Her mother's boyfriend is doing the best he can but Olivia's not even sure if she likes him or not.

And at school she's tormented by her arch-nemesis Tucker, the boy next door, who is smarter than her at geography.

Determined not to let this get the best of her though, she pours herself into trivia, and Jeopardy! each night. Can she pass the auditions for Kids Week?

Whilst this is an easy read, I definitely wouldn't pass this off as a light read. Whilst there are some really awesome trivia facts scattered throughout the book, and the chapters are all written in the format of Jeopardy! style answers, don't pass this book over as just a cute read. It definitely offers more!

I really adored Olivia's brother Charlie, who looks up to Olivia so much and really just wants to be like her. He is only 5 but he is already an advanced reader and a collecter of "gross" trivia. He has some really fantastic moments throughout this book that do lighten things up at times.

Overall a really unique contemporary style YA novel that I think really anyone over the age of maybe 12 would love. I am really far outside the teen realm at my age, and I still really enjoyed this book!

View more of my reviews at Book Nerd Reviews: http://www.booknerdreviews.com (less)

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Jul 31, 2012 Danielle Larca rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: juvenile

Olivia Bean has loved Jeopardy! for as long as she can remember. Watching the show and answering the questions had been her and her dad's thing - until he left her family and moved across the country with her best friend's mother and her best friend. Now it's Olivia, her little "bother" Charlie and her mom...and her mom's live-in boyfriend, Neil. Her passion for trivia and dream to someday be on Jeopardy! are the few things Olivia holds on to as she tries to navigate her new life. When a casting...more

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May 29, 2012 Jennifer Burke rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: tween-books

Olivia Bean is a trivia buff. She loves Jeopardy! and can answer the majority of the questions. When an opportunity arises for her to be a potential candidate for Kids Week, she jumps at the chance. Will she win?

At first glance, you may think this book is all about Jeopardy! and trivia questions. That's part of it, but I appreciated how the author incorporated some tough situations into the story. Olivia's father left her, her brother, and mother two years ago to run off with Olivia's best frien...more

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May 21, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Olivia LOVES trivia, and she wants to be on Jeopardy some day. I am still waiting for my chance to get on Wheel of Fortune, so I could relate to her on that level. I enjoyed reading about Olivia's journey from hopeful to contestant, and especially liked that the book was divided into sections named after the rounds in the TV show (Jeopardy, Double Jeopardy, Final Jeopardy). What bothered me most, which probably will not bother children, is that the chapters are titled with questions but that not...more

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Dec 09, 2011 MrsB rated it 4 of 5 stars

Like How to Survive Middle School, Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen follows a similar theme: Bad parents can happen to good kids. It's sad, but it's true. Donna Gephart manages to get this across without making the kids whiny or the grown-ups over the top evil. Olivia is a cute character with a love for trivia and an interesting cast of supporting characters in her ex-best friend, the neighbor boy, a little brother who loves gross trivia, a mother struggling with a job loss, and her mom's live-in boyfr...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012reads, 2012-pub, kids, realistic, strongfemalecharacters

Olivia Bean is dealing with some massive changes in her life. Her father has left her family to marry her best friend's mother and in the process moved his new family across the country to California. Tucker, the boy next door, is always making fun of her, except when he's being nice to her which is very confusing. Neil, her mother's boyfriend, has moved in and is definitely NOT her dad. One of the only constants in Olivia's life is Jeopardy. Every weeknight at 7 she's there in front of the TV a...more

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Jun 21, 2012 Mary Louise Sanchez rated it 5 of 5 stars

Olivia Bean loves the game show Jeopardy and trivia in general, thanks to her dad. She hopes to get a spot on the Kids Week show because she'll meet Alex Trebek and be able to visit her dad in California, who Olivia and her little brother Charlie haven't seen in two years since he left with Olivia's best friend's mother.

There are other jeopardies in Olivia's life. She's not good in geography and the game show is bound to have geography questions. Olivia's mother just lost her job and Olivia wou...more

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Dec 29, 2011 Claire Dawn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Olivia Bean loves Jeopardy. She's watched it with her Dad for as long as she can remember, and she continued to watch it even after he moved out, married her best friend's mother, and moved across the country with them.

The Jeopardy/trivia storyline is really interesting. I remmeber watching a character on WHITE MEN CAN'T JUMP who was also a Jeopardy hoeful and being amazed at the preparation it takes. The characters are well-developed. I love CHarlie and his gross trivia facts. And I love the r...more

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Mar 23, 2012 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Donna Gephart won the 2009 SCBWI Sid Fleischman Humor award for her debut novel AS IF BEING 12-3/4 ISN’T BAD ENOUGH, MY MOTHER IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT! In OLIVIA BEAN TRIVIA QUEEN, Gephart’s third novel, the author known for her humor does not disappoint.

Olivia Bean has some very clear cut goals. She wants to be better at geography. She wants her father’s approval. She wants a friend. Olivia is sure that the path to her goals is to be a contestant on kid’s week of the game show Jeopardy!. This...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Michelle King rated it 3 of 5 stars

Olivia is a 12-year-old who loves Jeopardy and trivia and is struggling with issues that have become all too familiar for children her age. Her dad left her family for another woman (who turns out to be the mother of Olivia's best friend); her mother has a live-in boyfriend; she often has to be more than a good big sister to her little brother, Charlie; and her mother loses her job. Olivia knows that one way to solve their problems is by winning a spot on the Kids' Week of Jeopardy. While this i...more

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Feb 03, 2012 Beth G. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, 2012, fiction, realistic-fiction, trivia, middle-grade, ebook-challenge-2012, ebooks, books-for-kids

The only kind of music I remember Mom and Dad making together was loud fighting.

Synopsis:
Until her dad moved to California two years ago, Olivia Bean watched Jeopardy! with him every night. Now she watches it on her own, unless Mom's annoying boyfriend insists on watching, too. Olivia dreams of competing on Kids' Week; besides the money she could win, the trip to the taping would give her a chance to visit her dad. But even if she makes it, will her dad manage to make time to spend with her?

Rev...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Katie Fitzgerald rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, middle-grade, realistic-fiction, forthcoming, reviewed-on-blog, published-2010s

As my wordy summary no doubt suggests, this is a story with a lot going on. Olivia has an internal life, a family life, and a school life, and each one plays a significant role in the overarching plot, which is not just about trivia, but about Olivia taking control of her destiny and letting go of the anger she feels toward her dad, while also forgiving Tucker’s past bad deeds and accepting her new family as they are. Olivia’s struggles, and her frustrations with the way she is treated by people...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Gabrielle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Olivia Bean loves trivia and watches Jeopardy! every night which charmed me a lot. She lives with her mother and her mother's boyfriend who is a librarian (awesome points right there)and sometimes speaks to her father on the phone. Now her father is a terrible father and this is apparent to everyone except Olivia very early on. I guess this irritated me but I think kids want to see the best in their parents. Olivia is an adorable heroine and Donna Gephart really gets the awkwardness of being twe...more

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Oct 23, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Olivia Bean loves trivia. Her favorite show is Jeopardy! Although she is 12, she wants to be a contestant more than anything else in the world. Besides, if she gets on the Kids Tournament she’ll be able to visit her dad in California. I enjoyed this light read, full of fun trivia, gross trivia and Jeopardy! trivia, Gephart uses the excitement of the competition to balance what is really a story about dealing with the changes in your life when your parents divorce. Well written.

Cross posted to k...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Augusta Scattergood added it

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Sep 15, 2011 Trish rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: x_2012

Fiction; Young Adult/Middle School
3 stars

Olivia is a master at trivia. So when the opportunity arises for her to be a part of Jeopardy! Kid's Week, she jumps at the chance! Her only setbacks are her weakness in Geography and a neglectful father who divorced her Mom and then moved away with his new wife to the other side of the country and has seemingly forgotten Olivia and her brother, Charlie exist.

Written in the style of the Jeopardy show, there are fun trivia facts that the books young adult...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Olivia Bean is a 12 year old girl who has been watching Jeopardy since she was little. She trys out for the Kids Week on Jeopardy and makes it to the show. I liked this book because the plot was something new and different. But it still had typical subplots that readers could relate to such as an annoying younger brother, parents being divorced, Dad living across the county and the Mom being laid off.

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Jun 10, 2012 Christina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-kids-ya, middle-school

I loved the premise of a girl who dreams of appearing on Jeopardy's Kids Week, but the book was predictable in most respects, especially in the girl's realization that the father she idolized was a gambler and drinker who would always put his own needs ahead of his children. Gephart certainly got her details right about Jeopardy online and in-person auditions!

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May 19, 2012 Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, childrens-books, realistic-fiction, teen-books

Kids who feel lots of pressure from their parents (or even just from themselves) to achieve will totally relate to this book. Also, the author does a superb job with the whole mom's-boyfriend-Neil-now-lives-here-too-and-how-will-that-work aspect of changing families. And the miscommunications between Olivia and her neighbor Tucker really ring true.

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Feb 03, 2012 Becca Puglisi added it

Honest, believable, heartfelt, unpredictable. This book was so well-crafted. I think girls will relate well to Olivia and her struggles, both with herself and her changing family dynamic. A lot of middle grade books are predictable, but I wasn't sure what was going to happen until the very end. A refreshing, satisfying read.

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Mar 21, 2012 Mila rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The bookjacket image is different from the one shown here. The actual cover is much better because it's not photo of a real girl but an illustration -- somehow it has more appeal for me.

The actual story is very reminisce of Jacqueline Wilson's books' style of writing, and it beautifully touches issues with more depths than the title suggested.

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Nov 28, 2012 Anja Manning rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

I loved watching Jeopardy when I was growing up (although this was in Germany), and I wish I was as good at memorizing facts as Olivia Bean, the heroine of this brilliant book.
Interesting facts, humor and a gripping story are combined with the everyday troubles that Olivia and the other characters in this book have to deal with.
Job loss, a new step dad, an absent and unreliable dad, and not fitting in at school are all issues in this book, but they are not overwhelming, and Olivia grows signific...more

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11788115-olivia-bean-trivia-queen?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333578377l/11788115.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11788115-olivia-bean-trivia-queen?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen by Donna Gephart[/url]

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