Googol Boy: and the Peculiar Incident of the Great Quiz Trophy

by John Michael, Dave Atze (Illustrations)

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?

Genres: Middle Grade

422 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2021

About the author

John Michael lives in Sydney and is the author of the Googol Boy series of humorous and wacky fiction. John is an English teacher by day, where he does his best to instil a love of literature into the heart of every student who wonders into his classroom – willingly or unwittingly. By night, he transforms into a writer – creating worlds that don't exist and characters who have never lived in order to immerse readers in a world of unpredictable scenarios and madcap imagination. John is married with three sons, a pond full of goldfish and two lorikeets who always appear on his balcony at sunrise to beg for food (they also double up as alarm clocks).

Reviews

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!💜

[Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Chrissie Junge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Googol Boy had me near snorting in laughter - little warning, don't read in quiet public as I did!
Howard Sootfell (or Footsmell, as his putrid teacher insists on... not as bad as what she calls poor Eugene Fumbase!) is a student far below average, with a truly hilarious way of recalling the events going on around him in his high school and the home where he far prefers playing Pacman to actually studying. John Michael's metaphors and descriptions are pure hilarity, as this highly entertaining adventure unfolds and Howard accidentally becomes the all-knowing 'Googol', a z-grade tiny competitor to the better known Google search engine.
Many decent chuckles had and a high recommendation!

[Poppy Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[James Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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! 😍

[A_ bookbound _soul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a great time reading Googol Boy! It was full of fun and peculiarities which kinda reminded me of books by Roald Dahl (I loved his books when I'd started reading).

“Ah homework! The cause of misery and of every kid's existence - and I was no exception.”

This book is full of sound and animation. I could clearly see as well as hear the story through the pages. I loved the quirky illustrations and the random tidbits of knowledge throughout the book.

The descriptions of various teachers and classmates was one of the most hilarious/relatable things in this book.
"First there was a History lesson with Miss Fremskey, whose sole aim in life seemed to be to bore us to tears and, mind you, she was doing a fantastic job."

I'm looking forward to Howie's next adventure!

I'd absolutely recommended reading Googol Boy to those who enjoy MG stories. It'll definitely bring a smile on your face.

*Thank you so much Mr. John Michael for gifting me a copy. *

[Hadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a fun-packed adventure. The characters were amazing and I couldn't help but laugh out loud at times. That's really saying something because I rarely laugh out loud while reading!

I also highly liked the message this book conveyed. Would highly recommend this hilarious book

[Gill D. Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Alison Zhou · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!!

[Clara.N · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Goody Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this quirky, crazy and unusual book the first time but just read it again and it was even better - there were so many layers that I missed and I'm such a close reader! It's like Dahl's The Witches and The Chocolate factory rolled into one! I really hope they make this book into a movie!

[Koala Bear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got this book as a gift on Amazon and I loved it from start to finish. I must say, it is an unusual and offbeat book and you better expect the unexpected. I couldn't stop laughing so many times and could relate to many of the school and parent situations. So great!

[Maryann Macdonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not one to use the term LOL very often, but one chapter in on The Googol Boy and I actually did find myself laughing out loud.! This book has kid humor down to a science.

[Jane Thurston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable, funny, surprising, unpredictable, unusual and wacky!!!

[A_ bookbound _soul]

Googol Boy is full of laughter right from the first page. I got a chance to read the first few chapters and loved it. Can't wait to read the rest of it.

If you enjoy reading middle grade books, you don't wanna miss this one.

( Link to the excerpt)

[bibliophilecharms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story is set in the quirky world of Quockingpoll Flats and it all starts when Howie Sootfell, a below average kid, encounters the 'night of cognisance'. He got zapped by lightning and absorbs all the information of internet. After that things totally changed for him, he's no longer his usual old self. As he tries to get hold of his new powers, soon enough he got himself in the peculiar incident of Great Quiz Trophy.

I pretty much enjoyed reading this book, though it did became quite on and off for me in the middle. But, I also think it's a really great and interesting read for preteens. It has funny and cool illustration, some extracts were really hilarious and what I really liked was that the author has explained everything like some uncommon words which may not be known to the most people. That really helped me to keep going. I also loved the friendship of Howie and Barney. And, all the other characters were also quite fun.