I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President

One of the executive producers of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart has written a young adult novel. It is safe to say that you take the show's snarky commentary on world politics, toss in some of the weirder aspects of human nature, and put a deceptively dim-witted middle schooler in as the main character, you've probably imagined this book. Feel free to skip along now and continue about your day.

I wish I had a lot to say about this title, but I really don't. Oliver is an evil genius who secretly runs a global empire while pretending to be a dim-witted 7th grader. He has a secret lair under his house, a polished front man pretending to be in charge, and inevitable Daddy-issues. It's funny, much like The Daily Show is funny. It points to the stupidity of elections, ignorance of the masses, etc. We all love a good evil genius, so that's entertaining too. I particularly like the manipulative vixen Oliver has a crush on; she's a great femme fatal with absolutely no remorse.

But when you get right down to it, this is a book written for adults. The commentary and cynicism will resonate with folks who have already gained distance and perspective as they grow farther from those sweaty puberty years and get further immersed in the vagueries of adulthood. It lacks the immediate insight of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, because it is an adult speaking to a kid, saying, "Look how funny and absurd this is!" (On the other hand, Greg Heffley *is* a middle schooler and speaks directly out of his mundane experience, much the the hilarity of every kid who reads it.)

Verdict: Authors, please realize this: making your character a teenager does not a YA book make. Truly great teen fiction is as well-crafted as adult fiction. This is not it.