Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo - Softcover

Smith, Greg Leitich

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316011819 ISBN 13: 9780316011815

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2005

Synopsis

Elias, Shohei, and Honoria have always been three united against That Which is The Peshtigo School. But suddenly understanding and sticking up for a best friend isn't as easy as it used to be. Elias, reluctant science fair participant, finds himself defying the authority of Mr. Ethan Eden, teacher king of chem lab. Shohei, all-around slacker, is approaching a showdown with his adoptive parents, who have decided that he needs to start ``hearing'' his ancestors. And Honoria, legal counsel extraordinaire, discovers that telling a best friend you like him, without actually telling him, is a lot harder than battling Goliath Reed or getting a piranha to become a vegetarian.

About this title

About the Author:

Greg Leitich Smith grew up in Chicago and graduated from a science magnet high school. He went on to complete degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Texas at Austin, and a University of Michigan degree in law.

Greg drew on his own Japanese-German American and adopted background in crafting Elias's and Shohei's families. He now lives with his wife, children's author Cynthia Leitich Smith, and their four cats in Austin, Texas.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-8-Friends since grade school, Elias, Shohei, and Honoria are smack in the middle of a rather sticky phase of their lives. Elias is entering his exclusive private school's science fair with about as much enthusiasm as a prisoner walking the plank over shark-infested waters. Shohei is the Japanese-born adopted son of parents who are force-feeding him bits and pieces of his native culture and slacker partner in Elias's science-fair project. Honoria is a serious participant in the fair and has undertaken the extraordinary task of trying to teach a pair of piranhas to prefer bananas over meat. She is also trying to figure out how to tell Shohei that she likes him as more than just a friend. Each of these characters must navigate through personal minefields made up of family and emotional time bombs in order to survive "That Which Is" life. Smith uses a diary format for the chapters, each of which reveals part of the story from a different character's perspective. A fresh, unusual story of friendship and honesty, riddled with wit, intelligence, and more than a few chuckles.
Donna M. Knott, The Lovett School, Atlanta
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About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0316011819
• ISBN 13: 9780316011815
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192