The True Meaning of Smekday

By: Adam Rex

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

It all starts with a school essay. Twelve-year-old Gratuity “Tip” Tucci is assigned to write five pages on “The True Meaning of Smekday” for the National Time Capsule contest, and she’s not sure where to begin: When her mom started telling everyone about the messages aliens were sending through a mole on the back of her neck? Maybe on Christmas Eve, when huge, bizarre spaceships descended to Earth, and aliens - called the Boov - abducted her mother? Or when the Boov declared Earth a colony, renamed it “Smekland” (in honor of glorious Captain Smek), and forced all Americans to relocate to Florida via rocketpod?

Gratuity’s story is much, much bigger than the assignment. It involves her unlikely friendship with a renegade Boov mechanic named J.Lo, a futile journey south to find Gratuity’s mother at the Happy Mouse Kingdom, a cross-country road trip in a hovercar called Slushious, and an outrageous plan to save Earth from yet another alien invasion.

©2009 Adam Rex (P)2010 Listening Library

Great story, excellent and very funny narration

The story is hilarious and at the same time serious. Great narration, especially the different aliens. Memorable characters. Can't get enough of it.

such a great story

who knew alien invasions could be so much fun or funny-- I laughed out loud several times. fun story and great performance by Bahni Turpin.

such a great story

This is really an unbelievable voice performance! There is some language though that is not 100% appropriate for younger children.

unbelievably different from the movie so much better!

I started reading this book because my kids really like the motion picture version So I thought it would be fun to read the book to learn more about it so when we watch the film I could give them little "fun facts."

turns out the book is totally different from the movie, but it's like way better!!

Funny, exciting, and fun. Mesmerizing narration.

It's rare to find a sci-fi book about an alien invasion that is gentle and humorous. I say gentle, because I think any child could listen to this book and enjoy it without getting night terrors. No sex, terrible language or adult themes. The two main characters are memorable, fully realized, and I cared about them. There are some interesting ideas about cloning, and how aliens might be different from us. It's mostly about a feisty 11 year old girl trying to find her mother.

The narrator, Bahni (pronounced Bonnie) Turpin is simply amazing. I could never have imagined the voices she came up with if I were reading the book. She made seamless transitions from character to character, and everything flowed beautifully. I can't express how impressed I am with her work. She should get an award of some kind.

5 star book, 10 star performance!

Great for adults and kids alike!

This is my first audio book, I'm so glad I chose this one! The narration is fantastic, and the book was very funny. I ended up.listening to the last chapter at home, even though I had purchased it to listen to during free time at work. I found it very entertaining, even though I'm 19. This is one of those books that don't talk down to readers, but great them as equals. I love how the movie "home" got the real J-lo for their adaptation (although Oh is the aliens name in the movie, his actual name is J-lo in the book) the story is quite different in the book than the movie, so don't expect the same plot. The movie is 100% spoiler free, down to how Tip and her mom got separated in the earliest parts of the book.

Great narration

I wasn't sure I'd stay with this book, but Bahni Turpin's narration was a sheer delight! Now I'm looking forward to the next Smek book.

A perfect book

I read this the first tîme in 2010. I really enjoyed the book and the recording. It is top notch in so many ways. It ayants up to multiple readings. I love it..

Hilarious and Sweet!

Would you listen to The True Meaning of Smekday again? Why?

Yes. The two main characters are funny and resourceful. I enjoyed them and fell in love with them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The 11 year old girl, Tip and the alien, J-Lo are great for very different reasons.

Have you listened to any of Bahni Turpin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes! and Yes again.

Any additional comments?

Listen to it.

Invasions are fun

a very unique story. a bit of ET meets war of the worlds.. great voice work for the audiobook.

have fun