My Dad Is a Mad Scientist

The Adventures of Ubergirl, Book 1

By: Matthew S. Cox

Narrated by: Marissa Parness

Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's Summary

Saving the world isn’t easy. It’s even harder when you’re only nine.

Kelly Donovan used to be a nobody. Well, a smart nobody. Skipping ahead a year in school made her the smallest kid in fifth grade and a target for bullies in search of an easy mark. She tried to follow her father’s advice and ignore them, but it didn’t do any good. Escaping into her favorite comic books at least helped her through the day. Who needs friends anyway?

Sometimes, dreams find a way to come true, even if nobody asked them to.

Aliens bombard the Earth with gigantic glowing red crystals to restore its failing magnetic field. Soon after the seemingly benevolent invasion, Kelly discovers her wildest, happiest fantasy come to life: She has superpowers, along with roughly two percent of the population. Her strong good nature leads her to adopt the heroic persona of Übergirl. However, she has one major problem....

Her dad’s turning into a mad scientist.

It’s difficult to be a hero, especially when your father’s a bad guy.

©2019 Matthew S. Cox (P)2019 Matthew S. Cox

I couldn't stop laughing out loud.

This book is so cute. It picked right up where the last one left off. Adorable read/listen with smattering of adult humor that would not even hit a kid's radar. I can't count how many times I was listening and couldn't help but laugh out loud. Heh....I'm sure I sounded like one of those weirdos that just laughed for no reason because I hide my bluetooth behind my hair so no one knows I'm listening. The alternative names for real life people or products were cute...who can miss "Beef Assist" LOL! IF you don't know what it is, just think about it. Justin Beiber alternative was funny too...She really hated him. So dang funny. The first time I heard "No one kidnaps my daughter but me!" had me spitting out my drink and laughing so dang loud. When Kelly asked her mom about overcompensating on the ship size...LOL! Loved the delicate explanation. Such a fantastic, innocent story written in a way that all ages will enjoy. Looking forward to the next. Thanx again for a great little adventure!!!!

Superhero Fun for the Whole Family

The book starts out with this cute 9 yr old red-head that was bumped up a grade and now is the target for all the bullies. The extreme bullying and then the alien invasion leads to her getting superpowers and her dad showing sign of becoming a mad scientist... the adventure goes from there and was simply a ton of fun. The narrator does a fantastic job with the voices, acting, and overall narration. I listened to this one with my 10 yr old son and we both thoroughly enjoyed it and are looking forward to book 2. I will be checking out more of Matthew Cox's books, this is the second one we've read and I have really enjoyed his writing style. This was a clean read free of any bad language or inappropriate scenes, there was only some very minor superhero-related violence.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Fun Kids/YA Superhero Origin Story

Short review: This audioboook is a great kick-off to The Adventures of Ubergirl. I enjoyed it, my 8 year old son enjoyed it and we will pick up the rest of the series once they are out.

Longer Review: The book starts out a bit slow, with a smart girl who has skipped a grad being bullied by older kids and parents who, while they obviously love her, don't seem to really understand why their daughter is being bullied, the real impact it is having on her or how to help. Once the aliens arrive and humans start delevoping meta-abilities, the story really takes off. The main heroine is made to be relatable and the characters all act in a manner consistent with who they were shown to be before the world turned strange. While most of the plot is pretty straightforward, the author does manage to slip in a few good twists and build up the story for the future of the series. The only semi-negative point I have is that at times Kelly seems to have the right maturity and reactioons for a kid her age and at times seems more like the reactios of a teenager. Having a couple of bright kids myself, I know how their minds can be mentally ahead of where many adults may expect (especially if you raise them with respect and treat them like they are able to use reason from a young age, as Kelly seems to have been), but the emotional maturity displayed at times does seem a bit more than I would expect as IQ and EQ often do not have a positive correlation, especially in kids. That minor nitpick aside, the story was good and the narrator's performance enjoyable. My family looks forward to the continuation of the series.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Funny and Exciting

One can't help but grow to love Kelly and want the best for her when you learn of her struggles. She is taunted by bullies. I so wanted her to get back at them. She has her way of doing so but not as I expected. She has a heart of gold. After Kelly receives her new powers the old bullies are of no consequence. The new bullies are actually surprising and are more of a challenge to Kelly. She also has her own Kryptonite which is used against her in such a hilarious fashion. I laughed a lot at the twists in this book. There are many times the story seemed like is was about to turn very dark but at the last moment pulled out of that and became more light hearted. There are comic book style characters that I found enjoyable and added flavor to the story line. The narrator was excellent. She was very expressive and I hope in the future books she is also the narrator. So I give this book a ten thumbs up and recommend it if you want lots of laughs. Can't wait for book number two!