Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo

Elias, Shohei, and Honoria have always been a trio united against That Which Is The Peshtigo School. But suddenly it seems that 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 vegetarian.  What three best friends find out about the Land of the Rising Sun, Pygocentrus nattereri, and Galileo’s choice, among other things, makes for a hilarious and intelligent read filled with wit, wisdom, and a little bit of science.  Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner 2003 Writers’ League of Texas Teddy Award, 2004 A Junior Library Guild Selection An ALA Popular Paperback for Young Adult Readers, 2006 Nominee, Georgia Children’s Book Award, 2005–2006 Featured, Texas Book Festival “A school story, a romance, a courtroom drama, a comedy–Smith has put it all together in one book with three great characters–kids who are both brainy AND funny. I wish I’d known them when I was growing up.” –Linda Sue Park, Newbery Award Winning Author of A Single Shard.  “A fresh, unusual story of friendship and honesty, riddled with wit, intelligence, and more than a few chuckles.” –School Library Journal  “[A] fast-paced send up of school life. Smith achieves just the right balance of intelligent wit and drama in his first novel.” –Booklist  “Smith’s sparkling debut offers three seventh grade narrators, each of them precocious, intelligent, and wickedly funny…Readers will identify with these smart characters and enjoy the vicarious attendance at their idiosyncratic school.” –Publisher’s Weekly  Ninjas, Piranhas, and Galileo is published in Japan by Poplar Sha and in Korea by DongSanSa.