ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
INTERMEDIATE FICTION
Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola

It Doesn't Take a Genius

240 pp. | Six Foot Press | April, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-1-64442-002-7 $17.95
(2) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old genius Emmett Charles is well aware he's "smart smart and not people smart," but with his impeccable academic record and older brother Luke's ­protection, Emmett could not care less. When Luke receives a scholarship to an art school in Maine for the upcoming school year, Emmett throws his energy into thinking of amazing summer plans for the two of them and a few ideas about how to convince Luke to stay. Those plans are altered when Luke is hired as a counselor at the historically Black (and slightly bougie) Camp DuBois. Emmett's resourcefulness leads him to send a last-minute application to DuBois, which is accepted. To his surprise, Luke is less than excited, and Emmett is left to fend for himself. While he makes friends relatively quickly, for the first time Emmett is no longer a standout--nearly everyone at the camp is gifted, and they know way more about Black history/excellence than he does (who was Marcus Garvey again?). It's now up to Emmett to learn who he is outside of being the genius kid brother of Luke--which requires a new kind of intelligence altogether. Fully realized characters are cleverly introduced in Emmett's first-person narrative, along with Black history references dispersed throughout. Fans of Jerry Craft will enjoy this exceptionally witty offering, based on the 2019 movie Boy Genius.
Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

RELATED 

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

The Republic of Birds
by Miller, Jessica
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Atlantis
by Mone, Gregory
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

It Doesn't Take a Genius
by Rhuday-Perkovich, Olugbemisola
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls
by Rivera, Kaela
INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Soul Lanterns
by Kuzki, Shaw
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?