The King of Average

by Gary Schwartz

Overview

THE KING OF AVERAGE is a fantasy-adventure story that combines the wit and wordplay of “The Phantom Tollbooth” with a rollicking odyssey of self-discovery told with a lot of humor aimed at middle grade readers. It tells the story of James an eleven-year-old boy who copes with loneliness and a poor self-image in a very imaginative way.

James is convinced by his cruel and unhappy mother he is worthless and unlovable. So, armed with a report card that boasts a C average, he sets out to prove he is worthy of her love by becoming the most average kid in the entire world.
This idea magically transports him into the Realm of Possibilities, where he meets Mayor Culpa, an actual Scapegoat, Monsieur Roget, a professional Optimist and his grouchy companion, Kiljoy, an equally professional Pessimist.
Together with his new friends, James has wondrous adventures that include an attack by a tribe of Nervous Nellies who pelt him with worry warts, being stalked by the dreadful Creeping Doubt and reuniting the former King of Average, Norman the Unexceptional, with his estranged children, Jerome the Ordinary and Marie, the Extra-Ordinary. Eventually he finds a Shangri-La called Epiphany, and realizes if you can be the most average person ever - you can be the most anything you want in the whole wide world.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940153065311
Publisher:	Gary Schwartz
Publication date:	06/03/2016
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	638 KB
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Gary has written for two children’s television series in which he co-starred: Zoobilee Zoo (Bravo’s Puppets) and 130 episodes of the Disney Channel’s You and Me, Kid in a segment called You and Me Theater. He was part of a popular children’s comedy duo, Schwartz and Chung and wrote, produced and performed nine segments for the TV show America’s Funniest People in a running segment called “Cool Ways to Scare Your Mom”.
He currently teaches improvisation and runs a small community in theater in North Bend WA.

Editorial Reviews

Awarded the Kirkus Star - Selected as Kirkus' Indie Book of the Month (April 2016) "A skilled and witty tale about a boy who would be king that should appeal to children and adults." "This is a volume that kids and parents can read together because it works on two levels-young ones should love the adventure-packed plot and hilarious characters, and grown-ups should chuckle at the wordplay embedded in every page. Schwartz's characters are more than clever-they're ingenious." "Schwartz's nicely succinct writing style places the focus on the striking worlds he creates. The book delivers an important lesson-be your own hero. With this debut, the author should soon be a hero to readers everywhere." -KIRKUS REVIEW

"THE KING OF AVERAGE is a unique fantasy with a powerfully encouraging message for youth." -IndieReader

"Gary Schwartz's The King of Average is engaging, imaginative, entertaining and funny while also exploring real emotional depths. It's like reading a lost work of L. Frank Baum." -Brian McDonald author of Invisible Ink and The Golden Theme

"The King of Average" by Gary Schwartz is an hilarious, adventure-packed, epic journey to find self-worth. As thoroughly 'kid friendly' as it is consistently entertaining, "The King of Average" is all the more impressive when considering that it is author Gary Schwartz debut as a novelist. Highly recommended for school and community library children's fiction collections. -Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher

★ 2016-02-04
A supposedly average boy realizes that he's not so mediocre after all in this debut middle-grade novel. James thinks he's a typical 11-year-old, which suits him just fine. His father is gone, his mother hates him (she commonly wishes he was never born while on the phone with her friends), and he has no siblings. James, who earns C's in school, looks rather ordinary (he certainly isn't handsome). Instead of fighting it, he embraces his mediocrity, declaring himself the best average guy the planet has ever seen. One day in a garden, he meets Mayor Culpa, a talking goat. Following the animal, James finds himself suddenly transported to another world. The chatty creature reveals that he's a Scapegoat ("As long as I'm to blame, no one else can be burdened. It's what I was bred for"). He tells James that he can become the Kingdom of Average's new ruler. But to claim the crown, the boy must first complete a mission—find the old king and discover why he abdicated the throne. Mayor Culpa, professional optimist Monsieur William Roget, and Roget's pint-sized pessimist, Kiljoy, join James on his journey. They travel from Disappointment Bay to Serenity Spa to the Unattainable Mountains, and as their quest evolves, James begins to learn that maybe he's not quite so mundane. When they reach the part of the kingdom dubbed Epiphany, James finally grasps who he is—someone extraordinary. While James initially believes that he's mediocre, Schwartz's novel assuredly is not. This is a volume that kids and parents can read together because it works on two levels—young ones should love the adventure-packed plot and hilarious characters, and grown-ups should chuckle at the wordplay embedded in every page. Schwartz's characters are more than clever—they're ingenious. Mayor Culpa constantly apologizes, and Kiljoy represents that little voice inside people's heads that attempts to invalidate their intentions. These living, breathing allusions effectively push the narrative forward (although Armitage's sketchlike illustrations fail to enhance the story—such fanciful places and characters should be left to the imagination). Schwartz's nicely succinct writing style places the focus on the striking worlds he creates. The book delivers an important lesson—be your own hero. With this debut, the author should soon be a hero to readers everywhere. A skilled and witty tale about a boy who would be king that should appeal to children and adults.

Kirkus Reviews