Really fun! Can’t wait to share this with my kids! Loved the story and the characters! Danny seems to just be writing winner after winner.

Read this to my two older children who enjoyed the story and had a good giggle. it definitely got us talking about the what ifs and what they would want and get if they were the most average. Great writing style and enjoyed that the chapters didnt drag on too long, allowed me to stop at a decent point each night.
I am sure the kids will read it again on their own.

The Luckiest Kid in the World is about ten year old Joe Smith, who is surprised to find a camera crew at his house announcing that he is the most average boy, living on the most average street, in the most average town. The research has been funded by companies who want to find out what the average person likes so they can make their products very popular and successful without having to ask lots of people. Joe is allowed to choose whichever items he likes, whilst the business people take note of every detail about his choices and how he spends his time.

At first Joe is absolutely delighted to have so many state-of-the-art free gifts, but he soon starts to realise that being the same as everyone else isn't as fun as it sounds, especially when it takes him away from his friends. He soon decides he'd rather go back to his own life, but how to get the marketing people to leave him alone?

Told from Joe's point of view, who is a funny and relatable character along with his friends and family, this is a great story about how the grass is not always greener and valuing what you have, not just in terms of possessions but friends and family too.

A super read about a kid that got everything he could ever want. My 10 year old found it amazing, spectacular and even a little sad at some points and would thoroughly recommend it. Many thanks to Simon and Schuster UK Children’s and Netgalley for the ARC.

It does not matter how old you are we always want more.
I read this book with my son and it really taught him that having everything is sometimes not always the best thing but great for a while.
We enjoyed the characters, we loved Joe he was really funny and humble.
Great read.

Another great 'what if' from Wallace: being average... or being boring?

I read this aloud to my son after doing the same recently with The Day the Screens went Blank. Both are well suited to a read-aloud, with fairly short chapters, illustrations and chatty text. They are also ideal for readers who want something flowing and fairly easy to read.

My eldest loved the Hamish series so it was no trouble to get him interested in another Wallace. Talkative narrators who are easy to relate to seems to be a forte of the author's. As well as choosing quite didactic topics that manage to stay funny and accessible.

Last time it was 'what if' all the screens in the world stopped working. Now it's 'what if' you were judged as the most 'average' kid in the country, deemed SO average that every company in the world wants your thoughts to help them market their products.

As the title suggests, Joe Smith (already an average name) think it's pretty incredible really when he is deemed more average than any other child out there. His likes, his hobbies, his habits, even his family - totally average. His dad may seem a bit miffed, but Joe can't understand it - he's being sent free stuff to try out, and give his opinion on. Bikes that aren't even released yet! Hmm, his best friend isn't so happy either. Or his sister. But Joe's revelling in his popularity and new 'stuff'.

You can probably see where this may go, and yes, while it does go there, it does so in very funny ways. I was particularly tickled by Joe's enthusiasm for Milton Keynes in one chapter. And at the character's growth and eventual understanding of the position he's found himself in.

Enjoyed the family characters, especially Dad and his little sister with her panda preoccupation. Joe is the heart of this though, someone representing all of us really, possibly seduced by materialism, and later finding out that the average isn't quite as appealing as it seems.

Would make a good class read, and children aged 8-12 will have a lot to say about this.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

I enjoyed The day the screens went blank so I was looking forward to reading this book too - it didn't disappoint. It was easy to read with a child-friendly narrator who I am sure children will be able to relate to easily. The idea of an 'average' child having so much power and influence on their local area, as well as the whole world, was unique and it really makes you think about influences on our society if everyone likes the same thing. It made me think about how towns and villages changed after supermarkets came along causing the majority of grocers, bakeries, off licences, butchers etc to close down. Is this best for the community?

I am sure children from 7 upwards will enjoy this book, getting excited about all the presents and opportunities that Joe has but then feeling empathy towards him when he has friendship issues because of it.

A fun but thought-provoking book, suitable for children of all ages.

My class loved The Day the Screens Went Blank and I’m sure this will be another one that will have a long waiting list! Glorious and loveable characters, lots of laughs along the way and a great adventure for all involved. Tremendous. Well done!

This was a very funny and quick read and my second read from this author! The writing was hilarious and gripped me throughout. The plot felt a little cliche but it gave across a good message. The themes of friendship and siblinghood are executed well. Overall this was a great quick middle grade read that I enjoyed!

Thank you to netgalley snd the publisher for the free e-arc!

I’m a huge fan of Danny Wallace’s work for adults, from his semi-autobiographical works Yes Man and Friends like These, to his brilliant novel Charlotte Street and the enigmatic Who is Tom Ditto?
So seeing he’s now writing for kids, I couldn’t miss a chance to read what the kids get treated to!! Brilliant 🤩
Even the most reluctant of readers will enjoy getting stuck into this book.
Bravo!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

Meet Joe Smith. You might think you know a kid like him, but really there is none quite like him. He's an average kid, averagely successful, born in an average family to a most average pair of parents. But things are about to change. When we start this adventure with him it is to wake up to the news – beamed to the nation on breakfast TV – that he has been declared the most perfectly average child in the land. Yes, he is superlative in how average he is. What does this mean? Well, it means the vaguely bullying kid at school calls him "Average Joe", and it means that his dad suddenly breaks from the average norm and has the hottest chilli imaginable on takeaway night. Oh, and that he is a perfect match for all the focus groups, consumer testers and suchlike, who need to know what the average Joe likes best, and hang the homogenisation.

What this means for Joe is a mahoosive amount of free stuff, parades through fast food development centres where everything is tuned to his average taste buds, and so on. What this means for his family is not so good – his younger sister feels neglected by it all, and his father is forever stuck with the tag of being average that he just hates. What it means for us is a really breezy and yet meaningful read, full of fine laughs and sarcasm (sorry, Milton Keynes), and a great story about how the dream-come-true can only sour. Having read David Baddiel's book about a kid thrust into fame, I spoke aloud about how great a book could be if it made the art of not going viral popular. This, that and my non-existent volume would make a fabulous trinity, I think, about how modern life is perceived – how we're led into thinking a particular way, to abide by the algorithms and to hit the right marks to make a success for someone else.

To me, then, this made for a really eye-opening, original concept, and a remarkable look at a specific factor of current times. To the target audience – and indeed to everyone, mind – it is a right dollop of fun, conveying its moral with clever ease, and being really, really entertaining with it. It's two from two when it comes to high-concept stand-alone novels from Mr Wallace. And that ain't the average.

Thank you so much for letting me read this one!
Who better to read this one with than my 9year old son? He found it very funny and was often laughing whilst we were reading it together, bonus I enjoyed too and we were able to have lots of conversations throughout. Would highly recommend as a fun read for kids! Now off to see what this authors other works are like:)