Biggest Fake in the Universe by Johan Rundberg
I found this book at a librarian conference. I was interested in reading it not only because it looked like a funny middle-grade book (I am a middle school librarian) but also because it was a book in translation. I love finding books from other countries. It’s fun to see what other kids in different countries might be reading. It also gets students thinking about other countries. Opening their worldview is always a good thing. This book is from Sweden. I had a lot of fun looking up the different places mentioned throughout: Midsommarkransen, Eriksdalsbadet, and Skane.
Movits, or Mo, is a little nerdy. He likes space, chess, and his guinea pig. But one day, he goes to watch his best friend’s older brother skateboard at a place called the Dog Bowl. There, he sees Bea. She is a fantastic skater, and Mo is in love. So, in love, he decides to become a skater. He and his best friend, Ruben, take some lessons from Ruben’s older brother. One day at an old parking garage, Mo accidentally does an amazing trick. This trick is caught on video, and it goes viral! Suddenly, everyone in town knows him. He doesn’t know how to tell everyone that it was just an accident or a fluke that he landed that awesome move. But he also gets more attention from Bea, and that is kind of nice. Things spiral pretty quickly with his newfound fame, and he is too far down this road to say anything. He is even asked to be on a TV show about talented kids! How is he going to get through this?
It was a fun, quick read, but I felt the ending was a little rushed but satisfying.
I want to find more books in translation!
Four out of Five Magical Coffee Cups
Literary Coffee 