It seems like Genius has passed by rather quickly compared to our other two books! Next week we'll start discussion on Hero by Mike Lupica. But until then, here's the final round of discussion questions for Genius, and then some reccomendations for similar titles. I was disappointed to find that (so far) there isn't a sequal to Genius --it certaintly ended on a hopeful note of continuation. I suppose we can all hope for more in the future though.
1. What was your overall impression of the book?
2. Did you find Oliver to be a relatable character?
3. What did you think of some of Tatiana's campaign techniques --such as the t-shirts, the posters, and the Inflatable Oliver?
4. Do you think Oliver is honest with himself about his feelings regarding his parents, in particular his Dad? How do you think that reflects to his conversation with his Dad at the end of the book?
5. What was your reaction to Oliver's speech? Was it true? What about HIS reaction to his speech?
6. Did you find Oliver's genius to be beliveable? Do you think he did the "right thing" by pretending to be dumb? What do you think you would have done if you were Oliver and you knew you were "different".
7. What are you thoughts to the side characters, like Lionel Sheldrake, Mr. Moorehead, or Tatiana?
8. Were you suprised about the identies of Oliver's bodyguards?
Over all, I liked the book. I related a lot to Oliver's personality, but not really his actions. I'm pretty sure if I was that smart, I wouldn't alienate people with it, but I certaintly wouldn't hide it either. I think Oliver takes things to extremes regarding his feelings towards his parents. He tries to put off this aloof demenor, but I'm not sure if it's "real" or not. Maybe his genius has just pushed him into that rebellious teenaged stage little early than most.
I liked Oliver's speech. He had a point --it doesn't matter what you do in school because afterwords, you're only going to see those people every ten years. I think his reaction was a little bit of overkill. Although, I must say it's pretty interesting that he can do that kind of thing on command! It kind of makes you wonder if he's had to do it before.
I liked the side-story with Mr. Moorehead. I thought Moorehead was a likeable character (and I think Oliver liked him too, or he wouldn't have tried so hard to help me out with Miss Sokolov), and Oliver's pranks were rather witty.
Other reccomendations, divided by books, movies, and graphic novels with links to the MORE page.
Books:
Sprout by Dale Peck
Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Ironman by Chris Crutcher
Slot Machine by Chris Lynch
The Brain Full of Holes by Marin Chatterton
Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks (series!)
Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper
The Accidental Genius of Weasel High by Rick Detorie
Movies:
The Jensen Project
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genuis (the library also has several DVDs of the TV show too!)
Matty Hanson and the Invisibility Ray
The Pretender (TV show from the 90s, maybe moreso for the older end of the group)
Graphic Novels
Bakuman by Tsugumi, Ohba
Feel free to share your thoughts, or other suggestions below.
Samma
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