I was rather fond of this story from start to finish. The word play is out of control, the characters memorable, and the tale being spun, fantastic enough to draw you in while heartfelt enough to surprise even the most everyday of readers. It was SO ROUGH having to see James treated the way he was, but I was so happy to see him hang on with BOTH hands to the family he's found, motley crew though it may be. Despite being all about average-ness, the quest was on the extraordinary side as they traversed lands never seen, faced dangers unknown, and a finally dealt with how to get past our biggest enemy, ourselves.

Overall, a great read. You'll be kept on your toes by this average (or not so) bunch while silently thanking the stars that you're on the outside looking in. One bit of caution though, there are quite a few dangerous situations with tough consequences, but with a little guidance, I think the intended audience will make its acquaintance rather easily and the lessons learned, last a lifetime.


***copy received for review; full post can be seen on my site*** ( )

For my next read I was wanting a book that both me and my eleven year old son could read together. The King of Average was the perfect book for both of us. From the beginning my son said that he could relate to James which I completely agreed with. Our hearts especially went out to the young man when we read about his relationship with his mother. My son even thanked me for never being like that with him and told me how much he loves me. Such a precious moment!

As the story continued we fell in love with each character and realized that even though James whole goal is to be the king of Average he really isn't average at all. He is a wonderful boy with an amazing heart despite living with the pain of his father leaving him at a young age and his mother constantly reminding him that he is not wanted. It seemed to me the more he wanted to be average the more he realized he wasn't.

My son is still reading the book but I cannot wait until he finishes to find out what he thinks about the ending. For the most part I loved the ending though I wish there would've been more with James being back in the real world and seeing the relationship between him and his mother now that he has grown as a person due to this amazing adventure that he had just went on.

Other than that it was a wonderful read with fantasy characters and places that parallel true to life people and circumstances that we all face at one time or another in our lives. All of us have been at that place where we struggle to believe in ourselves but as The King of Average shows, with faith, perseverance, and support you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. ( )

James is a very average kid. He received all C's in school, he is ok at sports but not great, he gets along with other kids, but wouldn't say he has a lot of friends. One day, James has a thought and exclaims that he must be the most average person alive! James' exclamation is heard and he is approached by a not-so-average talking goat named Mayor Culpa. Mayor Culpa wants James to be the new King of Average since their former king has disappeared. Mayor Culpa transports James to the Land of Average where he must complete a quest in order to become the King of Average. On his quest he is accompanied by some strange friends including his talking goat, and a duo of a Professional Pessimist and Optimist. As James explores the land of Average he is sent to such places as The Sea of Doubt, Appathia, The Flatterlands, Uppity, and Shangri-La where he might just reach Epiphany. On his journey, James will discover if he is fit to be the King of Average of if he is above average.

This is a wonderful book for middle-grade readers who are probably facing a lot of the same feelings as James. Humor, word play and wonderfully imaginative characters and places created a fun and whimsical story. Some of the word play might go over younger readers heads, such as Mayor Culpa as a professional scapegoat. However, the intention of the story, for James to come into his own and deal with his emotions and feelings as they come to life as people and things will be something that any reader can relate to. I did love reading about James' adventures in the different parts of Average and exploring the places and people there. Overall, a magical and imaginative coming-of-age and character building story for middle-grade readers.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )

A very good youth book that adults can enjoy, too. The word play throughout reminded me of Piers Anthony's Apprentice Adept series. A very good read! ( )

A middle-grade adventure story with some clever word-plays.

This is going to be a difficult review to write as I'm not quite sure how I feel about this audiobook. It was a middle-grade adventure story with a large number of word-plays and puns, that seemed to be more directed at adult readers; yet the adventure itself was more suited for a younger audience.
The audio version was expertly read by the actor, turned author, Gary Schwartz.

James is an average kid, with a mother who is too busy to give him any time and who claims he should never have been born. Not surprising then, that he has identity issues and a lack of confidence. He decides he must be the most average boy alive - average in school, in sports and in all other areas of his life, in fact, he could be the King of Average.

Thus begins an adventure where James must perform certain tasks to prove how average he is and thence take on the crown of a country known as The Kingdom of Average. Along with a crowd of friends that includes a pessimist, an optimist and a scapegoat, who always takes the blame, he travels through countries such as Epiphany,
via The Sea of Doubt to Mount Impossible, the highest peak in the Unattainable Mountains.

This is a strongly moral story, but how many children are going to stop to think about the book's message once the narrative ends? In my opinion, the target audience is teachers who are looking for a book to read aloud to their class, that also has some interest for them by way of the word plays and puns.

My thanks to Gary Schwartz, Audiobook Boom and Audible, who gave me this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. ( )