The Smartest Kid in the Universe by Chris Grabenstein

Author:Chris Grabenstein [Grabenstein, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2020-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

After school, Grace took Jake to visit her dad at Warwick College, where he was the dean of the Education Department.

It was the same college where Haazim Farooqi was a research assistant. But the building where Professor Garcia worked was way nicer.

“He’s finishing up a meeting, Grace,” said his secretary, “but you can wait in his office.”

“Thanks.”

“By the way, I saw you kids on the news. You’re both brilliant!”

“Gracias!”

Grace and Jake entered Professor Garcia’s cluttered office. Grace pointed to one of the dozens of framed photographs decorating the bookcases crowded with books.

“You see that young woman in the picture with Papi? You met her at the Quiz Bowl. That’s District Superintendent Rosalia Lopez back when she was just, you know, Rosie Lopez, college student.”

“Another fine product of Riverview Middle School,” said Professor Garcia as he strode into the office. “Just like you two. Great to see you again, Jake.”

Professor Garcia was wearing another turtleneck sweater under a different tweed blazer. His handshake was very vigorous and made Jake feel like a water pump—the variety known as the suction-and-lift hand pump.

Jake, of course, knew that Dr. Garcia, who had emigrated from Cuba, had received a PhD in Latin American literature with an Afro-Hispanic emphasis. He also liked to sing and cook. His favorite dish to prepare was ropa vieja, often considered the national dish of Cuba.

Jake didn’t learn all that from the jelly beans. He’d actually read it in a newspaper article Grace had forwarded to his phone on the bus ride down to the campus.

“A lot of brilliant thinkers have come out of Riverview,” the professor said as he gestured for Grace and Jake to sit down. “But, Mr. McQuade?”

“Yes, sir, Professor Garcia?”

“You might be the single most brilliant mind to ever attend the school—at least since my daughter got there.”

Grace blushed. “Papi?”

“I’m serious. For decades, Riverview has produced great thinkers, athletes, performers, and business leaders. It’s proof of the power of public education. It’s why my wife and I insisted that Grace go there. But I must admit, it’s a shame that your beloved alma mater has become such a shambles.”

Jake had a slightly distressed look on his face. Because, for the first time in his life, he realized that, in Latin, alma mater meant “generous or nourishing mother.” That was just weird. Who’d call their mother, especially if she was generous and nourishing, a middle school? It’d be rude.

“Jake?” said Dr. Garcia. “Are you still with us, son?”

“Sorry, sir.”

“Jake’s a little overwhelmed by his recent burst of intelligence,” explained Grace. “He had a mental growth spurt.”

Jake nodded. “I sometimes surprise myself with the things I suddenly know.”

“You seemed to surprise your principal, as well,” Professor Garcia said with a chuckle. “I watched Mrs. Malvolio last night. Her mouth was hanging open the whole time you fielded all those questions. Can I be honest with you, Jake?”

“Yes, sir. ‘Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom,’ according to Thomas Jefferson, who sold all of his

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