The Genius Files: Never Say Genius By Dan Gutman

Jack LapeanReading-Roche

Room 62 5th periodMay 10, 2012

Dan Gutman was born on October 19, 1955 in New York City.

Dan Gutman attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey and got a degree in psychology.

He wrote many articles for magazines before he wrote books.

Dan Gutman writes many kid’s fiction books.

He now lives in Haddonfield, New Jersey, with his wife Nina, and two kids, Sam and Emma.

http://www.dangutman.com/

About the AuthorDan Gutman

Summary of Book

• The two main characters in the story are Coke and Pepsi McDonald.

• Some of the people who are after them are Archie Clone, Bowler hat dudes, and Mrs. Higgins.

• The book starts off with Coke and Pepsi traveling on the road to their aunt’s wedding.

• While on their way there, they visit one of the first McDonalds and nearly get killed by being lowered into a pot of boiling oil.

• Later in the story they almost get frozen to death by being in an ice cream truck with freezing ice cream falling on them.

• Next, they almost get killed by being stampeded by angry Cubs fans.

• Then, they make it to Washington D.C. and find all there enemy’s there trying to steal one of America’s most prized possessions.

• What could it be? What will happen? Read the book to find out!

Description of Characters

Main Characters

Coke- Has brown hair and has a photographic memory which means he basically remembers anything he sees. Very quick on his feet and can basically solve any problems you give him. He and his sister just turned thirteen years old. They are strong and clever in intense situations.

Pepsi- Also has brown hair, and is very knowledgeable when it comes to basic knowledge or figuring out ciphers. Just turned thirteen on June 25. Gets nervous when she is in tight and death threating situations.

 

Archie Clone- Enemy to Coke and Pepsi. He has red hair, freckles, and is around the age of six-teen. He is also part of the Genius Files but is trying to kill everyone so he can win the one-million dollar prize at the end. He is very evil and will do anything basically for money.

Description of Characters (continued)

Supporting Characters

Mrs. McDonald- Coke and Pepsi’s mom who is really clueless in the book. She owns a popular website called Amazing but True. She probably is in her mid-forty’s, late thirty’s. For her website, she is always wanting to stop at interesting, but useless places like the National Mustard Museum or the biggest ball of twine.

 

Dr. McDonald- Coke and Pepsi’s dad who is also kind of clueless in the book because when Coke and/or Pepsi try to tell them what happened, they think it is a joke. Also probably in his mid-forty’s. He is trying to find a topic for his new book because he is having a writer’s block.

 

Mrs. Higgins- Evil person who is not only set out, but determined to kill and wreck Coke and Pepsi’s life. She traps them and locks them in the worst possible situations like leaving them in a sound both with extremely loud music that would literally make their heads explode.

Plot Diagram

Introduction- Coke and Pepsi are traveling to their aunt’s wedding and on the way are lowered in to a pot of boiling oil but escape unharmed. People are constantly trying to kill them. Meets the evil Archie Clone.

Rising Action- Coke and Pepsi are facing new and more difficult challenges on the way to Washington D.C. They are getting ciphers that have secret messages in them that they have to figure out. They then go to a Cub’s game and because of Mrs. Higgins say when they are singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” that there is a bomb in

the Cub’s dugout.

Climax- Coke and Pepsi are nearly frozen to death by bone chilling ice cream. Coke and Pepsi nearly have the ears blown out because in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Mrs. Higgins plays really loud music.

Falling Action- Coke and Pepsi are led to Washington D.C. and find that Archie Clone, the Bowler hat dudes, and Mrs. Higgins are trying to steal Abraham

Lincoln’s hat! Coke and Pepsi are going to get dropped on the Washington Monument to their death but they survive.

Conclusion- The evil people are trying to get away in their helicopters, but Pepsi throws an exploding frisbee at it and the helicopter explodes. Coke and Pepsi save the day and return Abe Lincoln’s hat. At the end of the story, they make it to their aunt’s wedding and find out that their aunt is marrying someone who they thought they killed…. Dr.

Herman Warsaw!

Five New Vocabulary Terms

Uncanny – adj. - Strange or mysterious, esp. in an unsettling way. “Uncanny isn’t it?” (page 126)

Lingering – adj. – Lasting for a long time or slow to end. “That is so much more humane than a long, lingering death, don’t you think?” (page 141)

Emerge – verb. – Move out of or away from something and come into view. “People were starting to emerge from their tents and RVs to begin their day.” (page 151)

Primitive – adj. – Relating to, denoting, or preserving an early stage in the evolutionary or historical development of something. “It turns out that in 1907 a janitor named Murray Spangler invented a primitive vacuum cleaner because his asthma flared up whenever he swept the floor with a broom.” (page 188)

Illuminated – verb. – Light up; to provide or brighten with light. “The attack lasted twenty-five hours, and explosions illuminated (‘the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air’) a huge American flag, which inspired Key to write the lyrics to his famous song.” (page 242)

Movie – Casting

Bradley Steven Perry as Coke Dan Gutman as

Dr. McDonaldMaria Canals Barrera as Mrs. McDonalds

Alyson Stoner as Pepsi

Movie - Soundtrack

“Life is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts

Life is a highway

I wanna ride it all night long

If you're going my way

I wanna drive it all night long

Why I choose this song for this soundtrack would be because for basically the whole story, they are traveling over the country getting ready for there next action-packed adventure. I also choose this

because the song is kind of up-beat and so is the book.

Book Rating

I rate this book five out of five stars. This book deserves five stars because I thought the book was just excellent and it showed a lot of intense and great action. It had the perfect amount of adventure and suspense to keep you reading. If I had to say some adjectives to describe this book, I would pick: thrilling, daring, and exciting. I thought this was a fantastic book and I would call it a page turner because I never wanted to put the book down.

Similar Books

1. The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable

2. Percy Jackson and The Last Olympian

Why I think these books are similar to the one I just read is because they both display immense action and are also page turners. They also show lots of team work, bravery, and determination. In both these books, the main character is trying to overcome a problem and/or issue that they have to face up to and then solve.