The king of slime creations, Alex competes against a fellow student to win the right to be the only slime game in town and must navigate sticky situations with friends and family to ooze out on top. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

Slime entrepreneurs face off in an epic battle to see who can sell the most slime, while navigating sticky situations with friends and family. From the award-winning author of The House That Lou Built comes another story about a creative kid with something to prove.

Alex Manalo and his dad have just moved back to Sacramento to revive their extended family's struggling Filipino market. While Alex likes helping at the store, his true passion is making slime! He comes up with his own recipes, playing with ingredients, colors, and textures, which make his slime truly special. Encouraged by a new friend at school, Alex begins to sell his creations, leading to a sell-off battle with a girl who previously had a slime-opoly. Winner gets bragging rights and the right to be the only slime game in town.

But Alex's dad thinks Alex should be focused more on "traditional" boy pastimes and less on slime. As the new soccer coach, Dad wants Alex to join the team. 

Alex is battling on multiple fronts--with his new friends at school, and with his dad at home. It will be a sticky race to the finish to see who oozes out on top. - (Random House, Inc.)

Mae Respicio writes novels full of hope and heart. Her debut, The House That Lou Built, received the Asian/Pacific American Library Association Honor Award in Children's Literature and was an NPR Best Book of the Year. Mae lives in the Bay Area suburban wild with her husband and two sons, where they love hiking, hanging at the beach, and some good old-fashioned family slime time. - (Random House, Inc.)

Booklist Reviews

When Alex Manalo's father takes over the family's Filipino market, they move to Sacramento. Alex is nervous about being the new kid and is unhappy with all the changes his father is making to his grandparents' store. To make matters worse, his father signs him up to play on the neighborhood soccer team! Alex would much rather be working on his passion—making slime. On the first day of school, he is convinced by a new friend to sell one of his concoctions. Only one problem: Meadow MacPherson has a slime monopoly, and she will not share. When Alex challenges her, a slime war is declared. Whoever sells the most slime wins, but at what cost? While Respicio's book touches upon a few social issues like gentrification and poverty, the central message is about being your authentic self. Kids enthralled by slime will enjoy the recipes scattered throughout the book, which also lend themselves perfectly to extension activities in the classroom. This title is a solid recommendation to any budding entrepreneur or slime enthusiast. Grades 3-6. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

The new kid in town finds himself caught up in a slime-selling battle. Twelve-year-old Alex Manalo is passionate about two things: slime and business. So when he and his dad (his mother has died) move from Silicon Valley to Sacramento to take over his grandparents' struggling Filipino market, he is excited that they'll have their own business. Being the new kid isn't easy, and while Alex isn't sporty or tall like the popular kids at his old school, he soon discovers that his new middle school is big on slime. Alex makes all kinds of slime with different ingredients, textures, and smells, garnering the attention of his classmates. A new friend convinces him to sell his slime, but that spurs a slime war with the girl who holds the slime monopoly at school. It isn't going to be easy, especially when his dad thinks slime is a waste of time and that Alex should be playing soccer. With his hands in many different activities, Alex fights to win sticky battles with his family, new friends, and himself. Respicio has written an exciting, fast-paced story of friendship, family, and community. Throughout the book, Alex often struggles to make his opinions heard, but he eventually finds his voice and understands what it really means to be a winner. Alex and his family are Filipino; there is diversity in the supporting cast. The book includes different slime recipes. Oozing with fun. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus 2021 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 3–7—Alex's grandparents have retired, so he and his dad move to Sacramento to run the family's Filipino market. His dad thinks that Alex should participate in typical "boy" activities like soccer, but Alex's passion is making slime. However, a girl at school has the slime monopoly and declares a slime war against Alex on his first day. Alex just wants to make slime and make friends. Now he's in a battle he doesn't want to fight, playing a sport he doesn't like, trying to discern real friends from fake. But Alex finally finds his voice and makes good choices. This is a well-written story of family and friendship. Not only does Alex grow and change, but so do his father and new pals. Slime aficionados and newbies alike will enjoy the recipes for slime at the beginning of each chapter. Alex's Filipino heritage figures prominently in the text. VERDICT A delightful plot with relatable characters and AAPI representation, this is a necessary purchase. Highly recommended for all collections.—Julie Overpeck, Gardner Park Elem. Sch., Gastonia, NC