Ninjas, Piranhas and Galileo (Little Brown, October 2003)

“A school story, a romance, a courtroom drama, a comedy--Smith has put it all together in one book with three great characters--kids who are both brainy AND funny. I wish I'd known them when I was growing up."
--Linda Sue Park, Newbery Award Winning Author of A Single Shard.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Elias, Shohei, and Honoria have always been a trio united against That Which Is The Peshtigo School. But suddenly it seems that understanding and sticking up for a best friend isn’t as easy as it used to be.

Elias, reluctant science fair participant, finds himself defying the authority of Mr. Ethan Eden, teacher king of chem lab. Shohei, all-around slacker, is approaching a showdown with his adoptive parents, who have decided that he needs to start “hearing” his ancestors. And Honoria, legal counsel extraordinaire, discovers that telling a best friend you like him, without actually telling him, is a lot harder than battling Goliath Reed or getting a piranha to become vegetarian.

What three best friends find out about the Land of the Rising Sun, Pygocentrus nattereri, and Galileo’s choice, among other things, makes for a hilarious and intelligent read filled with wit, wisdom, and a little bit of science.

From the Back Flap:

Greg Leitich Smith has a few things in common with Elias, Shohei, and Honoria. Like them, he grew up in Chicago and graduated from a science magnet school. Afterward, he went on to complete degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Texas at Austin, and a University of Michigan degree in law.

In addition, Greg drew on his own Japanese-German American background in crafting Elias and Shohei’s families — especially Shohei’s. They’re both adopted, and they both have one brother, though Shohei’s is younger and Greg’s is older. Greg now lives with his wife, author Cynthia Leitich Smith, and their four cats in Austin, Texas.

As to his life experience with all things ninja and spymaster... he refuses to comment, on the grounds that he might incriminate himself.