Arthur Bean, soon-to-be a rich and famous author, has set two goals for himself: to win the school writing contest and to win the heart of his secret crush, Kennedy. But his life has had some major twists and turns lately, and the recent loss of his mother definitely complicates things. Arthur is in turns outrageous, defiant, and unintentionally hilarious as we peek over his shoulder at his reading journals, notes from his long-suffering teachers, his offbeat articles for the school newspaper—even the emails he sends to writing partner Kennedy. A Year in the Life of a Total and Complete Genius is a fresh and funny story about a boy whose bad luck can't dampen his spirit—or his love of writing.

Lights. Camera. Action! Arthur Bean’s life has taken a turn for the adventurous—two girlfriends to deal with, and a blockbuster film to co-write, produce and direct. How crazy can one school year get? Arthur and Robbie have called a truce now that the writing contest and school play are over…but plans go astray when Arthur’s new girlfriend Anila gets jealous of his friendship with Kennedy. And then there’s that little problem of the movie camera Arthur and Robbie borrowed to film their upcoming blockbuster movie. As Arthur’s life goes off the rails all over again, laughs for the reader are right on track. Emails, doodles, texts, newspaper articles, AV Club rules (which Arthur and Robbie usually break) give the story the same engaging look as A Year in the Life of a (Total and Complete) Genius.

A new year, a new controversy, and another way to make Kennedy mad . . . Arthur Bean is back! With Robbie in another city (thank goodness for texting) and Kennedy as his co-editor of the school newspaper, Arthur's final year at Terry Fox Jr. High is off to a rocky start. A chance to produce his own play gives him visions of fame and (finally!) the respect he is sure he deserves, but that's all dashed when the new principal challenges the content of Arthur's play. Never one to take no for an answer, Arthur uses his wit (and his own column in the school paper) to skewer censorship . . . He so irks the principal that now the grad prom is in danger of being cancelled -much to Kennedy's dismay. In typical fashion, Arthur won't back down, even when Kennedy pleads with him. Torn between the wishes of his fellow students and his own best chance for fame, what will Arthur decide?