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I thought this story about a reluctant reader was very well done. I loved that the authors 15-year old son did the margin cartoons. I would highly recommend this book as a great read aloud choice for fourth and fifth grade.
This book is somewhere between 2 and 3 stars. Something about the main character didn't seem quite believable, but the story of the drowning girl was interesting. Haven't heard from my students yet on how they like this one.
I read the My Life As A... series because my 9-year-old daughter read them, enjoyed them and recommended them to me. Each of the three are enjoyable to differing degrees and for different reasons. All three are narrated by Derek. Derek is your average 12-year-old boy. He is basically kind, has a good heart, dreads school at the end of summer vacation and often lacks the ability to project the negative consequences of his imaginative, sometimes well-intentioned, plans.
All three books are short, fun, easy reads appropriate for 3rd Grade through middle school ages. Similar in tone and style to Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, they work equally well as independent or read-aloud choices. Jake Tashjian provides creative--sometimes inspired--stick drawings of various vocabulary words in the margins of every page. Many of his drawing are intriguing and lead the reader to think about specific words in a new and exciting way. The fact that the drawings are parallel to--and not instrumental in the progression of--the plot is what sets this series apart from Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
In My Life As A Book Derek is devastated to discover he will be required to READ and WRITE reports on 3 books from a SUMMER READING LIST. He quickly establishes with the reader that he does NOT like to read and the idea that he must use a portion of his joy-filled, free summer hours to do something he hates is a form of punishment. Derek is encouraged by his Learning Camp counselor to picture the characters and action while reading. This way reading becomes less about a book than it is about stories.
This one will be enjoyed by 3rd through middle school ages. It's an especially good choice for reluctant readers. It will give them a different perspective and an opportunity to identify with another like themselves. Derek's courage and success in facing his reading challenge is a great example for like-minded readers.
All three books are short, fun, easy reads appropriate for 3rd Grade through middle school ages. Similar in tone and style to Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, they work equally well as independent or read-aloud choices. Jake Tashjian provides creative--sometimes inspired--stick drawings of various vocabulary words in the margins of every page. Many of his drawing are intriguing and lead the reader to think about specific words in a new and exciting way. The fact that the drawings are parallel to--and not instrumental in the progression of--the plot is what sets this series apart from Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
In My Life As A Book Derek is devastated to discover he will be required to READ and WRITE reports on 3 books from a SUMMER READING LIST. He quickly establishes with the reader that he does NOT like to read and the idea that he must use a portion of his joy-filled, free summer hours to do something he hates is a form of punishment. Derek is encouraged by his Learning Camp counselor to picture the characters and action while reading. This way reading becomes less about a book than it is about stories.
This one will be enjoyed by 3rd through middle school ages. It's an especially good choice for reluctant readers. It will give them a different perspective and an opportunity to identify with another like themselves. Derek's courage and success in facing his reading challenge is a great example for like-minded readers.
Felix says he wants to continue the series, so I'd say that's a win! We had set this one aside for other books, and I wondered if he'd lost interest. But as we wrapped this one up, he always asked for "just one more chapter, Mom."
Cute, but not enough to latch me on very much. Short, easy read. I read it in a very short amount of time (less than a day).
If you are searching for a Diary of the Wimpy Kid type book, this one will fit the bill. It is funny and hopefully will keep kids reading. Me, I read it, but realized I just don't have the proper mindset to appreciate the art or talent. Janet Tashjian gets kids, and especially books though.
DNF... I just couldn't get into it, the plotline was not interesting at all
***3.5***
***Non-Spoiler Review***
Read this for XmasBookTubeAThon 2014 Day 1
Wow, I was surprised by the amount of enjoyment this book brought to me. This is a book I bought earlier this year, and for like 5 months, it was on my TBR. I never got a chance to pick it up. So I pick it for the challenge of: Read a book you've been wanting to read this year. I had very few problems with this book.
Problems;
Like I said, I did not have many problems, but the ones I did have were very prominent while reading this story. Well, first off, I really, really liked the story, but it wasn't something I loved. It definitely was a very Diary-of-a-Wimpy-kid-type book. Which is something I used to like, but my tastes have changed over the years. Also, the main character was SUPER annoying at the beginning of the book. Maybe it was the fact that he refused to read anything, which bugs me.
Things I liked:
Overall, reading this story in a day, I felt the main character developed some level of maturity in this book. For a twelve-year-old, I mean. It was just really fun, too. It had me hooked at some points. I loved the death thing, it made the book not totally bubbly and unrealistic. Don't get me wrong, this book was nowhere near depressing.
I would recommend this to any 8-12 year old boy, even if he doesn't like reading. It's very east to read and relate to for that age, and if he likes it, it's actually a series, so there is really more to read. as I said, VERY Diary-of-a-Wimpy-Kid-ish. You could get it for a son or nephew, or even yourself if you want(No judgment there:D)
***Non-Spoiler Review***
Read this for XmasBookTubeAThon 2014 Day 1
Wow, I was surprised by the amount of enjoyment this book brought to me. This is a book I bought earlier this year, and for like 5 months, it was on my TBR. I never got a chance to pick it up. So I pick it for the challenge of: Read a book you've been wanting to read this year. I had very few problems with this book.
Problems;
Like I said, I did not have many problems, but the ones I did have were very prominent while reading this story. Well, first off, I really, really liked the story, but it wasn't something I loved. It definitely was a very Diary-of-a-Wimpy-kid-type book. Which is something I used to like, but my tastes have changed over the years. Also, the main character was SUPER annoying at the beginning of the book. Maybe it was the fact that he refused to read anything, which bugs me.
Things I liked:
Overall, reading this story in a day, I felt the main character developed some level of maturity in this book. For a twelve-year-old, I mean. It was just really fun, too. It had me hooked at some points. I loved the death thing, it made the book not totally bubbly and unrealistic. Don't get me wrong, this book was nowhere near depressing.
I would recommend this to any 8-12 year old boy, even if he doesn't like reading. It's very east to read and relate to for that age, and if he likes it, it's actually a series, so there is really more to read. as I said, VERY Diary-of-a-Wimpy-Kid-ish. You could get it for a son or nephew, or even yourself if you want(No judgment there:D)
Reluctant readers will see themselves in the character of Derek, a middle schooler who would rather hang out with his dog or throw avocados at his best friend than do any dreaded learning. I like this one for having a protagonist who only reads comic strips. Not sure how successful the vocabulary word illustrations in the margin are -- they are by the author's son. A little preachy overall, but possibly fun enough to not alienate actual kids.
My son and I are reading this...it is so like him! He is loving it!! My son loved this book - he listed it as his favorite on his school all about me sheet. I thought it was terrifc, a great premise that really captured boys lives. We loved the drawings and laughed a lot! A terrific book!