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A review by tami_provencher
My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian
4.0
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.