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lmuthler 's review for:

My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian
3.5
adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book follows Derrick - a boy who HATES reading and struggles with impulse control - through his summer. We see him find every excuse not to do his summer reading, while also exploring a mysterious story about a girl who drowned in Martha's Vineyard years ago. 

As an adult, I read through this book in about an hour to preview it before adding to my classroom library. The characters seem fun and relatable - especially to upper elementary and lower middle school boys. I wasn't a fan of the ending that essentially tells all the lessons the main character - and in turn the reader - learned from his summer experiences. Other than that, I enjoyed the book and thought the sketches of vocabulary words in the margins were a fantastic tie-in to the story as well as a creative (and sneaky!) way to teach some new vocab!