Janet and Jake Tashjian’s award-winning My Life series, praised by Kirkus Reviews as “a kinder, gentler Wimpy Kid with all the fun”, follows the coming-of-age misadventures of middle-grader Derek Fallon in school and through his attempts to follow his bliss.
My Life as a Book is the one that started it all...
Summer's finally here, and Derek Fallon is looking forward to pelting the UPS truck with water balloons, climbing onto the garage roof, and conducting silly investigations.
But when his parents decide to send him to Learning Camp, Derek's dreams of fun come to an end. Ever since he's been labeled a "reluctant reader," his mom has pushed him to read "real" books--something other than his beloved Calvin & Hobbes.
As Derek forges unexpected friendships and uncovers a family secret involving himself (in diapers! no less), he realizes that adventures and surprises are around the corner, complete with curve balls.
My Life as a Book is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt and Company
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"Janet Tashjian, known for her young adult books, offers a novel that's part Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007), part intriguing mystery; yet the best element here is really the first-person voice, which captures so completely the pushes and pulls in the life of someone with learning disabilities . . . . Give this to kids who think they don't like reading. It might change their minds."
— Starred, Booklist
“Give this to kids who think they don’t like reading. It might change their minds.”
— Booklist (starred review)“This book is visually appealing to reluctant readers and shows that all kinds of stories can surprise us.
— Chicago TribuneAmusing stick figures accompany Derek's narration, dutifully following his teacher's suggestion of animating any difficult vocabulary word.
— Bulletin of the Center for Children's BooksSure to engage fans of Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books (Abrams) as well as those looking for a spunky, contemporary boy with a mystery to solve.
— School Library Journal[The] illustrations, drawn by Tashjian's 14-year-old son, Jake, are quite clever.
— Publishers WeeklyA kinder, gentler Wimpy Kid with all the fun and more plot.
— Starred, Kirkus ReviewsCartoon drawings by the author's teenaged son decorate the margins and not only re-create Derek's illustrated vocabulary lists but also reduce the amount of text on each page, making the book more approachable for kids like Derek. Derek tells readers, "If my life were a book, I'd have my own cool adventures." It is, and he does.
— Horn BookMy Life as a Book is a fabulous, fast-paced choice for reluctant and avid readers alike.
— BookPageBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Janet Tashjian is the author of several novels, including Fault Line, as well as The Gospel According to Larry, which was named a Best Book for Young Adults, a Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies, a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Age, and a Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book. She lives outside of Boston with her family.
Jennifer Li Shotz is the New York Times bestselling author of Max: Best Friend. Hero. Marine. She is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in Salon, Budget Living, and the anthology Tied in Knots: Funny Stories from the Wedding Day. A Los Angeles native, she graduated from Vassar College and has an MFA in nonfiction from Columbia. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.