My Life as a Book

Title: My Life as a Book
Author: Jake Tashjian
ISBN: 9780805089035
Published: 2010
Other books in the series: My Life as a Stuntboy, My Life as a Cartoonist
Characters: Derek
Genre: fiction
Reading Level: 5th grade
Interest Level: 4-7th grade
Plot Summary: Derek is not what you would call the perfect student or the perfect kid. Derek struggles in school and seems to always be causing problems at home. But as school nears summer vacation Derek can't wait to finally have a break from the pressures of school. Derek soon finds out that his parents don't seem to have the same summer plans. Derek is being sent off to Learning Camp, not exactly how Derek wanted to spend his summer. Struggling to do his summer reading and stay of of trouble, Derek is not having the greatest summer. But then Derek discovers a newspaper article about a girl who died and when he questions his mom he feels that she is hiding something from him. Now Derek is determined to not let the summer be a bust and does his best to discover what his mom is hiding. What he discovers is not what he expected.
Review: The story is a great one for those who struggle with reading. Derek is honest about his distaste for books and he addresses his struggle in his own unique way. Derek's drawings throughout the story not only give the reader a personal look into Derek but the drawings are also funny. The drawings are also a great way to introduce some new vocabulary to the reader in a unique and fun way. The book keeps the reader interested not only in the humour but also in the mystery behind the newspaper article. This is where the the book takes a bit of a more serious turn as it deals with the death of Derek's babysister. There is some great insight from Derek on how he views his parents and their own struggles. I like that the book reflects a tweens growing acknowledgment of their parents as human beings who have faults and issues of their own.
Reader's Annotation: When Derek finds out that he not only has to do summer reading for school but also go to Learning Camp, Derek's summer isn't turning out how he expected. Until he discovers a mysterious article about a dead girl in his parent attic.
Main Themes: family, lose, friendship, growing up
Read Alikes: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Jeff Kinney, Charlie Jo Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tom Greenwald
Why for Tweens? Derek's character has huge appeal to tween boys. He is funny, causes trouble, and is always looking for an adventure. He also struggles with school and reading which I think could really make this book appealing to reluctant readers. There is some great drawings in the story as well that we'll keep tween readers wanting to read more. Also, tweens might find it interesting to know that the drawings are done by Janet Tashjian's adolescent son.