Jake the Fake Keeps it Real by Craig Robinson

There were a lot of false starts, and a LOT of reading aloud at the breakfast table that I could have lived without.Īre You There God? It's Me, Juanita A Holiday Feast Of 'Fry Bread'? Yes, Please! Could I, as the responsible, empathetic, supportive, and patient parent I attempt to be find just the right book for my son? Something that's funny without being malicious? Relatable without exploiting bad behavior? A book that encourages my son to tell a joke that won't warrant having his mouth washed out with soap? I have to admit, I wasn't confident. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Calvin and Hobbes, but when I have my own little Calvin at home, I realize there's a reason Calvin is so often our INNER voice. He is in the process of learning (I hope) that being mean is not the same thing as being funny, but it's hard when so many examples say otherwise.

Oh my goodness, he wants so much to be funny, and an unfortunate side effect of tweendom is that a lot of his jokes tend to be tinged with meanness or disrespect. One of my son's driving influences is his overwhelming desire to be funny, just like his dad. I know tweens are at the mercy of their developing brains, and that this is a crucial time, I know it, I know it, I know it.Īnd I know it's my responsibility to get my kids through it.

I know the tween brain's development is responsible for the narcissism, the rudeness, the defiance, the DAWDLING. It's full on tween in this house right now, and sometimes I spend a lot of my day wanting to cry. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. (Mar.Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title Jake the Fake Keeps It Real Author Craig Robinson, Adam Mansbach, et al Knight’s zippy b&w spot illustrations play up the story’s gross-out humor-as in a scene of laser-beam-wielding dolphins decapitating radioactive kangaroos during Jake’s book report about an imaginary book-and a supporting cast of quirky art-school types rounds out this offbeat novel, first in a planned series. Allen, Jake pushes the definition of artistic in order to “throw everybody off the scent of my fakeness,” finding freedom (and a cover) in intentionally bizarre behavior such as trash sculpting or creating bands that don’t play music.

Under the very loose tutelage of free-spirited Mr. Jake’s gifted older sister, Lisa, thrives at the academy, where students are encouraged to get creative through assignments like chewing a piece of gum for six hours, then writing a play about it. Jake, an African-American sixth grader, has a severe case of imposter syndrome after cheating and faking his way into the elite Music and Art Academy. Actor/comedian Robinson, Go the F**k to Sleep author Mansbach, and The Knight Life cartoonist Knight team up for a slightly edgy spoof of touchy-feely,

Jake the Fake Keeps it Real by Craig Robinson