book data
496 ratings, 4.21 average rating, 172 reviews
(more data...)
edit
published
2006
by Little, Brown Young Readers
binding
Hardcover, 304 pages
isbn
0316058297
(isbn13: 9780316058292)
description
In one month Jeremy Fink will turn thirteen. But does he have what it takes to be a teenager? He collects mutant candy, he won't go more than four blo...more
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
| topics | replies | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young Adult Ficti...: Young Adult BOY books | 52 | 130 | 2 days ago, 05:21AM | |
| Quest Academy: Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life | 1 | 3 | 12 days ago, 03:52PM | |
| J fink and the meaning of life | 1 | 7 | 03/08/2008 01:10PM | |
| J fink and the meaning of life | 1 | 6 | 03/08/2008 01:10PM |
friend reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 703)
Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
teenagers
This book was about a boy who's father had died when he was little and he left him a box to open on his 13 birthday. But when he went to open it he needed 13 different kinds of keys. So jeremy and one of his friends goes looking all over the city to find the last key. But then they never find it but a year later at his birthday again his best firend gives him the missing key and she said she had it the whole time. She just wanted to wait for the perfect moment to give it to him.
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
1 comment
This book was so fun and enjoyable to read! I loved the adventure aspect, as well as the reason behind the adventure: to find the meaning of life. Jeremy and his best friend, Lizzy, go on a search to find the missing keys to a box Jeremy's dad made for him to open on his 13th birthday. The box is significant because Jeremy's father made the box on Jeremy's 8th birthday, and then Jeremy's dad died three years later. Jeremy feels especially drawn to this quest because this message comes from h...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I loved this one. Lots of interesting twists and turns. And as usual.... a few tears :)
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
3 comments
Read in September, 2008
Jeremy Fink is a slightly eccentric boy trying to come to terms with his father's untimely death. His partner in crime is an equally misfit Lizzy. The two of them together have a safe adventure involving a mysterious locked box and the quest for the keys to unlock it.
The tale is reminiscent of The Westing Game.
My son, who usually will only read fantasy, read and enjoyed Jeremy Fink. The story is sweet, but not sentimental or cloying. It would be a good book for a precocious reader...more
The tale is reminiscent of The Westing Game.
My son, who usually will only read fantasy, read and enjoyed Jeremy Fink. The story is sweet, but not sentimental or cloying. It would be a good book for a precocious reader...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2008
recommended to Natalia by:
Nobodyrecommends it for: Anybody who likes adventerous books
Jeremy Fink and the meaning of life is about a 12 year old boy named jeremy and his best friend Lizzy on a mission to find 3 keys. To explain Jeremy I would have to say he is a good guy and is always doing good things, but on the other hand I would have to say Lizzy is just a troublemaking 12 year old who is just a little bit crazy sometimes. Anyways, Jeremy gets a package for him in the mail and it ends up being a mysterious box with three key holes. On the top of this box it says, "T...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2008
I read this book with my son, who is in 4th grade and 9 years old. I think this book is better suited for 6th grade (maybe 5th but I lean toward 6th).
For a 4th grader, it starts out great, with two friends, some other simple characters, a mystery and an adventure sure to come. It was exciting and left us waiting to find out what happens next.
Then midway into the book we leap into many more characters and some serious topics for discussion, as the characters go on their adventure. After ...more
For a 4th grader, it starts out great, with two friends, some other simple characters, a mystery and an adventure sure to come. It was exciting and left us waiting to find out what happens next.
Then midway into the book we leap into many more characters and some serious topics for discussion, as the characters go on their adventure. After ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
This story is about a boy named Jeremy Fink who got a gift for his 13th birthday. On this box it said "The meaning of life" and it had a lock on it. He got this girft 1 month before his birthday though and it was from his father who died 5 years ago. There was also a letter that came with this gift and it was from a lawyer. The lawyer was to give to Jermery for his 13th birthday but the key got lost and there was no replacement. Jeremy was the type of boy who didn't leave New York City...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
For Jeremy Fink, the meaning of life is pretty simple. Stay safe, stay focused, stay the course. This is Jeremy's life, until the day the postman delivers a package addressed to his mother. Unable to check his curiosity and the taunts of his best friend, Lizzy, Jeremy opens the package to find a surprise like no other. Inside the cardboard box is another box, one made of a beautiful wood, sanded to a breathtaking sheen, comprised of four intricate locks, an...more
For Jeremy Fink, the meaning of life is pretty simple. Stay safe, stay focused, stay the course. This is Jeremy's life, until the day the postman delivers a package addressed to his mother. Unable to check his curiosity and the taunts of his best friend, Lizzy, Jeremy opens the package to find a surprise like no other. Inside the cardboard box is another box, one made of a beautiful wood, sanded to a breathtaking sheen, comprised of four intricate locks, an...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Jeremy Fink who is 12 year old boy and his best friend Lizzy are hanging out in his New York City apartment when the mailman delivers a package addressed to Jeremy’s mom. Jeremy always follows the rules however Lizzy does not, so of course Lizzy makes Jeremy open it. Inside the box was another box, which read on the bottom “THE MEANING OF LIFE: FOR JEREMY FINK TO OPEN ON HIS 13TH BIRTHDAY.” The note that came with had explained that Jeremy’s father who past away several years earlier had...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
11-13 year olds just getting into mystery
The contrived plot of this book made it hard to really enjoy as an adult reader, but as a teacher, it actually helps.
Let me explain: In this book, Jeremy Fink is a 12-year-old who receives a mysterious box that his father, who died several years before, had arranged to be delivered to him the summer before his 13th birthday. It requires four keys to open, but they are missing. In it, according to a note from his father, is "the meaning of life." Jeremy and his best friend, Lizzy, ...more
Let me explain: In this book, Jeremy Fink is a 12-year-old who receives a mysterious box that his father, who died several years before, had arranged to be delivered to him the summer before his 13th birthday. It requires four keys to open, but they are missing. In it, according to a note from his father, is "the meaning of life." Jeremy and his best friend, Lizzy, ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2007
Hey, a middle-school mystery! Here's the mystery: why I continued reading this book past the half-way point. Jeremy is given a box from his dead father, with instructions to open it on his 13th birthday. The problem: all 4 keys are missing. With the help of his best friend, they break into the office of the lawyer who sent the box, get caught, and are sentenced to community service, which involves helping deliver items pawned in the '50s back to their rightful owners. Jeremy's getting despe...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in November, 2008
"Jeremy Fink and the meaning of life" is a great middle school adventure book. I love the ways that this book brings out so many topics including the obvious, the meaning of life. As Jeremy and his best friend Lizzie journey through the book they encounter all walks of iife and get varying opinions about what life is all about, how we got here (including Big Bang and God's will) and what the importance is of living on this earth. It is also an excellant example of personal growth, a...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
This one started off rather slow. It finally piqued my curiosity about midway through and then I had to finish it to find out what was in the box. I am so glad I stuck with it. What a beautiful ending and a wonderful lesson on life from a boy's long-gone father. Here is an old folktale he shared with his son that is worth retelling to every teenager.
"A fight is going on inside me," said an old man to his son. "It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil. ...more
"A fight is going on inside me," said an old man to his son. "It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One wolf is evil. ...more
Read in July, 2007
i was attracted to this book solely by its cover– old fashioned keys dangling from strings. i was then pleasantly surprised to discover that the book actually has some substance and was interesting to read. not sure how i feel about the ending (everything wraps up really rather neatly) but i did enjoy it. basic storyline: jeremy fink’s dad died when jeremy was 8. a few months before his 13th birthday, he receives a wooden box with 4 keyholes from his dad’s lawyer. the box had been created ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life is by award winning author Wendy Mass. This remarkable book is about a twelve-year-old (almost thirteen) boy named Jeremy Fink. He is an inquirer that isn’t very brave. With his best friend Lizzy, they are on a journey to find four different keys to a certain box Jeremy’s father gave him on his 8th birthday to open on his 13th. This box has the words The Meaning of Life engraved right on the front. About two weeks after Jeremy’s 8th birthday, his ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Wednesday was our final summer Guys Read Book Club in the Park. We discussed Jeremy Fink and The Meaning of Live by Wendy Mass. I was worried at first that the new third graders would not enjoy the book, but I was wrong. They did, and really enjoyed it. It was fun listening to them talk about life. Innocent eyes refresh old teachers!
I enjoyed Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. As parents dropped off their boys they commented on how much they enjoyed reading the book. It reminds us w...more
I enjoyed Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life. As parents dropped off their boys they commented on how much they enjoyed reading the book. It reminds us w...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2007
This is one of the best YA books I've read this year. Jeremy is turning 13 and his father has left him a box as his inheritance. (His dad died at age 40, just as was eerily predicted when he too was 13 years old by a fortune teller on the Jersey shore boardwalk. If he can figure out how to carefully unlock it, he'll find "the meaning of life". He and his crazy best friend/neighbor Lizzy are on a quest to locate the four special keys needed to open it, which won't be easy since they...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in December, 2007
recommended to Kristin by:
Jaclyn (6th grader)recommends it for: middle school students
This book has kind of an addictive quality to it. As I was reading, I wasn't sure how much I liked it. But the characters stuck in my mind and eventually grew on me. By the end of the book, I was thouroughly hooked. It's definitely a journey that you have to take through the entire book, but the ending is quite powerful. So overall I did like this book. But I still think that A Mango-Shaped Space is Wendy Mass' best book.
Added later:
I have to say though...one of my sixth grade...more
Added later:
I have to say though...one of my sixth grade...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
A funny book. About a boy, named Jeremy Fink and he's about to turn thirteen but a wooden box comes in the mail. It was from his dad, but he past away. The problem was that he didn't have the key for the box. Starts an adventure with his best friend to find the key and figure out the meaning of life.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
to-read
(on 101 people's shelves)
currently-reading (on 59 people's shelves)
young-adult (on 16 people's shelves)
realistic-fiction (on 3 people's shelves)
yal-outside-reading (on 2 people's shelves)
children (on 2 people's shelves)
mystery (on 2 people's shelves)
ya--mystery (on 1 person's shelf)
young-adult-books (on 1 person's shelf)
will-read (on 1 person's shelf)
More shelves...
currently-reading (on 59 people's shelves)
young-adult (on 16 people's shelves)
realistic-fiction (on 3 people's shelves)
yal-outside-reading (on 2 people's shelves)
children (on 2 people's shelves)
mystery (on 2 people's shelves)
ya--mystery (on 1 person's shelf)
young-adult-books (on 1 person's shelf)
will-read (on 1 person's shelf)
More shelves...
quotes from this book
"A wise man once remarked that we can count how many seeds are in the apple, but not how many apples are in the seed."
More quotes...
groups with this book
