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My Life as a Book

by Janet Tashjian (Goodreads Author), Jake Tashjian (Illustrator)

3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 · rating details · 1,072 ratings · 267 reviews

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 sillyinvestigations. 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 ot...more

Hardcover, 224 pages

Published July 6th 2010 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (first published January 1st 2010)

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Lists with This Book

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14th out of 42 books — 12 voters

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Community Reviews

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Jan 30, 2013 Derek rated it 5 of 5 stars

I liked the book My Life as a Book because it was about a kid that hates to read. The main character Derek Fallon who thought he was home free from school found out that he has to finish three books by the end of the summer. If that wasn't bad enough his mom had signed him up for summer camp. When he got to summer camp on the first day he met a girl that he knew from school Carly. He didn't like Carly because she was always the teacher's pet. While Derek was at summer camp he wanted to go home...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Cassandra rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-schoolers, realistic-fiction, young-adult, 5-stars, blog-widget

Okay, so my son who is in 6th grade was assigned to read this book for English class. He struggles with reading, and he was sort of freaking out about reading the book and being able to discuss it with his group in Socratic circles because the kids tend to be unforgiving with each other for mistakes. I told him we would read it together, so we would take turns reading it each day, and when he made a mistake with a word I helped him. I really loved this book because the boy in the book hated read...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Janie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-stars

This scholastic book my fifth grade brother got from his teacher that I decided to pick up and read because it was just lying around was pretty awesome despite its intended audience. The doodles are fun, the story is pretty good, and the narrator is pretty likable. Derek is a twelve year old who has big plans for summer vacation. However, he has summer homework. Side note: he spends a LOT of time griping about how horrible it is to be forced to read.

The book starts with him hiding in his attic...more This scholastic book my fifth grade brother got from his teacher that I decided to pick up and read because it was just lying around was pretty awesome despite its intended audience. The doodles are fun, the story is pretty good, and the narrator is pretty likable. Derek is a twelve year old who has big plans for summer vacation. However, he has summer homework. Side note: he spends a LOT of time griping about how horrible it is to be forced to read.

The book starts with him hiding in his attic from his "read read read" mother when he finds a newspaper article about a girl who drowned ten years ago. That was a shock. There's no way to take sort of thing lightly, even if it does become a juvenile “investigating a mystery” novel. This article does play a very important role, and the book does a very good job of balancing a more somber plot thread along with the normal silly shenanigans that the menace of a character often gets into.

The format of the book is pretty interesting. Derek talks very early on about how drawing helps him to understand vocabulary, which explains the numerous stick-figure drawings all over the margins defining words. The illustrations are so simplistic, and some of them are pretty clever. These doodles aren’t too consistent with Derek’s “I work so hard on all my drawings” attitude in the text, although this was a school assignment. I never thought I’d read about the use of a pen-tablet to animate drawings in a children’s novel before. And that was amazing.

On top of that, the other characters are done very well as well. There are sort of the generic “cool but responsible” parents, a “stick up the butt” teacher who is admittedly cool outside of school, “teacher’s pet” pain that we get to love. Well, the parents are certainly a lot more interesting than the generic parents. The dad is movie story-boarder/animator/illustrator, and the mother is a veterinarian who owns her own business. And they are awesome people. They get frustrated at their son, but it’s obvious that they care about him a lot. Though the dad’s job didn’t seem too realistic. If he’s a MOVIE-SET STORYBOARDER, how does he possibly have all this time to go on all these vacations and how does he work at home and et cetera. But I’m just nitpicking now.

What kept this book from five stars was inconsistency. It took me approximately 50 pages to figure out how old Derek is because his preferred activities and thinking suggest that he's maybe aged 5-9, but sometimes his wit and ways of putting things put him at maybe 11-13. Yeah I'm sure most twelve year olds spend their time nagging their mothers for pet monkeys and drawing sideburns on their father's faces with sharpies in a genuine act of trying to make Dad feel better about his age. He often refers to the Calvin and Hobbs cartoon, and I think the author got most of Derek's personality from Calvin. But twelve years old? That was a little bizarre.

Whatever. The book's meant for ages 8-12. What can I expect? For what I got, I was surprised. It’s one of the rare elementary level books that can be enjoyed in high school. At least by me.

Side note: it smelled of nostalgia.
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Dec 17, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

My Life as a Book
Janet Tashjian
Genre: Humor

Derek Fallon absolutely hates to read. He will do anything to avoid reading fiction, nonfiction, you name it. If you count graphic novels like Calvin and Hobbes and Garfield, then that’s a whole different story. No pun intended.

Derek does not want to go to Learning Camp. But that’s exactly where his mother and father are sending him for the summer after he let the capuchin monkey out of the cage at his mother’s Veterinarian business. How did Derek know...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: schoolage, schoolage-boy, schoolage-family

I don't give up on many books. In fact, I think this might be the 3rd one ever. Yes, it's seriously that bad. Vetaran author Janet Tashjian is known for her, by all accounts, clever Gospel According to Larry series, but this effort for younger readers falls flat. Tashjian so obviously wants to mimic Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, but not only does she completely miss the mark with the humor, the drawings are atrociously bad and the marriage between the text and illustrations a shaky...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dearborn-public-library-owned, chapter-fiction, realistic-fiction, wimpy-kid-read-alike

Looking for something to read before the next Wimpy Kid comes out? Looking for something with a bit more substance than the Wimpy Kid books? This is the book for you!

This was a fun read. More granola bar than candy. You know, not really good for you, but not utterly devoid of mental nutrition.

Derek Fallon is the kid that would read those other books, if he read books at all. He really, really, really doesn't like books. Well, not entirely true. He loves cartoons, especially Calvin and Hobbes. He...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

My first impression is that this book could be titled "Strategies to Encourage a Reluctant Reader: In Novel Form." The author describes ways that the main character's family and teachers try to help him with his reading, such as chocolate chip rewards, closing eyes to imagine a scene, and drawing vocabulary words.

The drawings in the novel are not spectacular, or as important to the overall humor of the book as the drawings in Wimpy Kid, but I learned at the end that they are drawn by the author...more

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Dec 21, 2010 Jackie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: animals-dogs, art, books, children-fiction, friendship, summer, humor

Quite a clever and engaging read, My Life as a Book is humorous and thoughtful. Derek Fallon is labeled a reluctant reader and pulls just about every trick under the sun to avoid the three assigned books for summer reading. Every kid (and good librarians) knows that all you have to do is give a kid something he likes and WANTS to read and he'll do it. Derek procrastinates until the end of summer, all the while investigating the death of a young teenage girl some ten years ago on a beach in Marth...more

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Oct 01, 2010 Sweet on Books rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reader-sr, melissa-g

On the run from his mom who is trying to bribe him to read, Derek ends up in his attic and discovers a ten year-old newspaper article about a 17 year-old girl found dead on the beach in Martha’s Vineyard. As you can imagine, this peaks Derek’s curiosity. He begs his mom for information but she’s keeping it to herself. With this story in the back of his mind, Derek is about to begin his summer vacation. Much to his dismay, his teacher reminds him about the summer reading list, which is about the...more On the run from his mom who is trying to bribe him to read, Derek ends up in his attic and discovers a ten year-old newspaper article about a 17 year-old girl found dead on the beach in Martha’s Vineyard. As you can imagine, this peaks Derek’s curiosity. He begs his mom for information but she’s keeping it to herself. With this story in the back of his mind, Derek is about to begin his summer vacation. Much to his dismay, his teacher reminds him about the summer reading list, which is about the last thing that Derek wants to think about. When Derek refers to his reading tutor as “SATAN!” on page 4 of the book, you get a pretty good idea as to how he feels about reading. It’s clearly not his first choice. He would rather draw, read comics like Calvin and Hobbes or Garfield and generally break the rules than sit down with a book – especially one he has been told to read.

Derek spends much of the summer trying to figure out the mystery behind that newspaper article. When his best friend Matt goes on vacation to Martha’s Vineyard, he‘s not only sad that he can’t go too, he is jealous that Matt is getting closer to the scene of the incident about which he is so curious. Although generally good-natured, Derek’s imagination and search for fun and games tend to get him in trouble. After he sneaks Pedro the monkey out of his veterinarian mom’s clinic/office, his parents feel he has gone too far and they decide to send him to Learning Camp. It is here, with the help of one of the counselors, that he begins to form a new strategy for reading – imagining each paragraph as a movie.

As summer slips by, Derek manages to learn more about the girl who died and eventually convinces his parents to take a trip to Martha’s Vineyard. Not only does he discover the beauty of Martha’s Vineyard, so different from his home in California, he comes to understand what happened that day on the beach so many years ago. This revelation has a huge impact on him and his family. There is an element of sadness to this part of the story and also a very touching scene where they confront the mother of the girl who died years ago.

This book is very current, referring to pop culture and technology. Derek has a huge imagination and you can see it in the creative games he plays and the expressive illustrations that interpret his vocabulary words. Throughout the book, we learn a lot about how he feels, what he’s thinking and who his friends and family are. We see his character develop and learn that beneath the surface, and all the misbehaving, he is a really thoughtful, caring and insightful boy. From his experience that summer, Derek seems to grasp that life is about choices that have potentially serious consequences. He also realizes that life is not always perfect and that sometimes it is better to show compassion than it is to be right. Readers will relate to Derek and will also feel inspired by him.(less)

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Aug 22, 2010 CeeAnne rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book caught my interest as it is being compared to Jeff Kinney's books. My middle school son loves Greg Heffley, and so I was excited to win this through first reads. My Life as a Book has some similarities to the Wimpy Kid books, but it definitely has a more serious tone. The main character, Derek, is searching for answers to a mysterious drowning. He finds a newspaper clipping about it in the attic, and he discovers that his mother doesn't want him to know more.

One thing that I loved abou...more

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Jul 07, 2010 Sheila rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As Derek tries to get out of reading both in school and during the summer, it is reading that gets him into his greatest trouble. Discovering an old newspaper in the attic Derek questions his mother about it but she will not answer him. Deciding that she is hiding something Derek makes it his mission to find out who Susan James is. When he finds out his best friend Matt is going to Martha’s Vineyard Derek tries to go along since that is where Susan James died. Derek figures that’s a good place t...more As Derek tries to get out of reading both in school and during the summer, it is reading that gets him into his greatest trouble. Discovering an old newspaper in the attic Derek questions his mother about it but she will not answer him. Deciding that she is hiding something Derek makes it his mission to find out who Susan James is. When he finds out his best friend Matt is going to Martha’s Vineyard Derek tries to go along since that is where Susan James died. Derek figures that’s a good place to start investigating the death. His plans are thwarted. He manages to drive his parents crazy so he gets sent to Learning Camp for the summer. Turns out the teacher’s pet, Carly, is also there. How much worse can his summer get! Well, he’s about to find out.

I loved My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian. It is funny, sad, and not what I expected. As Derek struggles to do his reading, he draws pictures of the words he doesn’t know. In the margins of the book Janet Tashjian’s son, Jake, does the same. The pictures enhance the book. Fantastic!

As Derek persists in following the mystery of the newspaper article his mother finally breaks down and tells him that Susan James was his babysitter when they were at Martha’s Vineyard and died saving him from drowning. This still does not settle Derek. He wants to know more about her. Using the internet he discovers a website for her. People leave messages on it and he does too. Susan’s mother responds to it. Derek knows not to let his parents know about the contact.

Eventually though he needs to learn more about Susan. He convinces (nags) his parents into visiting his grandmother in Boston. They go and revisit the beach at Martha’s Vineyard. They also meet a friend of Susan’s who was with Susan and Derek at the beach. She tells them what happened. When Derek’s mom finds out the truth she is incensed. She wants to confront Susan’s mother. When the opportunity arrives, she is unable to do it.

Derek is a scream. The more outrageous an idea, the more Derek pursues it but he learns so much that summer. He learns that Carly is a better James Bond then he and Matt. He learns to make movies in his head when reading. That’s what I’ve done for years. He learns that sometimes, even if you have the truth, it is better to sacrifice and allow a person her memories so she can get through her life.

My Life as a Book is a wonderful read for both children and their parents. Derek and his lessons will be with me for a long time. This is a book I will not forget.
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Dec 10, 2009 Waller rated it 4 of 5 stars

(Due out July 2010)

The enormous popularity of the *Wimpy Kid* series seems likely to produce a slew of imitations in the next couple of years, just as the Harry Potter books had every publisher looking for the next fantasy hit series. *My Life as a Book* looks at first glance a lot like *Wimpy Kid* - a similar kid-friendly font, stick-figure illustrations, and a narrator with a cocky and self-absorbed attitude. (The illustrations here are by the author's 14-year-old son, for various "vocabulary...more

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Aug 22, 2010 Katey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-books, fiction, first-reads

I won this in a First Reads giveaway.

I admit that certain kids will enjoy this; it's an interesting story with an interesting semi-modified format with the addition of the stick figure vocabulary words throughout the story. Certain kids will especially enjoy this if they too are "reluctant readers" and their parents let them get away with all sorts of things.

As an adult, there were aspects at which I continuously grimaced throughout the book- mostly at the parents of Derek, the main character/re...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Haley rated it 5 of 5 stars

In the book My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian, Derek, doesn’t like to read but likes to draw pictures like his dad, who is a story board writer for movies. Derek wants to create his own picture book of adventures. Set in present time, Derek is a twelve-year old boy who lives in California. For the summer, Derek is going to learning camp. His friend Matt is going to Martha’s Vineyard for the summer. His classmate Carly is taking care of the class’s hedgehog named Ginger over the summer. Derek f...more In the book My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian, Derek, doesn’t like to read but likes to draw pictures like his dad, who is a story board writer for movies. Derek wants to create his own picture book of adventures. Set in present time, Derek is a twelve-year old boy who lives in California. For the summer, Derek is going to learning camp. His friend Matt is going to Martha’s Vineyard for the summer. His classmate Carly is taking care of the class’s hedgehog named Ginger over the summer. Derek finds a ten -year old article in the attic about his babysitter’s drowning at a beach in Martha’s Vineyard. The article did not say how Susan James, his babysitter had died. Derek asks his mother, a veterinarian, about what happened but she didn’t want to tell him or discuss it. Derek wanted to learn more about what happened to Susan. He plans to convince his parents to go to Martha’s Vineyard so that he can solve the drowning mystery.

Derek did not believe that his mother told him everything about the drowning. His mom said that Susan took him as a toddler to the beach without her knowing. Susan had saved Derek’s life when he had wandered into the water. However, Susan was pulled underwater by the waves and drowned. His mom comforts him since he was only two –years old and wasn’t responsible for what happened. Derek had more questions about the drowning but his mom wouldn’t answer any more of them. Over the next few days, Derek spends time at his mom’s clinic. Derek meets Pedro at the clinic. Pedro is a monkey who helps people in wheelchairs do activities. Derek then goes to summer school and sees Carly there. He likes his camp counselor Margot. Margot tells Derek to picture in his mind what is being read. Derek likes that idea and makes a flip-o-rama out of the pictures he had drawn. Over the weekend he searches for information on the computer about Susan James. He finds an online entry about Susan James written by her friend Lauren. Derek decides to post a message about Susan. In his message, he thanks Susan for saving him. Derek then suggests to his parents that they should go to Martha’s Vineyard for a week to see their grandma. His mom agrees that he can visit grandma for awake and visit Susan’s mom. Derek has a secret plan to meet Lauren who owns jewelry store in Martha’s Vineyard. Derek and his parents then fly to Massachusetts with their dog Bodi and take a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. They see grandma and then visit Lauren’s jewelry store. Derek was scared to talk to Lauren because he thought she would be mad at him for killing her best friend. When they drove a block away, Derek told his parents a lie to make his parents drive back to the store. When Derek went back into the store, he asked Lauren what happened to Susan. Lauren told him the whole story. Derek now knew that the drowning was not his fault. Susan had left Derek out on the beach while Susan was in the water. Susan’s mom has made up a story that Susan saved Derek’s life. Derek’s mom was surprised and angry that Mrs. James had lied to her. Derek and his parents then visit Mrs. James. When Derek’s mom sees how much Mrs. James loved her daughter, she didn’t say anything about the lie. Their last visit was to the beach where Susan James had died. At the beach, they received a phone call that the class hedgehog had died at Carly’s house. Derek comforts Carly on the phone. The summer ends with Carly, Matt, and Derek becoming good friends. Derek goes back to school. I think he is going to do better in school and become great at making movies. I would recommend this book to other people because it shows that kids can solve mysteries like adults.

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Nov 04, 2012 Ngnadig rated it 4 of 5 stars

This clever book centers on Derek, a "reluctant reader" who is hounded by his mother, teacher, librarian, to read. Only Derek likes to read, just not what teachers think he should like to read. When summer comes, Derek wants to make avocado grenades with his friend Matt. Mom wants him to go to smart camp to improve his reading. What Derek REALLY wants to do is solve the mystery of the newspaper article he found in a box in his attic, the one that tells of a 17-year-old girl who drowned ten years...more

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Dec 02, 2011 Erin Forson rated it 3 of 5 stars

My Life as a Book
by Janet Tashjian and illustrations by Jake Tashjian
If you hate to read, then you will love Derek Fallon. Derek is an artist, not a reader; so, when his English teacher assigns three books for summer reading, and his mother sentences him to “learning camp,” as punishment for his rowdy ways, he is depressed to say the least. That is until he finds a mysterious article in the attic about a teenage girl who drowned on the other side of the country—and when he asks his mother about...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: firstreads

Quick, light, entertaining book for older elementary kids. If you have a child that struggles with wanting to read, this book might appeal (especially boys with ADD). It has an uplifting and encouraging message without being too preachy.

If you recommend this book to a child, definitely screen it first, since there's a lot of behavior NOT worthy of emulation, and you may want to be able to discuss it. The main character has a lot of what some would call behavioral issues, and though there is som...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Tessa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemp-realistic, just-adventury

I bought this book having little idea what it was about, but it looked fun and only cost a dollar. I ended up really liking it. Derek gets himself into all sorts of Calvin-and-Hobbes-esque trouble, ending up on the roof with croquet mallets at one point. I loved his huge imagination. He throws snark in the blatant attempts of parents and teachers to force him to learn.

The doodles on the side of the pages were fun. I didn't know until finishing the book that the illustrations were done by the au...more

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Sep 26, 2012 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-with-kids

My oldest 3 (ages 8, 9, 10) loved this book! Even my 6 year-old listened most every time I read, and my 4 year-old hung out with us and laughed when the big kids did. We started My Life as a Book by having a book reading "party" with a couple friends. We read about a third of the book by taking turns reading chapters with a play break every 20-30 minutes. I read the rest to my kids at bedtimes over the past few days. It really kept their attention. The main character is a bit of a trouble maker...more

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Mar 12, 2011 babyhippoface rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: humor, kids-fiction

Resist the temptation to compare this book to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series--they are really nothing alike other than the fact that they both star a young boy and have stick-figure drawings throughout. That's about where the similarities end.

Derek is an ornery, even disobedient kid when we meet him. He doesn't want anything to do with reading unless it's Calvin & Hobbes books, he tends to be selfish, and he has a major problem with impulse control. If he thinks it would be funny, he'll do...more

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Aug 22, 2010 thewanderingjew rated it 4 of 5 stars

My Life As A Book, Janet Tashjian
This is a delightful, humorous tale of a boy’s coming of age. A mischievous 12 year old, who takes enormous pleasure in disobeying rules and having fun, has exhausted his parent's patience and is being sent to learning camp for the summer instead of being allowed to stay home and simply have fun. His efforts at these hilarious escapades sometimes backfire because some of his pranks are fun to him but could be dangerous to others. He tries to use a sun lamp to set...more My Life As A Book, Janet Tashjian
This is a delightful, humorous tale of a boy’s coming of age. A mischievous 12 year old, who takes enormous pleasure in disobeying rules and having fun, has exhausted his parent's patience and is being sent to learning camp for the summer instead of being allowed to stay home and simply have fun. His efforts at these hilarious escapades sometimes backfire because some of his pranks are fun to him but could be dangerous to others. He tries to use a sun lamp to set the grass on fire, draws grids on avocados meant for dinner then uses them as hand grenades, smashing them over the driveway, torments his babysitter by locking himself and his dog in the car, lighting up the trees around his house with Xmas, lights in the summer.
In the attic, while exploring before leaving for camp, he finds an old newspaper article about a girl who drowns on Nantucket. He questions his mom as to why she saved it but she is evasive. His friend goes there on his vacation and between his friend and his own research over the summer, he discovers the truth about the incident, a truth that has been hidden from everyone.
By the end of the story, Derek has matured and becoming more responsible. He grows up and into himself and becomes more level headed and compassionate. He matures. He still likes to break rules but he is more thoughtful about the ones he breaks. He learns patience from a service monkey he spends time with, who helps the son of an acquaintance of his mom. The monkey never gives up until he masters the task. He never throws up his arms in frustration and abandons the task as Derek often does. He learns how to take direction and not give up. At camp, he learns to appreciate reading. He discovers that there is always someone better than he may be but he is proud of his own accomplishments.
The cartoons drawn by the author's son to illustrate vocabulary words, are delightful. The book is just over 200 pages with 30+ short chapters that will delight both boys and girls. It is easy to read and is both funny and touching.
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Oct 18, 2011 Pamela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-elem, 4-middle-sch, a-fic, c-family-life, c-school-friends, c-humorous

This is billed as an alternative to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, perhaps because there are stick-figure drawings on most pages, but the story is much more substantial. I found the main character in the Wimpy Kid books very whinny, plus not very likeable, especially considering how he treats and talks about his supposedly best friend. In contrast, this book's main character is funny, believable, likeable, curious, and someone you might actually like to know (except, perhaps, as his teacher). The drawing...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, children-s, mystery

Derek Fallon is determined to enjoy his summer break. He has plans to hang out with his best friend, skateboard, and enjoy freedom from school. His mother and teacher, however, plan for hims to complete some summer reading. Derek is a reluctant reader, a theme that pops up repeatedly but isn't overly discussed.

Between having fun and avoiding his reading, Derek finds a newspaper clipping about a teenage girl who drowned at Martha's Vineyard. After doing a little research and bugging his mom, he...more

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Aug 28, 2010 Meghan rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is the story of a 12 year old boy looking forward to a summer of adventure but who is disappointed when his attempts at summer hijinx are continuously foiled. His parents won't let him go on vacation with his best friend and instead send him to a day camp focusing on education. He doesn't exactly come to love learning along the way, but he does make it all the way through one of his summer reading books and he befriends a classmate who he formerly avoided because she was a teacher's pet typ...more

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Aug 29, 2012 Katie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-for-kids

I was very disappointed in this book. With all the great reviews I expected more. The main character was pretty annoying and not all that funny. The parents were way too permissive and let the son walk all over them. No good role models there for kids. The serious moments of philosophy that pop up are a bit overdone and seem to be a poor effort to add some depth to a pretty shallow book. The best part of the book is the pictures illustrating vocabulary words in the margins. Unfortunately, if the...more

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Nov 06, 2010 Sandra Stiles rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grades, realistic-fiction

As a Language ARts and Reading teacher, my number one goal has always been to get students who think they don't like to read, to discover they do like to read. Often it is because they have no say in what they read. Other times it is because it is too difficult for them.

Derek is like this, he likes to read but not what others think he should read. He has been given a summer reading assignment. He is doing everything he can to avoid it. He stumbles across an old trunk in the attic with a newspape...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Katie Kerns rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My Life as a Book
By: Janet Tashjian

Derek is the main character of this realistic fiction novel. He is around 11 years old and he hates to read. His mom, teacher, and reading tutor are always making him read. Derek would rather read and draw comic books. He is a wild only child. Derek's mom is a vet and her office is next door to their house. He is always playing with the animals that are staying there; this includes a very friendly monkey. Derek's dad is a cartoonist and animator of movies. This...more

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Dec 24, 2010 Barb Moore rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: coming-of-age, humor

Another Wimpy-Kid-inspired chapter book with doodle illustrations, ostensibly by the narrator. In this case, Derek illustrates his vocabulary words with stick-figure drawings. His dad is a story-board artist for movies, and Derek takes art seriously--but can't be bothered with reading, particularly assigned reading. His parents put up with his total lack of impulse control with great patience--he's sort of a Joey Pigza on speed, without Joey's endearing qualities. He manipulates his parents into...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Gail rated it 5 of 5 stars

I gave this book to my 9 year old grandson for Christmas. He loved it. After he had all of his gifts open he sat down and started reading it. He has aspergers and he loves to read. I didn't realize that this book was similar to The Wimpy Kids series. He showed me at the top of the book it mentions the Wimpy Kid books. The cover and title was what drew me to the book and I was pretty sure he would like it. He read it once and than started reading it again. He showed me there is another book like...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Debbie Tanner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: chapter-books, realistic-fiction

This is a funny little book about a kid who hates to read. He has a loving, supportive family who wants to help, although he's having none of it! He is very good at evading reading and being as big of a pain to everyone around him as possible. He starts off thinking summer vacation is going to be terrible (his mom a vet, and his dad an illustrator, can't really afford to take time off). His parents decide that he should go to a learning camp to help him read better. He does not think this is a w...more

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Reading log #14	1	1	Jun 01, 2012 03:46pm
Reading log #13	1	1	May 29, 2012 03:34pm
Reading log #12	2	4	May 29, 2012 05:53am
Readin log #9	1	1	May 23, 2012 08:44am
reading log #11	1	1	May 11, 2012 03:24pm

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Humor

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Childrens > Middle Grade

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Childrens

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Childrens > Juvenile

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Humor > Funny

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Family

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Childrens > Chapter Books

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Academic > School

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About Janet Tashjian

I write almost every day. If I don't, the words start backing up inside me and it gets ugly fast. My mind pretty much never stops -- I have more ideas than time to write them in. Nothing makes me happier than coming up with characters and story lines for a new project. My family and friends very graciously put up with my barrage of new ideas.

I grew up in East Providence, Rhode Island. My father wa...more

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Books by Janet Tashjian

The Gospel According to Larry (Gospel According to Larry, #1)

Vote for Larry (Gospel According to Larry, #2)

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My Life as a Book

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