In fact, the first book in the series, Jake the Fake Keeps it Real, opens with Jake's explaining how he faked his way through an audition into an arts and music academy for gifted kids and cheated on the academic admission portion, so there's that. Now, Jake is not a perfect kid, not by a long shot. 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. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title Jake the Fake Keeps It Real Author Craig Robinson, Adam Mansbach, et al

Jake the fake keeps his cool