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Jake And Lily (2012)

by Jerry Spinelli(Favorite Author)

3.98 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0060281359 (ISBN13: 9780060281359)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

Balzer + Bray

review 1: Jerry Spinelli does it once again. A beautiful book about growing up and finding yourself. Its told from alternate point of views of Jake and Lily. The story is about discovering oneself in the absence of a sibling, in this case a twin. I could relate to Lily's anguish when Jake, her twin brother abandons her to play with other boys. She tries to find and maintain a connection which was once very strong between the twins and is now lost. On the other hand, Jake becomes a bully and then tries to do the right thing.It was a wonderful read.Where was this book when I was growing up?
review 2: I have mixed feelings about this book. The beginning was slow but I really liked it after the basic story was set up about a third of the way through the book. Twins Jake an... mored Lily have always been each other's best friends and they share a sort of twin ESP which both rely on. However, the summer they're 10, they're given separate bedrooms and Jake decides to hang out with other boys. Lily is bereft. The first part of the book is about Lily trying to get Jake back. Their newly discovered grandfather, living down the street, helps Lily to understand that she's a whole person in herself, not merely half of "Jake and Lily," and that she needs to concentrate on her own wholeness and not obsess over what Jake is doing. In the meantime, Jake's friendships center around Bump, the neighborhood bully and the leader of their gang. The boys' "fun" centers around riding their bikes and identifying and making fun of anyone not conforming to Bump's ideas of normal.Over the summer, Jake learns he doesn't want to be like Bump, that nonconformists have some very positive attributes. Lily learns she can be whole unto herself. Both learn they can have their own friends and their own activities without sacrificing their "twinness."As the mother of identical twins, I felt very sorry for Lily and her need to be part of "Jake and Lily" with no recognition of herself as a separate person. I read through that part of the book saying to myself "What were the parents thinking? Didn't they see they had 2 kids, not one kid in 2 bodies? Even though the kids had separate interests, what specifically did they do to give each child a sense of self?" Not much, apparently. Jake started discovering his independent self at age 10, forcing Lily, with the help of their grandfather, to do the same. That part I liked, the coming of age part.I'm also not so sure about some of the stereotypes involved in twin ESP. I know some of it is documented, but Lily's reliance on it seems extreme. 4th grade and up, boys and girls although girls might be more interested. Expect questions regarding twin behavior. less

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