Product Details Age Range: 8 - 12 years Grade Level: 3 - 7 Lexile Measure: 820L (What's this?) Series: Just Jake (Book 1) Hardcover: 160 pages Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (February 4, 2014) Language: English ISBN-10: 0448466929 ISBN-13: 978-0448466927
JUST JAKE introduces readers to sixth-grader Jake, whose life is turned upside down when his family moves from Florida to Maryland, where Jake must adapt to a new school. Jake has always ranked the kids at school in his hand-made, humorous “Kid Cards,” and when he arrives at his new school, Jake starts building a new collection, befriending as many people as he can while staying under the radar from the school bully. But what happens when the school bully decides Jake's next in line for annihilation and his Kid Cards get into the wrong hands?!! JUST JAKE is a genuine—and as Jake himself would say, AWESOME!—world of school, family, friends, and teachers; it’s the product of a writer talented well beyond his years.
Editorial Reviews From School Library Journal
Gr 4–6—Sixth-grader Jake Mathews's popularity has gone from a rank of 10 to a low of three, when he is forced to move from Flordia to Maryland. Jake's "Awesomeness" is put to the test in his new town as he struggles to make friends and fit in; resulting in his previously unshakeable confidence beginning to crumble. Marcionette, a sixth grader himself, creates a humorous character who takes readers on an enjoyable journey as he triumphs over a bully, fights with his explosive older sister, attempts to climb back to the top of the social ladder, and finds a group of friends he calls the "misfit toys". At times, Jake's arrogance can be overwhelming, but readers will see through it and realize it is simply a yearning to be accepted. Just Jake is filled with doodles, cut out photos, rules of Awesomeness, and clever "Kid Cards." Fans of Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (Abrams) and Rachel Renée Russell's "Dork Diaries"(S & S) will enjoy this title.—Megan McGinnis, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY
Biography
Hello Everyone!
It's me Jake! I'm your typical kid that loves playing and watching sports, hanging with my friends and wishing for snow days. I actually DO have a similar diabolical sister like the one I wrote about in Just Jake. I like to think of the book as semi-autobiographical. Lacrosse and basketball are my sports of choice and I love the Celtics, Patriots and the Red Sox.
I started writing in elementary school. Not because I had some burning passion for typing out my thoughts. Nope. I was FORCED to write by my mom; part of her wicked plot to ruin my chances of a carefree and fun summer.
After a few years of practice, I started to love writing and I hope you get a chance to read my books. To learn more about me, please visit JustJake.com and follow me on Twitter @jakemarcionette
Just Jake: Dog Eat Dog #2 Hardcover – March 31, 2015 by Jake Marcionette (Author), Victor Rivas Villa (Illustrator) Just Jake: Dog Eat Dog #2: Jake Marcionette, Victor Rivas Villa: 9780448466934: Amazon.com: Books http://www.amazon.com/Just-Jake-Dog-Eat/dp/0448466937
Product Details Age Range: 8 - 12 years Grade Level: 3 - 7 Lexile Measure: 0720 (What's this?) Series: Just Jake (Book 2) Hardcover: 196 pages Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap (March 31, 2015) Language: English ISBN-10: 0448466937 ISBN-13: 978-0448466934
Sixth grader Jake Ali Mathews is slowly climbing his way back up the ladder of popularity. Increasingly settled in his new school and with a great new best friend, Michael, everything seems to be going okay for Jake. Until Jake's beloved teacher, Mrs. Pilsner, has a baby and the students in Jake's homeroom are handed off to the super-scary substitute, Ms. Cane. Rather than teach through traditional methods, Ms. Cane decides to have these go-getters help her with a fledgling pet-grooming company. Dogs, cats, and more get bathed, popularity struggles become boardroom struggles, and Jake's friendship with Michael is tested. Even Jake's diabolical sister, Alexis, gets in on the puppy-cleaning action and hilarity ensues. But will Jake's brand of AWESOMENESS be enough to clean up this furry mess?
Editorial Reviews From School Library Journal
Gr 4–6—In this stand-alone sequel to Just Jake (Grosset & Dunlap, 2014), Jake has settled into Kinney Elemantary School but is thrown a curve when he gets a new teacher, Ms. Cane, who is extreme in appearance and teaching style. Instead of doing traditional schoolwork for the rest of the year, the class will take on a project: operating Ms. Cane's mobile pet-grooming business. Jake touts his "awesomeness," but like Wimpy Kid's Greg Heffley, he's no role model. Jake's understanding that Ms. Cane isn't using the kids to be mean (she's afraid of not having enough money to retire) evaporates the instant he is reassigned to a menial task other kids had been doing. His envy of buddy Michael's lacrosse and business skills undermines their friendship until Michael offers to help with the menial work. Author Marcionette, now in eighth grade, shows promise in moments of genuine wit (such as writing an amusing parental permission slip) despite heavy use of exclamation points to fabricate drama. Pop culture references including Vine, selfies, Yelp, and slang terms like adorbs may limit the title's circulation life. Villa's full-color cartoons, cutouts and captions support the tween humor; sharp-eyed readers will appreciate his flip animation drawings throughout. VERDICT Fun for those who can't get enough of the heavily illustrated, comic diary novel format.—Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY
About the Author
Jake Marcionette is a kid author and lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his family. His favorite sport is lacrosse. His first book, Just Jake #1 published in Winter 2014 to great success featuring national and local televsions spots, successful book signings and array of local and national print media. It debuted at No. 7 on the New York Times Best Seller List for Middle Grade books. He found his agent, Dan Lazar at Writer's House by googling "how to publish a book" and cold-calling agents.