Jake and Lily

Beloved Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli, author of Maniac Magee and Wringer, addresses issues of identity, belonging, family, and bullying in this humorous and heartfelt novel about twins.

Jake and Lily are twins. Despite their slightly different interests and temperaments, they feel exactly the same--like two halves of one person. But the year they turn eleven, everything changes. Their parents announce it's time for separate bedrooms. Jake starts hanging out with a pack of boys on the block. And Lily is devastated, not to mention angry. Who is she without Jake? And as her brother falls under the influence of the neighborhood bully, he also must ask himself--who is the real Jake?

This is an often funny, poignant, and profound story of growing up, growing apart, and the difficult process of figuring out who you really are.

Winner of Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Grades 3-6) 2015
Short-listed for Buckeye Children's Book Award (Grades 3-5) 2014
Short-listed for Massachusetts Children's Book Award 2013
Short-listed for Rhode Island Children's Book Awards 2014

“"Spinelli's hallmark issues”

★ "Spinelli adroitly balances emotional tension with introspective moments in this smart and funny story." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Spinelli is a poet of the prepubescent...Nobody is better than Spinelli when it comes to creating the grade-school world of qualified innocence--and treading a fine line between challenge and reassurance." -- New York Times Book Review

"Each character is portrayed with emotional subtlety and conviction, while their juxtaposed viewpoints bring the energy of opposing forces to the story." -- Booklist

"Double the feelings, double the fun." -- Kirkus Reviews

--individuality, nonconformity, alienation, standing up for the little guy--figure prominently, and the messages are convincingly worked into the story." -- Horn Book Magazine

Jerry Spinelli received the Newbery Medal for Maniac Magee and a Newbery Honor for Wringer. His other books include Stargirl; Love, Stargirl; Smiles to Go; Loser; Jake and Lily; Hokey Pokey; and The Warden's Daughter. His novels are recognized for their humor and poignancy, and his characters and situations are often drawn from his real-life experience as a father of six children. Jerry lives with his wife, Eileen, also a writer, in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

This is a story about me, Lily. And me, Jake. We're twins and we're exactly alike. Not exactly! Whatever. This is a book we wrote about the summer we turned eleven and Jake ditched me. Please. I just started hanging out with some guys in the neighborhood. Right. So anyway, this is a book about goobers and supergoobers bullies clubhouses true friends things getting built and wrecked and rebuilt and about figuring out who we are. We wrote this together (sort of) so you'll get to see both sides of our story. But you'll probably agree with my side. You always have to have the last word, don't you? Yes!

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