Jake and Lily

I remember I tried reading Stargirl a few years ago and wasn't able to finish. Now I have more endurance when it comes to books, which is good because this book took a lot of perseverance.

The premise seemed cute and as if it would be something I'd like. And it started out that way. Sort of. This book had no real flow and was just all over the place. One chapter, Jake and Lily are inseparable. Next chapter Jake is running off with his new friends, acting as if he doesn't have a sister. Poppy tells Lily she needs to get mad. (First off, who tells a 12 year old, they NEED to get mad? That it will help them? Really?) Then he turns around and tells her, "Nope, never mind."

A lot of the story is Jake and Lily repeating the same things over and over again. Lily tries a new hobby. Hates it. Tries another one. Hates it. Jake can't get over what he did to the Goober. He dreams about it. It haunts him. He always sees those eyes. Over and over and OVER again. And while from Lily's point of view, days upon days are passing, Jake's point of view is from one single day drug out over the course of several chapters. It was hard to keep track of what was going on.

And then, after two-thirds of the book was spent on how distant the twins had become, the final chapters (maybe two or three) they make up and are back to normal just like that. Like I said, no flow. I'm pretty sure this book could have been cut in half and it would have been a better story.

A lot of the books humor is made up of toilet humor (lots of burping, comments about farting, spitting, a lot of "crap" and "poop" statements). I get that this book is aimed at tweens, but it seems extremely childish.

I'm sorry that this sounds extremely negative, I know lots of people love this book, but I found it hard to trudge through it. I just don't understand what's so special about it.

JAKE AND LILY
5 out of 5
Have you ever separated from your twin or friend?
The book Jake and Lily is a great book for kids to read. The year they turn eleven everything changed. Their parents announced it’s time to separate bedrooms, and Jake started to hang out with a pack of boys on the block. Lily devastated not to mention really, mad. She was struggle to make friends and get a life apart from her twin, Jake finds himself with a neighborhood bully and has to know what kind of person he really is.
How they ended the book. All the details were good. There is paragraphs you can enjoy. How they taked turns talking. Jake and Lily is a great book for kids to read.
I think this book would be a great book for any age. Have fun reading to know what happened in the end of the book.

Jake is the sensible one; Lily is the spunky one. Jake likes strawberry ice cream; Lily likes chocolate. Jake hates getting in trouble; Lily secretly likes being sent to the attic dungeon (which her dad calls the "Cool-It Room") as punishment. Despite these differences --- which Lily, especially, is desperate to deny --- Jake and Lily are undoubtedly twins. Jake is 11 minutes older (a difference Lily would love to erase, too), but they are as close as a brother and sister can be.

They even share a psychic closeness --- which they name "goombla" --- a feeling that they know what the other is thinking or feeling even without being close by. When Lily is attacked by a neighborhood bully, Jake gets a matching bruise on his own arm and rushes to her aid. When the two of them are separated from their parents (and each other) at the beach, they still feel safe because they are confident the other is okay. "We weren't lost because we were with each other. We can be with each other even when we can't see each other. Even if we're miles apart." In a memorable scene near the book's beginning, the twins (who were born on the California Zephyr passenger train) independently sleepwalk to the train tracks near their house on the night of their birthday, and they wake up having shared the same dream.

But the truth about twins is that no matter what kind of special, even spiritual, closeness they share, they're never again as close as they were in the womb. For twins, the process of growing up also involves necessarily growing apart, defining oneself as an individual who is separate (and, yes, different) from the other. Author Jerry Spinelli explores that issue in a funny and truthful manner that will resonate not only with twins but also with their singleton friends.

Jake and Lily alternate telling the story --- usually by chapter, but sometimes even by sentence within the same chapter. The chapters are short and overlap with each other --- often in humorous ways --- giving readers the sense of how these siblings might interact in real life. At the beginning of the book, we feel immersed in Jake and Lily's relationship, but as the story progresses, and as the twins keep their own journals in response to a suggestion by their grandfather (who is also dealing with a very different sort of separation), we are gradually introduced to a wider world --- one that includes both Jake and Lily but also offers room for plenty of other relationships. In that way, reading the book is very much like following Jake and Lily's journey along with them.

JAKE AND LILY is a perfect gift for twins about to go to separate summer camps, enroll in separate classrooms, or even just sleep in separate bedrooms for the first time.

Reviewed by Norah Piehl on June 1, 2012

A fabulously told MG contemporary that is laced with humor, touching moments and the important lessons we all face when we start to grow up. Jake and Lily is a story MG readers and adults alike will enjoy. I loved having the chance to sit down and read this story, as well as having the change of getting to know twins Jake and Lilly. Though they're just a eleven years old, they've spent most of their life doing everything together, until now. As the twins make new friends, and develop different tastes, they learn that it's okay to let go and try new things with out the other.

Jake and Lily have always been best friends. They've done everything together. They play the same games, share a room together, and even know how the other one is thinking and feeling. They even share an incredibly strong connection to one another, which I was completely intrigued with. Each year on their birthday they end up sleep walking to the nearest train station together. Their connection to trains ties back to their birth, as they were both born on a train a few minutes apart. Now that they've turned eleven, everything is changing. Their parents have separated them into their own rooms, Jake makes friends with a group of neighborhood boys, and Lily is left trying to learn how to go on without the attachment of her brother. This is the year that the twins gain their independence, learn to rely on each other in a different way and enjoy the differences they both have.

I loved the way in which Jerry tells their story, and how he allowed me to get to know each character more. He allowed both Jake and Lily to tell their story together, by alternating their points of views. I loved it! The story is being told as they're writing about their experiences over the summer they turned eleven. Jake is the more laid back, level headed one, and Lily is the more upfront, feisty one. Together these two bring the humor, the heartbreak and the important lessons in friendship, honesty, letting go, standing up for themselves, bullying and growing up to the surface in this book. It was so easy for me, as an adult to identity with the emotions they both felt through out their story from when I was that age, and I feel it will be easy for a lot of younger readers to connect with Jake and Lily as they identify with those same/similar thoughts and feelings that the twins are experiencing.

I loved getting to see how Jake and Lily grew during the course of this story, and the changes they made. They each learned to find who they were, and were able to grow into their own person, instead of being "Jake and Lily". Though a lot of things change for them, I enjoyed getting to see how they both experience similar things, though their out comes are different. For Jake and Lily it was also important for them to learn how to connect with each other on a whole different level than they did before. Though I adored both Jake and Lily, I also loved the role some of the characters played in the book. Their Poppy has a huge support in helping Lily learn to cope with finding herself without her brother, and for Jake, it was his friend Soop who taught him some important lessons in friendship and honesty. There's so much more to be said about this book..... I'll end my review by saying this is a fabulous book and it's one I highly recommend picking up!

I just love Spinelli. Even though he tells a similar story with new names and faces, it's the kind of story you can never hear enough of, because every time you read it, you become just a little bit better.

The story reminded me of Crash, except that the duel narrators opens this one up to girls as well. Jake and Lily are twins who've always had a special connection, but as they get older Jake starts to pull away. As Lily gets closer to her long lost Poppy and struggles to cope with losing her best friend, Jake starts to hang out with the Death Ray boys who entertain themselves by pestering 'goobers', people who are just too much of everything and don't even know it.

It's a fun read with short chapters, but most importantly, kids won't be able to help being impressed as they read it. The twins find out for themselves the true definition of 'having a life' - pursuing interests and friends without being overly dependent on someone else, of courage and true bravery - standing up to bullying as opposed to dishing it out, of friendship - winning the respect and companionship of others rather than blindly following the lead of the kingpin, and finally, what it means to be a twin.

Spinelli should be compulsory reading for every middle school child (...and maybe parent and teacher too).

Jerry Spinelli is one of my favorite children's authors. MANIAC MAGEE, THE LIBRARY CARD, and STARGIRL were three of my absolute favorite books. JAKE AND LILY might not be an instant classic, but it is a wonderful story for boys and girls.

Jake and Lily are fraternal twins who sleepwalk to the train station on their birthday. It's one of many ways they're connected, including a sense for where the other is and what they're doing. But as they mature, they can't stay glued to each other. Jake starts hanging out with a group of neighborhood boys, led by Lily's archnemesis Bump Stubbins. Lily's left to her own devices, but she doesn't know who she is without her brother.

Spinelli manages to write about two very different subjects in a very natural way. There's a plotline about bullying and one about developing your own life. I liked that the bullying was something insidious - not deliberate maliciousness, but going along with the crowd because it's fun. It takes Jake awhile to realize into the consequences of his behavior, but he does eventually get a clue. (And the kid his friends bully, Ernie, is priceless.) Lily's storyline takes a little while longer to get going, but the force of her emotions carries her half of the book. She's sometimes sad and often angry. Lily's a girl of action, but she just doesn't know what to do when her brother pulls away from her.

Growing older is never easy, and JAKE AND LILY is a terrific tale of two kids getting it wrong and getting it right in turns. The dual point of view is a terrific device that helps point out the difficulties Jake and Lily have in assessing their own attitude. This title will especially appeal to kids having trouble with their siblings or with a bully.

Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli. Jake ana Lily are twins.In the beginning they both have the same dream of beingat a train station and both of smell pickles. My favorite character is Lily because I see myself like her as a girl. This book is so good that there is no part in the book I didn’t dislike. I recommend this book to kids that are twins or not. This is a realistic fiction book for anyone that likes this category. Enjoy.
By:Mariana

IN A SENTENCE:

While Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli is full of heart and laughs, this isn't one of his better books--there was something missing in this book for me, the thing that makes the book or breaks it.

REVIEW:

Oh, how can I put how I feel about this book into words? I love Jerry Spinelli's books. They are so good, but Jake and Lily wasn't my favorite. I'm not entirely sure why, but there was something off about this book--the thing that "clicks" with me in books.

I really wanted to like this one--I mean, I LOVE the premise. But that's probably one of my problems with it. When I went into this book, I expected Jake and Lily to figure out their special abilities, yet they don't. They figure out how to live without the other, that having a life of your own is okay too. It just... it felt like if the special abilities subplot was taken away, it wouldn't have mattered. Lily talks about her special-ness, yet they never do anything about it. It's all talk and no action when it comes down to the oddness of Jake and Lily.

This book, while told in dual narrative, is really Lily's story. Jake knows how to have a life without Lily, but it's Lily's journey--of learning how to get a life without Jake--that makes up a majority of the book. I think had the book just been narrated by Lily, we would have thought Jake was a jerk for doing what he does to his twin sister. This way we get a perspective of Jake's side. It really takes the meaning "there's two sides to a story" and applies it to this book.

I know I had a major problem with Jake and Lily; they can be so mean to each other and other people throughout this book and it made me cringe. Especially Jake and his friends to Ernest. It made me so angry and sad to see how they treated him. And Lily calls one of her school friends a "bimbo." OMG I cringed so, SO hard when I read that. Lily's eleven. ELEVEN. Maybe I'm being a prude, and I know my hatred for that word (and slut, whore, etc.) come into effect, but holy crap, that made me like the book less. Lily and her friend are eleven and they are already being called bimbos by each other? That makes my heart full of sad.

However, I did like the ending. It gained points the rest of the book lost while I was reading it. But I really don't think this book is one of Jerry Spinelli's best. I say skip this one and reread Stargirl.

Jake and Lily are twins with special abilities they call "goombla." They can hear each other from five miles awau, and know when they need each other's help.

But when Jake starts to grow up, Lily feels like the goombla is starting to dissapear. With help from her grandfather, she discovers that she can be just "Lily" not "Lily&Jake."

Jake joins a "gang" of boys in his neighborhood, and they ride around and point out the weird traits of poeple. But one "goober" stands out, and Jake starts to actually want to be his friend, not just mock him.

Jerry Spinelli is an excellent autor, one of the one that I admire. I highly recommend reading his books.

This is a great story for young readers. The chapters are short and alternate between the two main characters, Jake and Lily, which makes this a great book for boys and girls. The book does a great job of telling how hard it can be to make the right choices under peer pressure.

but highly unrealistic.
Ernie DEFINITELY would have moticed if they were making fun of him. (problem one).
And Jake completely neglecting his best friend from birth? Okay, can we puh-lease get real!?
Like, WHO in their right mind does THAT?
And Lily- where do i start: so relatable.
My best friend and I were joined at the hip. She found new friends and now, every word outta her mouth is breaking news.
I love this book, but the reason for the lost star is the same reason for the lost stars in Dork Diaries:
If youve read it once, youve read it a thousand times.
WARRIOR,
OUT.

Read this book with my daughters for an elementary book club and borrowed it from the library.

The author captures both Lily and Jake's voice well. They are twins and sometimes get along well and other times fight like any other sibling. Some parts I felt could've have moved along a little faster but I had to remind myself that this was written for children.

This book gives you full suspense.Like when Jake and Lily get in fights the show it from two different prospectives.I especially like how the story shows how they both hate bump in the beginning,but later Jake likes bump and Lily starts to get mad at him for liking bump.After awhile she shows her ange and gets in mor fights with her brother so they get in trouble more.Iove this book and you should read it!!!!!!!

This is probably the second best book yet by Jerry Spinelli!
I loved it. I always wanted a twin brother. I loved how they could practically read each others mind and could hear each other from miles away. Anyways I would suggest you read it if your looking for a great lovely book:)

Awesome book.

The style of book is particularly noteworthy, as it jumps back and forth between the twins' perspectives. What makes it different from other multiple POV books is that, because the twins have a special connection called "Goombla", the chapters blend into each other as if they really are completing each others' thoughts.

The story moves along quickly, and really tackles themes such as growing apart, discovering an identity, and bullying, without becoming maudlin.

Yet another beautifully written heartfelt book by Gordon Korman. 'Jake and Lily' shows that you will never leave the ones you love. Like the old saying 'if you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's all yours. If it doesn't, it never was.' The is a truly great novel for teens and tweens.

This book was simply entertainment the second I turned the page of the book. I especially loved the 2 different perspectives that were mentioned by each of the the twins for every chapter alternating. I think this book taught me a lesson about independence that I will never forget. Jerry Spinelli conveyed this in a very funny manner. I found this book very inspiring and I hope you will too.

This book is fantastic! After I finished reading I was just like WOW. That was the best book by Jerry Spinelli ever. Even better than Maniac Magee. I have to buy this book. It's great you should totally get it. You won't regret it!!

I liked how the chapters alternated between Jake and Lily. It was funny and interesting. I don't normally like books that have magic in them but the Goombla wasn't a major part of the story so it was okay.

I was really enjoying this book, but then around page 115, Jake started bullying an inocent kid :(. I am not that sensitive, but I had to stop reading on page 134 because of the person Jake turned into.
There is nothing rong with the the store shiping... it is the book itself that was the large dissapointment. So my advist to you is to get a book like 11Birthdays, Finally 12, 13 gifts, Every Soul a Star, or Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of LIfe (all by Wendy Mass).