This book is very adventurous and constantly exciting. I figured out many puzzles in my life and learned many life lessons. ( )

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

For Jeremy Fink, the meaning of life is pretty simple. Stay safe, stay focused, stay the course. This is Jeremy's life, until the day the postman delivers a package addressed to his mother. Unable to check his curiosity and the taunts of his best friend, Lizzy, Jeremy opens the package to find a surprise like no other. Inside the cardboard box is another box, one made of a beautiful wood, sanded to a breathtaking sheen, comprised of four intricate locks, and inscribed with the words "The Meaning of Life." Underneath those life-changing words are others, smaller, unmistakably carved by his father: "For Jeremy Fink To Open On His 13th Birthday."

For many kids, turning thirteen is a big deal. After all, you're about to become a legitimate teenager, a purveyor of mystic knowledge, an "almost-adult" in a world ruled by adults. For Jeremy, turning thirteen has always been a goal. Now, though, there's another, much more important goal--finding a way to open this magnificent box without breaking it, since no one seems to know where the four keys are that are needed to open the locks. Even more unimaginable is the fact that his father seems to have sent him his birthday gift from beyond the grave. You see, years ago, when Jeremy was eight, his father had died. Had died, actually, at the age of thirty-eight, two years before the fortune teller had told him on his own thirteenth birthday that he would die at age forty.

It's important to Jeremy to open that box. It's imperative. It's a necessity. Somehow, his father knew the true meaning of life, and he's managed to provide Jeremy with that tantalizing secret. But how will he get the box open without breaking it--something he refuses to do? How will he and Lizzy, the risk-taker best friend with the non-stop mouth, figure out where to get the keys that hold the answers to that all-important question? When one of their schemes to get the keys to the box goes awry, both Jeremy and Lizzy are forced into working for a mysterious man who may just end up having the answers they need.

JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE is a wonderful, emotional read. Yes, I cried at the ending, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. This is a book that is about so much more than growing up; a book that is about so much more, even, than finding a way to open a birthday present. For Jeremy, those weeks before his thirteenth birthday are about becoming closer to the father he lost too soon, about learning the value of friendship, and about learning that the meaning of life, quite possibly, is something that each and every one of us can find inside ourselves.

Thanks to Ms. Mass for such an emotional, heartfelt read. This is a book perfect for both middle-school readers and older teens, and you won't go wrong picking up a copy for your library. ( )

At times the main character seems one-dimensional. The middle of the book gets a bit too cerebral and preachy for its target audience. That said, there are some delightfully good things about this book. Supporting characters that are charming and would make good subjects for a book of their own (like the grandmother who owns a B&B with 12 rooms and 12 cats . . . one for each room that comes with "care and feeding instructions for your temporary cat.") This is not a book for a poor reader--there are challenging concepts in it and it requires more than one leap of faith to keep with it in the middle. However, it is a good pick for an adolescent (who IS a reader) that is dealing with some kind of loss and managing grief. In the end, it is a "feel good" story and I would recommend it to most adults I know (but only a few 13-year-olds). ( )

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life was a very good book about a boy named Jeremy who had lost his father in an accident. Jeremy then gets this box a month before his 13th birthday from his father. But there is a problem, the box is missing its keys and Jeremy cant find them. And the only way to open the box without damaging what is in it, you'll have to use the keys to open it correctly. So Jeremy and his best friend, Lizzy set out to find the keys. Check out their adventure of finding the keys when you reading this thrilling, awesome book. My favorite line in this book is 'My sweat smells like peanut butter.' =D hehehe ( )

My sweat smells like peanut butter.How can anyone not be immediately drawn to a book with an opening sentence like that?Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life documents the life Jeremy Fink and his best friend, Lizzy, as they attempt to find the keys to a box that contains the meaning of life. Along the way they discover important things about themselves, their friendship, and of course life. They also encounter many unique characters that will aid them on their search and leave a lasting impression on their lives.I really enjoyed this book, as I was instantly intrigued with the lives of Jeremy and Lizzy. Wendy Mass does a wonderful job describing the characters of her novels to the point that you feel that you know them in real life. Besides the obvious fact that I am a female, I felt that their friendship was very close to the friendships that I had when I was 13. I can also relate to Jeremy when he thinks about the universe and his place within it, because every now and then I still feel a little lost.I would recommend Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life to anyone who enjoys reading young adult literature. It is a light and comforting read, but still posses some surprising twists and the obvious mystery of the meaning of life. ( )