Craig Robinson (3) (1971–)

Recommended Ages: Gr. 3-6

Plot Summary: Jake played the only song he knows on the piano and was accepted into the Music and Art Academy, where his sister goes and does really well. Jake feels like a fraud because he knows he's not talented. He spends time worrying about it and also works on the crazy projects his teacher assigns him. Will the school discover he is a fraud and kick him out?

Setting:

Characters:
Jake - AKA The Dentist, 6th grade
Lisa - Jake's perfect older sister
Pierre - Lisa's show more boyfriend, always has a new nickname for Jake with bro- in it
Forrest, Azure, Zenobia, Whitman, Kody, Klaus - some of Jake's classmates
Mr. Allen - Jake's homeroom teacher who teaches all subjects except one (science?), very usual in his speech and assignments, for example chew gum for 6 hours then write a play about it

Recurring Themes: humor, gifted, music, sibling's shadow, confidence

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: I found this book to be very boring. There was very little character development, almost no action, and I never laughed out loud once. I didn't actually find it funny at all. The real question is, do kids find it funny?

Genre: humorous realistic fiction but almost like a tall tale with exaggerated scenes

Pacing: slow, even though it's short and with illustrations and occasional lists
Characters: not developed at all
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity: show less