Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

This was a family road trip book. Wendy Mass never disappoints. Her books have an element of fantasy -- that something special or spectacular can happen in everyday life -- and that the kids these things happen to are unique individuals with great contributions to make. Jeremy is on the very verge of 13, when a package arrives at the apartment he and his Mom share in NYC. It is an elaborate box from his father, who died when Jeremy was 8. The cover is engraved with the words "The Meaning of Life" and it has a complex system of keyholes, but no keys. Jeremy goes on a quest with his best friend and next-door-neighbor Lizzie (love that dynamic!) to find the keys, open the box and learn his father's wisdom. The book tackles big topics like show more predestination, philosophy, and life's purpose but not in a heavy handed way. The reader learns as Jeremy does -- without even realizing it. And there are definitely moments that brought me to tears -- so touching and so spot on. show less

A former classmate recommended this book and I was sucked in almost immediately. Do you expect to learn the meaning of life in a young adult / children's book? Oddly enough, you do pick up some of that meaning along the way.

Jeremy receives a box that is meant to be opened on his 13th birthday, from his long-dead father. The only problem is that the box has four locks and he doesn't have the keys. His summer is alternately devoted to his quest for the keys and an odd sort of community service that teaches him and his friend Lizzy something along the way.

Jeremy and Lizzy are best friends from birth -- and it is possible that their friendship could evolve from siblings -- and Jeremy is the good one. Lizzy is impetuous, a bit of a scamp show more who steals things that mostly have no value. Jeremy is more reluctant, not really willing to get out of his shell, or to even eat something beyond peanut butter and jelly. But he turns out to be the more thoughtful of the pair -- and finds throughout the course of his quest that there is both no answer and many answers to the meaning of life. I admit I started rethinking my own answer to the question. It was handled well, and I loved the slightly surprising twist at the end. show less

What is the meaning of life? Jeremy Fink and his best friend Lizzy are determined to find out in time for Jeremy's thirteenth birthday. Jeremy's dad intended to tell him on this special day, but instead died in a car accident, leaving only a locked box with four keyholes and no keys. JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE is a beautiful book about friendship and family, but also all the random ways we are connected with the rest of humanity, even in a chaotic and sometimes frightening city like New York. This is a book one should buy, read, re-read, and then buy for your fifty closest friends. An absolute treasure.

Jeremy Fink's dad died in an accident when Jeremy was eight years old. Imagine then, how surprised Jeremy is to get a package from his dad a month before Jeremy turns 13. Inside the package is a locked boxed is inscribed with the words "The Meaning of Life: For Jeremy Fink to Open on His 13th Birthday." Jeremy can't wait to see what is inside - but the four keys needed to open the box are missing. Jeremy and his best friend Lizzy have one month in which to find the keys and learn what life is all about.

I loved reading all about Jeremy and Lizzy's search for the lost keys and the incredible people they meet along the way. At first I thought the ending was a little tidy, but on page 285 I found myself covered in goosebumps and tearing up. show more Guess that means I was able to put my nit-picking aside and really buy into it all. This book does ask some deep questions, but is happy to make you think about them instead of answering them for you - which is great since your answer would be different than any one elses. show less

Hey, a middle-school mystery! Here's the mystery: why I continued reading this book past the half-way point. Jeremy is given a box from his dead father, with instructions to open it on his 13th birthday. The problem: all 4 keys are missing. With the help of his best friend, they break into the office of the lawyer who sent the box, get caught, and are sentenced to community service, which involves helping deliver items pawned in the '50s back to their rightful owners. Jeremy's getting desperate; the box (according to the writing on it) contains the Meaning of Life. Naturally, he asks everyone he helps what The Meaning of Life is, and gets a whole lot of different answers. He helps a lot of people, and a lot of people help him. Meanwhile show more he's caught up in this existential quandary about why he's here, why anyone's here, on earth, and what the point is. And he's obsessed with candy. Readers will hear about it a lot. If this were a movie, I'd be screaming "product placement!" with all the brand names that feel self-consciously thrown in, like "I need to ground this in reality! Let's mention Snickers! or Razzles! Skittles, Starburst, M&Ms!"

I'm sure you can already see where this is going. The book slogs along to its predictable conclusion. This is the kind of book that's written for 7th-graders but will only be appreciated by adults (some of them), because, really, how many 12-year-olds want to read this kind of metaphysical angst?

Overall rating: blah. show less

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, Wendy Mass, author
Jeremy’s dad died on his 40th birthday, as predicted by a fortune teller. His mom works hard to keep his memory alive, in a happy way, but Jeremy finds it hard to do the same. She tries very hard to support Jeremy and to understand his feelings. He cannot venture beyond a couple of blocks from his home without the help of his best friend Lizzy. He is burdened with his sadness.
Lizzy hides her sadness from Jeremy. Her mom left her and her dad. She misses her and feels the loss of her love. She also feels unloved by her mother, because she abandoned her, but her dad tries to make up for it. He is very loving. Lizzy lives next door to Jeremy. She is very adventurous, often breaking show more lots of rules. Both families often do things together.
Shortly before Jeremy’s thirteenth birthday, a package from his father is delivered to him. It is a box that contains the meaning of life. His father had prepared it for him, to be given to him on his thirteenth birthday. There is a problem, though. The keys to open the box, which has a complicated set of locks, are missing. He cannot open it. He and Lizzy begin to search for keys that might open it. Lizzie creates plans and leads him on the search, often suggesting bizarre ideas. When they are unsuccessful, and he grows disappointed, refusing to continue to search, she inspires him and gets him out of his doldrums.
The two children come of age as they discover all the assorted ways that different people live their lives to the fullest. They have to discover the meaning of life, and they find it has many meanings, meanings that are different in the eyes of different people. As they search for the keys and interact with different people, they more fully witness life; they grow into their feelings and emotions as they search for the keys. They learn to keep their eyes open, expect the unexpected, grab each opportunity and not to fear trying new things. They learn the meaning of life can be complicated because different people live their lives to the fullest in different ways. The important thing is simply to remember to live!
The meaning of life is to live every moment, to seek joy and love, to find happiness and to grow into your potential, giving to the world as the world gives to you, discovering whatever there is to excite your mind and to grow into a good and responsible citizen, caring for others with an open heart, showing kindness when possible, bearing no malice toward others, not judging a book by its cover, forgiving those who disappoint you, feeling and giving love to others. The book is a wonderful way for pre-teens to learn about life and death, and to understand that each has its place, but to make sure that they remember to live life to the fullest, to choose the fork in the road when they reach it, so they can discover different directions and opportunities.
My twin granddaughters were given an assignment by their English teacher to read this book. The parents of the students were also given an assignment. They were told to create a box for their child/children, with which to surprise them, and to ask friends and relatives, coaches and anyone else that influenced their lives, to write letters to put inside the box, letters to share their ideas about the meaning of life as Jeremy’s dad had done for him. The letters would be put inside the box the parents made and would be given as a surprise to the students. I was grateful to the teacher who wisely chose this book which was going to help my grandchildren come of age, learn about friendship, compassion and the meaning of life, as well as the necessity to deal with the sadness of grief as well as the joy that comes from love. show less

I really enjoyed the story and the characters. I thought the author did a great job of really flushing out their personalities, even their flaws.

but, I thought the end lacked the punch it could have had.