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Summary
Summary
In Book Three of the popular "My Life . . ." series by Janet Tashjian, Derek Fallon's plan to help out a new classmate backfires miserably
There's a new kid in Derek Fallon's class. His name is Umberto and he uses a wheelchair. Derek's family is still fostering Frank the monkey, and Derek thinks it would be great to train Frank to assist Umberto. But Derek quickly realizes that Umberto is definitely not looking for any help. Derek soon becomes the butt of Umberto's jokes. On top of that, Umberto starts stealing Derek's cartoon ideas and claiming them as his own. How did Derek get himself into this mess, and how can he find a way out before he is the laughingstock of school? The answer may very well be his cartoon strip--SUPER FRANK!
My Life as a Cartoonist features illustrations by Janet Tashjian's son, Jake Tashjian .
Author Notes
Janet Tashjian is the author of many popular novels including My Life as a Stuntboy and My Life as a Book , both illustrated by her son, Jake Tashjian ; as well as The Gospel According to Larry and For What It's Worth . She lives with her family in Los Angeles, California.
Reviews (3)
Horn Book Review
Derek becomes the target of handicapped new-kid Umberto's bullying, adding to Derek's dislike of school. Even worse, Derek's passion for cartooning plays into the harassment. His parents and friends try to help, but ultimately Derek solves his own problem. A fast-moving plot, sympathetic (human and animal) characters, and cartoon marginalia offer something for everyone in Derek's third likable outing. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Derek Fallon the underachiever star of two funny, perceptive books returns, and this time he meets his match in Umberto, a new student who is in a wheelchair. At first it seems as if the two could be friends. Derek's family is even training a capuchin monkey to be a service animal, and he can't wait to tell Umberto about it. But after their first conversation, Derek realizes that sarcastic, flip Umberto doesn't like him. In trying to defend himself, Derek is soon perceived as the kid bullying the boy in the wheelchair! Worst of all, Umberto is a cartoonist like Derek, but better. If all the Umberto travails weren't enough, Derek's crush, Carly, has started a relationship with an older boy, Crash. As with the other titles in the My Life As series, Tashjian's son, Jake, provides the stick figures acting out the more difficult words and concepts. Great for reluctant readers (like Derek), this also neatly twists the bullying theme, offering discussion possibilities. Fans of the series (and of the Wimpy Kid and Charlie Joe Jackson) will like this one.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist
Kirkus Review
Cartoonist Derek grapples with a perplexing association between disability and bullying in this stand-alone sequel to My Life as a Book (2010) and My Life as a Stuntboy (2011). Derek has two best friends at school and two beloved critters at home, including Frank, a capuchin monkey who's practicing family life before training as a service animal. Frank's the model for Derek's comic, Super Frank. Drawing's a fun challenge; reading's a difficult chore, though the stick-figure cartoons with which Derek illustrates his vocabulary words enliven the margins. Each playful sketch portrays a word from the adjacent paragraph but in an amusingly different context--"ingenious" shows up as a cupcake machine. Derek's life takes a turn for the worse when transfer-student Umberto targets him. Umberto steals Derek's cartoon ideas and makes him a "verbal punching bag." The bullying arc is fairly standard, but the bully isn't, at least physically: Umberto uses a wheelchair. On one hand, Tashjian creates a real anti-stereotype in this speedy wheeling boy who could (and would) easily crush Derek with a lacrosse stick if teachers weren't around. However, after the boys bond, Derek's funny narrative voice ("Frank's fur is now covered in a helmet of peanut butter") indulges in a few adult-sounding, rose-colored disability clichs, saying that Umberto possesses "honesty and grace" and "inspires me." This entertaining read leaves some provoking questions unanswered--usefully. (Fiction. 9-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
Super Frank! improved "That's great!" my dad says as he puts the comic strip down. "Your drawings have really improved." I look over my father's shoulder and examine my work. "No matter how long I work on it, my printing still looks like I'm in second grade." professional "It takes a lot of practice for lettering to look professional." As if that's any kid's idea of fun--sitting around on a sunny afternoon filling notebooks with row after row of straight block letters. flattered My father closes the cover of the pad and hands it back to me. "Too bad Frank doesn't know he's the star of your comic strip. He'd be flattered." Dad doesn't realize I've already shown Frank my drawings. It may be my imagination but by the way my capuchin monkey jumped up and down, I think he WAS flattered. "Mac and cheese with stewed tomatoes," Mom calls from the kitchen. "Wash up and come to the table." cringe My father and I look at each other and cringe. "Why does she take something perfect like macaroni and cheese then throw something terrible like stewed tomatoes in to wreck it?" I ask. "You know how Mom likes to sneak healthy food into everything," Dad whispers back. "But I have to agree with you--it's a crime to mess with mac and cheese." inadvertently As I put away my pad, I realize Dad's inadvertently given me the plot of my next comic strip: SUPER FRANK VS. THE WOMAN WHO WRECKED MAC AND CHEESE. I can't wait until Ms. McCoddle's class tomorrow to start working on it. Text copyright © 2013 by Janet Tashjian Excerpted from My Life As a Cartoonist by Janet Tashjian All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
