Me & Jay

by W. Royce Adams

About the Author



W. Royce Adams, emeritus professor of English at Santa
Barbara City College, earned degrees from Washington
University, St. Louis, Missouri and California State
University, Long Beach. He is past-president of the College
Reading and Learning Association. He is also a member of
the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the
Authors Guild, and the International Reading Association.
He has published over twenty college textbooks, primarily in
the areas of reading, writing, and study skills. He has
authored a collection of adult short stories: Teacher,
Teacher, I Declare! and Other Little Tattle Tales, as well as
the juvenile fantasy/adventure series, the Rairarubia Tales:
Rairarubia, Return to Rairarubia, and Raid on Rairarubia.

139 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

About the author

I'm an Emeritus Professor of English, Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara, California, where I taught for twenty-three years. Before that I taught for seven years at South High School, Torrance, California. Before that I spent three years, five months, and five days in the navy.

I earned degrees from Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, and California State University, Long Beach. During my thirty-year teaching career, I published twenty-two college textbooks, primarily in the areas of developmental reading, writing and study skills.

I've published several adult short stories, several of which appear in my short story collection, Teacher, Teacher, I Declare! Several of my young adult novels have won awards. See http://www.rairarubiabooks.com.

I'm a past-president of the College Reading and Learning Association, a member of the Author's Guild, the International Reading Association, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, The Association of Booksellers for Children, and the Rockford Writers Guild.

I live in Santa Barbara, California, with my wife, Jane Brody.

Reviews

[Naman Pande · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed ME & JAY. Going in, I expected a fairly straightforward adventure story, but I ended up getting attached to the characters more than I expected. The book opens with Geri in the hospital worrying about Jay, and right away I wanted to know what had happened between them.

What stuck with me most were the moments between Geri and Jay. They were the quieter moments where Geri was thinking about Jay or the conversations they had when things were going wrong. Geri's narration also felt believable. She sounds her age, which isn't always easy for an author to pull off. She makes some questionable decisions along the way, but that's part of what made her feel real. I never felt like she was written to be the perfect kid. She gets things wrong, admits it, and keeps going.

I won't say every part worked for me. There were a few times when I could see trouble coming long before Geri and Jay did, and I wanted to tell them to turn around and head home. Still, I was invested enough that I kept reading to see how everything would play out. By the end, I found myself caring much more about the friendship between the two main characters than the mystery or adventure itself, and that's what I'll remember most about the book.

My Rating: 4/5
Reason: The friendship between Geri and Jay felt genuine, and their relationship kept me invested from beginning to end.

[Stacy Croushorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good book that made me remember my own reckless days of being a teenager and made me so thankful that I survived them. As a teenager, anytime somebody told me not to do something or not to go somewhere, I would have to do it. That’s what happens to the main characters of this story. On a hot summer day the two decide to track down this “mythical” swimming hole called “Blue Pool.” They have been warned to not go to this place because it can be dangerous, but just like I would had, they find the “Blue Pool.” Here, the two, Geri and Jay, have all kinds of crazy adventures, and even encounter danger. At first it’s nothing too bad, they start a grass fire, jump on a train, but then, they see something happen. That’s when everything starts to go bad. They end up being pursued by two dangerous men who are determined to make Geri and Jay keep their silence about what they saw happen. It gets really exciting and suspenseful. But, all ends well, and Geri and Jay learn a lesson. I would keep this in my middle school classroom. The boys especially will like it.

[Donna Emperador · Rating 5 out of 5]

The adventure you don't want to have

ME & JAY is the story of two bored teens who decide to search for a fabled swimming hole, although the hole has been rumored to be dangerous. The rumors hold true, and the teens end up in life-threatening situations.

The story is fast-paced and suspenseful, making it hard to put down.

This is a great read for teens as it has the main character questioning her choices, connecting outcomes with decisions, and accepting responsibility for her actions.

It is also a tale of friendship, peer influence, as well as appreciating and accepting others.

It would actually make a great classroom read for middle school or high school students as it would lead to deep discussion.

[Scovia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me and Jay is an adventure packed story with lots of humor. I enjoyed the flow of the story, it's set in flashback so it gives a sense of Gerldine's story telling. I found it such a compelling story.
I love funny books and the intense situation plus the conversations in the character's heads were just hilarious.
I would recommend it to a young audience but i feel if you're looking for a book that will lift your spirits, this is it. I found it enjoyable and once i picked it I couldn't put it down. It also started on a high note which grabbed and kept my attention. I would definitely recommend reading this book.

[Chidinma Anozie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book first had me slightly annoyed at the bad decisions Geri and Jay took. It was one foolish decision after another. But then I remembered they were teenagers prone to not understanding consequences.

The bad decisions landed them in a dangerous situation, which they had to figure out how to get out of. I did like that the author gave Jay some depth beyond the hard-headed boy, as there is more to him, which is made visible when in the cave with Geri. This is a good book for young readers.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads Firstreads. I found this book very interesting, and full of suspense and adventure. It was written for 5th through 8th graders, I believe they would really enjoy it, I did and I am far from that age demographics.

[Terry]

On the surface, this is an adventure story and it can stand by itself. However, it is also a story about self-image in the pre-teen years, as Jay and Geri have been shunned as “different” by their peers at school. The layers of friendship, growing up, decision-making weaves a story that will attract teens.