Jake the Fake Goes for Laughs

Jake the Fake #2

by Craig Robinson

For fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Big Nate comes the second book in the side-splitting series about a class clown faking his way to comedy stardom from comedian and film star Craig Robinson, #1 New York Times bestselling author Adam Mansbach, and NAACP History Maker recipient and cartoonist Keith Knight.

"An absolute riot!" --LINCOLN PEIRCE, author of the BIG NATE series

Jake cracks up the crowd as a budding comedian at the Music and Art Academy talent show, but his new ego is no laughing matter. And when he starts blowing off his friends to pursue his "art," Jake's big head becomes a huge bummer.

Plus, being the funny man is way tougher than it looks. Luckily, Jake has his mentor Maury Kovalski, a retired comedy showstopper, to teach him the ropes about humor--and humility--before Jake loses all his biggest fans and best friends!

Featuring more than 200 illustrations, Jake the Fake stuns again with even greater gags and giggles than before!

Genres: Middle Grade, Humor, Friendship

176 pages, Library Binding

First published March 26, 2019

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the second book in this funny series perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jake continues to come up with great jokes and material for his standup routines. Although he is occasionally beset by bouts of insecurity, he has the support of his teacher, Mr. Allen, who sends him to see Maury Kovalsky, a retired comedian with a gruff exterior but plenty of experience in the business. Jake knocks it out of the park when he performs at the Yuk-Yuk, but he ruins it all by bragging about his performance and seemingly failing to appreciate the support of his friends. When he messes up even more by not showing up when Evan and Azure need him, he further alienates them. Readers will laugh their way through the book even while absorbing some important lessons about friendship. Because there are several illustrations in the book, readers can move through the book quickly, but they may not want to do so. Or failing that, they may want to turn around and read it all over again, just to savor the Conceptual Art Band's tunes.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was the second in the series. It seems it is fine to read them out of order. Jake is in middle school, a school for the creative. The teacher and classroom don't resemble the school I went to but this one seems fun. Jake is a budding comedian. HIs teacher is helpful in connecting him to a mentor. The mentor lives in a retirement home. But the two get along and Jake gains confidence and feels he may be "part of the club". He gets a chance to do his bit at an open mike night at a local club. All his friends and family are there and support him . He is even invited to return every week. The pressure of producing that much material becomes a source of panic attacks. And alienates his friends. Read on to see if Jake can fix it. My favorite bit in the book was about his dad, a loud chewer. LOL

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an old man, I couldn’t help but think of Lavern and Shirley at the first mention of schlemiel. As expected there was a lot of funny in this book about a budding comedian. Jake is amusing and his experiences with friendship feel real. I loved how it took his sister’s success to put his own ego in perspective. What was difficult was the sheer volume of illustrations. I love comics and graphic story telling; however, the frequency of pictures in this book were very disruptive to the flow of the prose at times. Still, the illustrations were very entertaining, and I enjoyed the whimsy. It is an enjoyable read for you and your young readers.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to review for a district committee, not because it is something I would like to read. I can see where it would be popular with the middle grade boys who like Nate the Great, Dogman, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Synopsis: Jake is big stuff after becoming a comedian at the school talent show. He lets it go to his head and get his friends mad at him. There is this weird side story about Jake’s sister, Lisa, and Pierre, her boyfriend. She and Pierre make a band and have a breakout song.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute kids book!

[Nancy (Colorado) · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be fair, I am not a 10 year old kid. Doubtful that my 10 year old self would have like it, either.

[Susan Stonesifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still good and one I would hand off to children of all ages.

[Kaden Dybdahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and you should too

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very funny!