Jake's Gigantic List

Jake's Series

by Ken Spillman, Chris Nixon (Illustrator)

Jake’s birthday list is longer than an anaconda and it definitely does not include socks or underwear. This year he wants a pirate, a dinosaur, a leopard, and a dragon. Luckily for Jake, his Auntie Lyn knows where to find such gifts, but Jake can't imagine such a place. When Auntie Lyn takes him to a bookstore and leaves him to sort through two piles of books—the boring books and the "okay" books—Jake discovers that they are not boring at all. In fact, they hold the key to fulfilling his gigantic birthday wish list.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Ken Spillman grew up in Perth and has been a full-time professional writer for most of his adult life. He is the author of 20 books including Blue and Love is a UFO, both acclaimed novels for teenagers. He co-authored Magpie Mischief and Magwheel Mayhem, and is also the author of the forthcoming title Jake’s Gigantic List (for early readers). During 2008, Ken was a keynote speaker at the Asian Children’s Writers and Illustrators Conference and a guest of the Tasmanian Writers Centre, the Mussoorie International Writers’ Festival, and the Delhi Children’s Literature Festival. He was a keynote speaker at a conference on multiliteracies in Singapore earlier this year. Ken has compiled five collections of writing, and the major US reference work Contemporary Authors has compiled a detailed entry on his career.

Reviews

[Lindsey Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that makes the young reader enjoy due to illustrations, and the storyline.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second Jake book I have read and I loved it. It is Jake's birthday and he is making a list so he does not end up with clothes. His list is directly from the imagination of a young child, dinosaurs, pirates etc. When his aunt reads his list she asks him if he has any books. Jake responds that he has one but hasn't finished reading it yet. After a trip to the bookstore, Jake discovers all the gifts he has asked for in books. Of course his aunt buys him all the books he was looking at and more. He becomes an avid reader. I love that this shows children the value of reading and exploring books. Jake is such a lovable child that I am sure all the Jake books would be a hit with young children and older ones as well.

This is an early chapter book that young children (7 or 8) would be able to read themselves and not get overwhelmed. It would also be a great book to read with children about organization. This was a cute story but my only complaint is that the illustrations, which are cute and well done, are not in colour. For young children, colour would have made this story even more appealing.

Thank you Netgalley and Star Bright Books for a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Pragya · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful little book. The only thing I didn't like about it is that I didn't get to read it as a child. I can't imagine how thrilled I'd be to have read this one then when I felt so excited to read it now. I love reading children's books every now and then. They have the ability to open your mind to imagination and creativity. I truly believe that any book good for kids is good for adults. Ken Spillman has created a fascinating world of a little boy whose imagination and desires have absolutely no boundaries. Anything is possible for him, a pirate shop, personal dinosaurs, wow. A beautiful way to introduce him to the world of books too without telling him that the dinosaurs are dead. Chris Nixon's illustrations provide beautiful and vivid visuals of Jake and his fantasy wish list. I can't wait to pick up another book from Spillman.

[Lorraine Leatham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Jake's Gigantic List to my son who is five. Jake's makes a birthday wish list that is a mile long. Everything from boats to his own friendly pirate. His father laughs of course at his wild list and dreaming. Auntie Lyn though, she knows exactly where to find everything Jake is looking for, though not in the form Jake expects it.

My son loved this book so much that he decided to make J.J.'s Gigantic List for his own upcoming birthday. My only complaint about the illustrations is that I wish that they were in color.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for providing my son with an electronic ARC.

My 8-year-old is an avid reader, but he is rather selective about what sorts of books he reads (they have to be full of adventure and fun). This one was a winner for him: he told me to mention that it was "action-packed," and it clearly was a great read for him because he had it finished in under an hour (along with the other book in the series he had been given to read. He inhaled them!). I'll be looking for more titles in the Jake series!

[Sneha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ken Spillman understands children like no other - their unsaid assumptions, untold dreams and ambitions - and this book too tells such a story of a boy named Jake who makes a list of things he would like to receive as presents for his upcoming birthday. Till he realises that the things he wishes for need not necessarily exist in the real world but can be found in books. I loved this book for its realistic representation of a child from a single parent household.

[𝓐𝓪𝓼𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓲 𝓟𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓵 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who doesn’t want a scurvy pirate on their birthday? Jake,of course. This book is about a boy who has everything, so much so that he doesn’t know what he wants for his birthday. Thus, he makes a gigantic list of things he wants for his birthday. One of the items on the list is a pirate.

[Riverina Regional Library]

Members of Riverina Regional Library reserve your copy now

[Anonymous · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was an AMAZING story for those who don't like book.Parents should gift it to their young one to inculcate them in reading books.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC supplied by publisher via NetGalley