Jake and Lily Paperback – April 30, 2013

Jake and Lily are twins, but not just any twins. They have a sort of special bond that they call goombla. Goombla lets them know things about each other, like what the other is thinking. This brings them close and they are like two pieces of one whole. They do everything together, until one day after they turn 11 Jake starts hanging out with their neighbor, Bump. Lily hates Bump but as summer goes by Jake spends every single day with him. This tears Jake and Lily's relationship apart until they hardly speak. As Jake and Bump begin hanging out more, Jake beings to change. He is mean to Lily and he and his friends are constantly picking on "goobers." For a while, Jake just laughs along with the others. One day Bump takes the bullying too far and Jake begins to feel guilty. He struggles with himself as to what he should do, lose his friend and stand up for the goober, or just sit back and say nothing.Meanwhile, Lily becomes depressed because she feels like she is losing herself. Her grandpa helps her to find a life that is not centered around her twin brother. She struggles with this because she does not want a new life; she just wants her brother back. Lily sees her brother having fun everyday while she remains miserable. She starts to think that maybe the goombla and her brother will be lost forever.Eventually, Lily finds a new friend and Jake befriends the goober, leaving Bump behind. Will the goombla come back? Will Jake and Lily's relationship go back to the way things were? You've got to read it to find out. This is a comical book about two twins growing up and growing apart. It is written from both perspectives (every other chapter is written by Jake and every other is written by Lily). At first, this may be confusing for younger readers. However, as the book progresses the two personalities become more distinct. This makes it easier to discern whose chapter it is, and the reader does not have to flip back to the title to see.The short chapters and simple vocabulary make for a pretty simple read. I would recommend this book for children grades 3-6. I think all types of students could enjoy this book. It is well written and the characters development is inspiring. There is just a right mix between comedy and other feelings (regret, sadness, jealousy, etc.).I think there is a good lesson in this book about bullying. Through this book the boys bully quite a few people, but we get to know one of the kids they pick on a lot. We also get to see how this impacts Jake. He begins to realize that not only is bullying wrong, but so is standing by while someone else does the bullying. Laughing is just as much of a crime, and just because someone is different doesn't make them any less of a person. There is also a good lesson about finding yourself and being true to who you are.As a warning to parents and teachers: In this book there are a few choice words that you may not want in your classroom or your home. They are not cuss words exactly, but some may not be comfortable with their younger children reading it. A few examples so that you can decide for yourself without buying the book are: bull, freaking, moron, crap, etc. Because there is a lot of teasing in the book there is a lot of name calling.

Growing up, I read my fair share of Jerry Spinelli books, such as "Loser", "Manic Magee", and "Stargirl". So while searching through his other works, I came across this interesting-sounding premise. While I'm an only child, the idea of twins who can practically read each other's thoughts sounded cool (and I've heard of such a thing happening in real life).Jake and Lily are twin brother and sister. All their lives, they've done everything together, and every year on their birthday, they sleepwalk to the train station where they were born. Their bond is so strong that they even seem to share the same thoughts, and/or feel things the other is feeling, even when miles apart. But as they get older, their parents decide it's time to give them separate bed rooms...then soon after, Jake falls in with the neighborhood cool kids. Will Jake submit to peer pressure and bully the new kid in town? And can Lily adjust to a life without her brother constantly around? And will their "psychic" bond ever return to them, at a time when they seem to be drifting further apart?This book seemed rather unique to me, in the sense that it's one of the most leisurely paced stories I've read. The chapters jump back and forth between the siblings as they tell their side of the situations they find themselves in. There's no real "villain" or anything here (the gang of bullies comes the closest, but even they're vindicated in the end); the whole thing is just a journey of self discovery, really. But that certainly doesn't mean this book is boring--far from it. On one hand, you have Jake trying to make new friends outside of his sister, and slowly realizing their antics toward the neighborhood "goober" is wrong. On the other, you have Lily, who, with the help of her "hippie" grandpa, tries to "get a life"--discovering there ARE unique qualities to herself, and that it's okay to not do everything with her twin...and that their special bond can never truly be broken. Does their "goombla" (as they call it) ever return? Well, you'll just have to read to find out. ;)All n' all, the story takes you back to lazy summer afternoons hanging with your friends and family, while also taking the reader on a journey of the ups and downs of growing up.

I am a mother of three boys (13 and a pair of 11-year old twins) and they allow me to read books to them (still!). This is one of our "family book club" picks and it was a good one. Jake and Lily are fraternal twins and the book is about how close they are (think "goombla!") and how difficult it is for Lily to find herself in the wake of her brother, Jake, separating to forge his own path with some boys in the neighborhood. The portrayal of her relationship with her grandfather, Poppy, and Jake's relationship with the neighborhood "goober," Earnest (AKA "Soop") were both special. The kids enjoyed the book for the suspense about Ernie's clubhouse. I enjoyed the book for the path Lily was journeying. I think this was a light-hearted but thoughtful treatment of the transition from childhood to adolescence.

It is a great book. Very funny.

I thought this was a great book and had a lot of thought in it.But I felt like some parts either dragged on or it wasn't clear enough. As far as the content goes it was good,there was a part where a character was implying that another character was a different gender but used the word sex. It didn't really go into that much, so I think it's appropriate.I would recommend this book if your looking for a quick,light read. NO

I like this book. I think that it is a good story about family. I like how Jake and Lily sometimes have their differences but work them out. I didn't like how Jake was being rude to Lily though.

The little girl that this was purchased for, loved it, and it was read within a week.I became her favourite non relative.

My 11 year olds review- best book I have EVER READ. (And she reads a lot) so what more can I say! Brilliant!

I found this book just so grabbing and when I started, I couldn't stop. Definitely for people that find some books boring as I definitely do.

I was very surprised by the way Bump bullied Ernie, but when the book got better it cheered me up.I loved the connection between Lily and Jake, it made the book more interesting. It was great!!!

it is very good book.