Gr 3–7—Twins Jake and Lily share an extrasensory connection they call "goombla." When they are apart, they sense if one is in danger; they can't play hide-and-seek because they know where the other is hiding. The most bizarre aspect of their relationship is that since they were six, they have shared the same dream and sleepwalked to the same train station in the middle of the night on their birthday. When they awake, they are holding hands on the train platform. (They had been born minutes apart while riding on a train cross-country.) As their 11th birthday approaches, Jake begins distancing himself from his sister as he meets a group of guys with whom he prefers to hang out. Lily doesn't understand why he no longer wants to be with just her, and she is devastated. She seeks comfort from her grandfather, Poppy, a memorable character in his own right, and he offers his company and wise advice. Spinelli turns the plot smoothly in a new direction as readers meet Jake's friends, one of whom is a neighborhood bully. Bump delights in searching for "goobers," or people he thinks are "different." When they target Ernie, a boy whose indefatigable attitude takes their mean-spirited actions with a smile, things go too far and Jake must decide who he really is and what he stands for. The characters and situations mesh together perfectly, and in the end Jake and Lily both realize that they can live separate lives and still be connected.—D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH
Spinelli is a poet of the prepubescent…he points out how the issues of adolescence—identity, conformity, bullying—are clearly seeded in childhood. No writer guides his young characters, and his readers, past these pitfalls and challenges and toward their futures with more compassion…Nobody is better than Spinelli when it comes to creating the grade-school world of qualified innocence—and treading a fine line between challenge and reassurance.
Even before the current boom in multiple births, twins loomed large in children's literature, from the duos in popular series such as The Bobbsey Twin and Sweet Valley High to the complexly drawn pair in Jacob Have I Loved … But literary twins—forever friend, doppelganger, double the fun—were rarely explored with nuance in children's novels, especially in terms of the developmental issues faced by most tweens. Until Jerry Spinelli, that is…Jake and Lily …chronicles with humor and compassion the changing relationship between fraternal twins.
Spinelli (Wringer) adroitly balances emotional tension with introspective moments in this smart and funny story about a pair of twins growing apart. For almost as long as they can remember, Jake and Lily have shared a “special sense,” which they call “goombla.” Each knows what the other is thinking and if the other is in trouble. But their bond seems to be weakening as, at age 11, Jake starts spending more time with new friends than with Lily; upset and rejected, Lily has no one to confide in except her ex-hippie grandfather. Lily tries to find out who she is without her brother, but it’s hard work, and most of her attempts are unsuccessful. Her feeling of abandonment is as sharply felt as Jake’s need to test his independence. Though the twins eventually rediscover their “goombla” (“You can turn your back on it. Ignore it. Forget it. But it’s still here,” reminds their grandfather), Spinelli doesn’t suggest that the two will go back to being the people they once were; rather, he celebrates each child’s individualism and growing self-awareness. Ages 8–12. (May)
★ “Spinelli adroitly balances emotional tension with introspective moments in this smart and funny story.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Spinelli is a poet of the prepubescent…Nobody is better than Spinelli when it comes to creating the grade-school world of qualified innocence—and treading a fine line between challenge and reassurance.” — New York Times Book Review
“Each character is portrayed with emotional subtlety and conviction, while their juxtaposed viewpoints bring the energy of opposing forces to the story.” — Booklist
“Double the feelings, double the fun.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Spinelli’s hallmark issues—individuality, nonconformity, alienation, standing up for the little guy—figure prominently, and the messages are convincingly worked into the story.” — Horn Book Magazine
Spinelli is a poet of the prepubescent…Nobody is better than Spinelli when it comes to creating the grade-school world of qualified innocence—and treading a fine line between challenge and reassurance.
New York Times Book Review
Each character is portrayed with emotional subtlety and conviction, while their juxtaposed viewpoints bring the energy of opposing forces to the story.
Spinelli’s hallmark issues—individuality, nonconformity, alienation, standing up for the little guy—figure prominently, and the messages are convincingly worked into the story.
Each character is portrayed with emotional subtlety and conviction, while their juxtaposed viewpoints bring the energy of opposing forces to the story.
As if growing up isn't hard enough, twins also have to face growing apart. Ever since they can remember, twins Jake and Lily Wambold, born on the California Zephyr train, have sleepwalked on the eve of their birthday and awoken at their local train station, where they distinctly smell pickles. They have never been able to explain this or how they can occasionally read each other's minds or finish each other's sentences. The twins name their secret gift "goombla." It's now the summer before middle school. The brother and sister alternate telling each chapter as spunky, tomboy Lily worries that they'll lose their goombla and sensible Jake looks forward to living separately for a change. Each sibling's chatty narration reveals a range of emotions. Lily, feeling lost for the first time in her life, leans on her hippie grandfather, whose wife and soul mate passed away and who knows what it's like to lose half of oneself. Just when she's given up on finding herself through ridiculous hobbies, friendship comes to her. Meanwhile, Jake immediately relishes his time with his new Death Rays posse as they scout out social outcast "goobers" to pick on. When he realizes that goobers can be brave and even friends, he reconsiders his allegiance. Perhaps Jake and Lily aren't so different after all. Double the feelings, double the fun. (Fiction. 8-12)
