Jake, Reinvented

by Gordon Korman

Overview

There is a mysterious new student at F. Scott Fitzgerald High. Jake Garrett looks like he's stepped out of a J. Crew ad, he's the best long-snapper the football team has ever had, and he hosts the party every Friday night.


All the guys want to be like him, and all the girls want to date him, but Jake only has eyes for Didi, the girlfriend of quarterback Todd Buckley.


Rick Paradis, kicker and back-up QB, tries to stay out of the drama, but that's easier said than done at Fitzgerald High, especially once he gets to know Jake. But it turns out nobody knows the real Jake, and when his secret comes out, his perfectly crafted world might come tumbling down.


In this modernization of The Great Gatsby, beloved author Gordon Korman provides a new look at age-old truths about the desire for popularity and acceptance, and the darker side of human nature.

"A compelling investigation of the transience of charisma and the flimsy underpinnings of popularity."

-Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Korman's reworking of The Great Gatsby places theaction in a modern framework, which makes it more recognizable for today'sreaders and may lead them to the classic. Teens will find deeper issues toconsider about popularity, being true to one's self, and taking responsibilityfor one's actions as they relate to the setting and characters."

-Booklist

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781484798423
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	07/03/2017
Edition description:	New
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	531,487
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	800L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Gordon Korman wrote his first book at age fourteen and since then has written more than eighty middle grade and teen novels. His favorites include the New York Times bestselling The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers, Book One: The Medusa Plot; Ungifted; Pop; and Schooled. Gordon lives with his family on Long Island, New York. He invites you to visit him online at GordonKorman.com.

Editorial Reviews

"A compelling investigation of the transience of charisma and the flimsy underpinnings of popularity."— Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Korman's reworking of The Great Gatsby places the action in a modern framework, which makes it more recognizable for today's readers and may lead them to the classic. Teens will find deeper issues to consider about popularity, being true to one's self, and taking responsibility for one's actions as they relate to the setting and characters."

— School Library Journal

PRAISE FOR THE JUVIE THREE

An ALSCA Notable Book, 2009

PRAISE FOR THE JUVIE THREE

* "There's lots to relish here."

— Kliatt, starred review

PRAISE FOR THE JUVIE THREE

"This novel is signature Korman."

— School Library Journal

PRAISE FOR THE JUVIE THREE

* "[T]hese kids are living minute to minute, where one false step may haunt them forever. . . . [B]e prepared for high demand."

— Booklist, starred review

PRAISE FOR SON OF THE MOB

An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults

An ALA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers

A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

PRAISE FOR SON OF THE MOB

"A fast-paced, tightly focused story."

— The Horn Book

PRAISE FOR SON OF THE MOB

"[An] expertly plotted escapade."

— Booklist

PRAISE FOR SON OF THE MOB

"Funny and unexpectedly affecting."

— Publishers Weekly

PRAISE FOR BORN TO ROCK

* "This one . . . has the goods to go platinum."

— Publishers Weekly, starred review
PRAISE FOR BORN TO ROCK

* "Another wild, funny adventure from Korman, who knows how to please his YA audience."

— Kliatt, starred review

PRAISE FOR BORN TO ROCK

"Laugh-out-loud funny, honest, hot and sweet."

— Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Dedicated to "Jay and Daisy," Korman's (Maxx Comedy: The Funniest Kid in America) smart novel imagines The Great Gatsby with a cast of characters from Fitzgerald High. The Jay Gatsby figure is nerd turned bon vivant Jake Garrett; Daisy Buchanan has become Didi, the impossibly beautiful girl who is dating Todd Buckley (i.e., Tom Buchanan) despite his infidelities. Jake's weekly parties escalate in size and intensity, all part of his plan to get closer to Didi, whom he tutored in math several years before at a different school and has idealized ever since. In the midst of the banality and posturing of one keg party after another, two mature characters emerge: narrator Rick Paradis, who seems to not fit in with the crowd from the beginning, and the remarkable Dipsy, who starts off as comic relief but turns out to be perhaps the wisest person in the book: he alone understands that high school is, after all, just a few years, and that there is much more of life to come. Korman's prose hits its mark: a hung-over bunch of football players becomes "statuary in shoulder pads," the noise at a party rises "up to the point of pain" and the mournful hero is "unmade, not by fire, but by cold, smooth indifference." Unfortunately, a final chapter tacks on a happy ending and somewhat dulls the story's impact. Ages 12-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 9 Up-When Rick comes home from summer camp, he discovers that there is a new "it" guy in his high school-one who dresses straight out of J. Crew; is a great football player; and throws the party, complete with multiple kegs, on Friday nights. When Rick finally meets Jake, he discovers that he likes this hip fellow. He is stunned to find out that Jake once tutored Didi, the girlfriend of the quarterback and the most beautiful girl around, in math. When they start spending time together, the entire student body awaits the fallout. It turns out that Jake has given himself a whole new image and persona in his new school to win the approval of the school's most popular and completely superficial crowd simply to attract the attention of someone he loves. Korman's reworking of The Great Gatsby places the action in a modern framework, which makes it more recognizable for today's readers and may lead them to the classic. Teens will find deeper issues to consider about popularity, being true to one's self, and taking responsibility for one's actions as they relate to the setting and characters.-Betsy Fraser, Calgary Public Library, Canada Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal