My Life as a Cartoonist (My Life Series #3)

by Janet Tashjian, Jake Tashjian (Illustrator)

Overview

In Book Three of the popular "My Life . . ." series by Janet Tashjian, Derek Fallon's plan to help out a new classmate backfires miserably

There's a new kid in Derek Fallon's class. His name is Umberto and he uses a wheelchair. Derek's family is still fostering Frank the monkey, and Derek thinks it would be great to train Frank to assist Umberto. But Derek quickly realizes that Umberto is definitely not looking for any help. Derek soon becomes the butt of Umberto's jokes. On top of that, Umberto starts stealing Derek's cartoon ideas and claiming them as his own. How did Derek get himself into this mess, and how can he find a way out before he is the laughingstock of school? The answer may very well be his cartoon strip—SUPER FRANK!

My Life as a Cartoonist features illustrations by Janet Tashjian's son, Jake Tashjian .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780805098952
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	04/30/2013
Series:	Janet Tashjian's My Life Series , #3
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Lexile:	860L (what's this?)
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Janet Tashjian is a middle-grade and young adult novelist who’s been writing books for children for over two decades. Her first novel Tru Confessions was made into a critically acclaimed Disney TV movie starring Clara Bryant and Shia LaBeouf. The Gospel According to Larry series is a cult favorite and Fault Line is taught in many middle and high schools. Her bestselling My Life As a Book series is illustrated by her son, Jake. They also collaborated on the Einstein the Class Hamster series.

Janet collaborated with fellow Macmillan author Laurie Keller on the chapter book series Marty Frye, Private Eye. Janet currently lives in Los Angeles and made her new home city the setting of the Sticker Girl series, which details the adventures of Martina who overcomes being shy with the help of her magical stickers that come to life.

Jake Tashjian is the illustrator for the My Life As a...series, including My Life As a Ninja and My Life As a YouTuber. Jake also created and illustrated the Einstein the Class Hamster series. He collaborates on his novels with his mother, author Janet Tashjian. He has also illustrated several books for the author P.T. Evans.

Fun fact: Jake is a visual learner. When Jake was in elementary school, he used to draw his vocabulary words on index cards. This later became the inspiration for the main character, Derek, in the My Life As series.

In 2016 Jake co-founded Workshop 2.0, a non-profit foundation to train and hire other young artists on the Autism Spectrum.

Jake grew up in Massachusetts and currently lives in Los Angeles. He is an avid surfer and filmmaker.

Read an Excerpt

Super Frank!

 

improved

“That’s great!” my dad says as he puts the comic strip down. “Your drawings have really improved.”

I look over my father’s shoulder and examine my work. “No matter how long I work on it, my printing still looks like I’m in second grade.”

professional

“It takes a lot of practice for lettering to look professional.”

As if that’s any kid’s idea of fun—sitting around on a sunny afternoon filling notebooks with row after row of straight block letters.

flattered

My father closes the cover of the pad and hands it back to me. “Too bad Frank doesn’t know he’s the star of your comic strip. He’d be flattered.”

Dad doesn’t realize I’ve already shown Frank my drawings. It may be my imagination but by the way my capuchin monkey jumped up and down, I think he WAS flattered.

“Mac and cheese with stewed tomatoes,” Mom calls from the kitchen. “Wash up and come to the table.”

cringe

My father and I look at each other and cringe. “Why does she take something perfect like macaroni and cheese then throw something terrible like stewed tomatoes in to wreck it?” I ask.

“You know how Mom likes to sneak healthy food into everything,” Dad whispers back. “But I have to agree with you—it’s a crime to mess with mac and cheese.”

inadvertently

As I put away my pad, I realize Dad’s inadvertently given me the plot of my next comic strip: SUPER FRANK VS. THE WOMAN WHO WRECKED MAC AND CHEESE.

I can’t wait until Ms. McCoddle’s class tomorrow to start working on it.

 

Text copyright © 2013 by Janet Tashjian

Editorial Reviews

When a wheelchair-bound kid arrives in his classroom, Derek has a bright idea. He decides to train the family's pet monkey to help Umberto. But the new kid isn't appreciative; in fact, he resents the idea and begins making jokes about Derek. Before long, things escalate: Umberto begins pilfering Derek's cartoon ideas and claiming that he is the victim of theft. Finally, Derek decides that there is only one way to save his endangered reputation: a cartoon strip. A humanizing story about personal relations.

Cartoonist Derek grapples with a perplexing association between disability and bullying in this stand-alone sequel to My Life as a Book (2010) and My Life as a Stuntboy (2011).” —Kirkus Reviews

“Give this to kids who think they don't like reading. It might change their minds.” —Booklist, starred review on My Life as a Book

“A kinder, gentler Wimpy Kid with all the fun and more plot.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review on My Life as a Book

“Sure to engage fans of Jeff Kinney's ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid' books as well as those looking for a spunky, contemporary boy with a mystery to solve.” —School Library Journal on My Life as a Book

“Another fun, emotionally resonant read for the Wimpy Kid set and beyond.” —Kirkus Reviews on My Life as a Stuntboy

“A fast-moving plot and relatable protagonist make this stand-alone sequel a good choice for boys who, like Derek, would rather reach for a TV remote or game controller than a book.” —School Library Journal on My Life as a Stuntboy

“Fans of the first will be utterly delighted by this sequel and anxious to see what [Derek] will turn up as next.” —BCCB on My Life as a Stuntboy

“This is a great package for kids, especially those like Derek who don't think they like to read.” —Booklist on My Life as a Stuntboy

From the Publisher

Cartoonist Derek grapples with a perplexing association between disability and bullying in this stand-alone sequel to My Life as a Book (2010) and My Life as a Stuntboy (2011). Derek has two best friends at school and two beloved critters at home, including Frank, a capuchin monkey who's practicing family life before training as a service animal. Frank's the model for Derek's comic, Super Frank. Drawing's a fun challenge; reading's a difficult chore, though the stick-figure cartoons with which Derek illustrates his vocabulary words enliven the margins. Each playful sketch portrays a word from the adjacent paragraph but in an amusingly different context--"ingenious" shows up as a cupcake machine. Derek's life takes a turn for the worse when transfer-student Umberto targets him. Umberto steals Derek's cartoon ideas and makes him a "verbal punching bag." The bullying arc is fairly standard, but the bully isn't, at least physically: Umberto uses a wheelchair. On one hand, Tashjian creates a real anti-stereotype in this speedy wheeling boy who could (and would) easily crush Derek with a lacrosse stick if teachers weren't around. However, after the boys bond, Derek's funny narrative voice ("Frank's fur is now covered in a helmet of peanut butter") indulges in a few adult-sounding, rose-colored disability clichés, saying that Umberto possesses "honesty and grace" and "inspires me." This entertaining read leaves some provoking questions unanswered--usefully. (Fiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews