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My Life as a Joke (The My Life series, 4) Paperback – April 11, 2017

by Janet Tashjian (Author), Jake Tashjian (Illustrator)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 263 ratings
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From popular middle-grade novelist Janet Tashjian comes another hilarious installment in the My Life series, with illustrations by Janet's son, Jake Tashjian.

Derek Fallon discovers all the angst that comes with being twelve―he just wants to feel grown up, but life gets in the way with a series of mishaps that make him look like a baby. He passes out during a worm dissection in science class, falls flat on his face in gym class and gets a fat lip that causes him to lisp all day, and his plans for a monster-truck party turn into a bouncy house disaster. Why isn't being in middle school as great as Derek imagined? Thankfully, with a little help from his friends―and, ironically, a Toys for Tots fundraiser―things seem like they could start shaping up at last.

My Life as a Joke by Janet and Jake Tashjian is a Christy Ottaviano Book

“Readers will connect with likable Derek and his efforts to improve himself that don't ever go right . . . It's sure to be a hit with fans of the previous installments.” ―School Library Journal

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

Don't forget the rest of the My Life series!
My Life as a Book
My Life as a Stuntman
My Life as a Cartoonist
My Life as a Joke
My Life as a Gamer
My Life as a Ninja

Previous page
  1. Reading age
    9 - 12 years
  2. Book 4 of 11
    The My Life
  3. Print length
    288 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    Preschool - 2
  6. Lexile measure
    840L
  7. Dimensions
    5.2 x 0.75 x 7.6 inches
  8. Publisher
    Square Fish
  9. Publication date
    April 11, 2017
  10. ISBN-10
    9781250103888
  11. ISBN-13
    978-1250103888
  12. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Readers will connect with likable Derek and his efforts to improve himself that don't ever go right . . . It's sure to be a hit with fans of the previous installments.” ―School Library Journal

"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

"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

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.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1250103886
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Square Fish; Reprint edition (April 11, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781250103888
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250103888
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12 years
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 840L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 2
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.2 x 0.75 x 7.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 263 ratings

About the authors

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Previous page
  1. Jake Tashjian

    Jake Tashjian

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Jake Tashjian is an illustrator of early chapter and middle-grade children's books. His books include the MY LIFE AS A BOOK and EINSTEIN THE CLASS HAMSTER series, which he collaborated on with his mother, the author Janet Tashjian.

    He also illustrated the EMOJI ADVENTURES, MINECAT, and STINKY STEVE series for Montage Publishing. He is a founding member of the nonprofit foundation Workshop 2.0 which published his first book as both author and illustrator, BOBBY IN THE LOBBY - part of the WHERE AM I? series.

    Jake currently lives in Los Angeles where he is an avid surfer and cartoon aficionado.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Janet Tashjian

    Janet Tashjian

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Janet Tashjian is a middle-grade and young adult novelist who’s been writing books for children for three decades. Her award-winning MY LIFE AS A...series is about a child with a reading disability. The ten-book series is illustrated by her son, Jake Tashjian, and has been translated into two dozen languages. Her EINSTEIN THE CLASS HAMSTER series is also a collaboration with her son. Her first novel TRU CONFESSIONS was made into a critically acclaimed Disney TV movie. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LARRY is a cult favorite and FAULT LINE is taught in many middle and high schools.

    Janet lives in Los Angeles. When she isn’t writing, she’s rewriting. Learn more about her twenty-seven books and her author visits at JanetTashjian.com.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
263 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Sa mi
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it.
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2014
Verified Purchase
This was much better story than the last book. I read it and loved it. Then my 9 years old read it, and he liked it too. Nothing sad happens in this book. Monkey is still there, and dog is still alive. But kids learn a lesson on volunteering. It was all about that. Also, focus on what happens to a neighbor when she start to lose her memory. What a great way to introduce two important topic to children and Tashjian did great writing about it with happy endings.
5 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars My 10 yrs old can’t put it down..
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
We have all the books in this collection. I had only read a few pages, and it’s light and funny. My 10 yrs old loves it and we love the cartoon images too.
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Laura
5.0 out of 5 stars My 7 year old loves this book series!
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2022
Verified Purchase
I haven't gotten his synopsis yet because he's not done reading yet but the excitement on his face when I gave it to him said it all. He wants to get all the books in the series.
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Ali Tart
5.0 out of 5 stars Upgraded to this from Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2020
Verified Purchase
My 8y/o is obsessed with the Diary of a wimpy kid series and thought this would grab her attention. There are LESS comics and MORE words, which I love because she reads books too quickly!
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M. Raymond
4.0 out of 5 stars My Life as a Joke, good books for kids.
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2016
Verified Purchase
My son really likes these books, he uses them for summer book reports he has to do for school. They are easy reads but not 'baby-ish', the subject is good and he can relate to the main character who is about his age and has a few good friends he hangs out with.

I on the other hand am a little tired of the main character always having everything go wrong in his life and then magically it all works out amazingly. I really have a hard time with the subject line of bullies suddenly doing a 180 and becoming good friends with the kid they've been being jerky to, so not realistic but these books are made for kids not grownups.
One person found this helpful
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C.M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun watching Derek grow .
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2020
Verified Purchase
Read this with my 10 year old granddaughter. We enjoyed Derek’s adventures, even when they didn’t turn out as planned. This is our favorite book in this series so far.
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SK
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2015
Verified Purchase
This book teaches a valuable life lesson for anyone. This is coming out of a 13 year old, me. I do not want to spoil it by stating the lesson, but you'll find out. I bet this is PERFECT for 10-14 year olds.
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Like the whole series
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2015
Verified Purchase
I actually read these to my 11 year old son. Like Derek in the book,he has a hard time reading. I love that aspect of these books since it let's us talk about that struggle. I think there are good lessons in these books and we enjoy them.
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Top reviews from other countries

Raksha
4.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in India on February 9, 2024
Verified Purchase
Good
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midnight shopper
4.0 out of 5 stars Good but we liked the video games one better
Reviewed in Canada on January 29, 2017
Verified Purchase
Its pretty good but we enjoyed the oNE about video games more. My son is 7 so maybe if he gets older he'll like both the same!
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