Monday 6 February 2023

Jake Drake, Know-It-All - Andrew Clements - Jake Drake Book 1

Jake Drake, Know-It-All
Jake Drake Book 1
Andrew Clements
ISBN 9780689838811
eISBN 9781442462366
ASIN B007108PG8


When I started reading this series I thought this was book 2 and thus read, Jake Drake, Bully Buster before this one. But this is actually book one in the Jake Drake quadrilogy. I was enjoying that book so much I mentioned it to my son, and he has since read to me both Jake Drake, Bully Buster and Jake Drake, Know-It-All and is currently reading me book three in the series. My son is in grade 9, and yes, these books are below his reading level. But he has been dealing with some serious bullying for a number of years now. Most of it instigated by the same ring leader, a boy that would give Link Baxter, Super Bully, more than a run for his money. My son loved the first story he read and asked if we could read all four together. And even though the other Jake Drake books do not deal with bullying, we plan on reading them together in short order.

Six years ago, I discovered the works of Andrew Clements. I was instantly hooked and have now read almost 25 books from his masterful pen. Many consider him the ‘master of school stories’, and I would agree. I have a dual form of dyslexia and did not learn to read until after grade 7. So I never read ‘school stories’ when I was young. That combined with having my own school aged children has instilled a great appreciation for the genre and specifically for the works of Andrew Clements. Clements passed away in 2019 his last novel was The Friendship War, which is another excellent volume. He writes amazing stories for children, but they are also stories that any of us can learn from. Back then I set the goal of reading all of his works, but as my own children have outgrown these books and they had slid by the wayside. I have now returned to them yet again. I have read 1 a week over the last several weeks and plan to do so for a while yet.

This is another great read in a really fun series. These are books I wish we had read with my son years ago. It is an excellent read. The description of this book is:

“Jake Drake is excited about Despres Elementary School's first science fair. He wants to win the grand prize: a brand-new Hyper-Cross-Functional Bluntium Twelve Computer System. And he really wants to beat the third grade know-it-alls, Marsha McCall and Kevin Young. The trouble is, to beat the know-it-alls, Jake has to become a know-it-all himself. And he may just lose more than he wins.”

The chapters in this volume are:

  One: The Catch
  Two: Big News
  Three: The Rules
  Four: Hunters
  Five: K-I-A/D-I-A
  Six: What to Do
  Seven: Secrets and Spies
  Eight: Dropouts
  Nine: Sticking Together
  Ten: Teamwork
  Eleven: Winners

In this story Jake really, really, really wants to win the science fair and the grand prize new Computer, a Hyper-Cross-Functional Bluntium Twelve computer system from Wonky’s Super Computer Store. It is a system Drake has had his eye on for a while. Jake learns some lessons long the way. One is that he prefers to work with a friend, have fun and learn. Second is that even though he and his partner did all the work on their projects, a lot of parents helped their kids. And Third if he focused just on winning and not the why and how it can cease to be fun. Overall this was a wonderful little read. Both my son and I loved it. 

This is another excellent offering from the masterful pen of Andrew Clements. This is a great early chapter book. It is excellent book for young readers, and for those of us who just love a great story! And It will leave you wondering what happens in the final 2 Jake Drake adventures. 

Books by Andrew Clements:
Bird Adalbert
Noah and the Ark and the Animals
Santa's Secret Helper
Temple Cat
Mother Earth's Counting Book
Billy and the Bad Teacher
Who Owns the Cow
Bright Christmas: An Angel Remembers
Frindle 
(Adapter)Philipp's Birthday Book
Riff's BeBop Book
Real Monsters Go for the Mold
Things That Go EEK on Halloween
Real Monsters Stage Fright
Music Time, Any Time
Double Trouble in Walla Walla
Workshop
Gromble's Haunted Halloween
Hey Dad, Could I Borrow Your Hammer
The Landry News
Look Who's in the Thanksgiving Play
The Mouse Family
The Janitor's Boy
Circus Family Dog
The Christmas Kitten
The School Story
Things Not Seen 
The Jacket 
A Week in the Woods
Slippers at Home
Naptime for Slippers
The Report Card
The Last Holiday Concert
Slippers at School
Slippers Loves to Run
A Million Is a Lot of Dots
Lunch Money
Things Hoped For
Room One: A Mystery or Two
No Talking
Things That Are
Lost and Found
Extra Credit
Troublemaker
About Average
The Map Trap
The Friendship War
The Losers Club
...

Pets to the Rescue Series
Ringo Saves the Day!
Brave Norman
Tara and Tiree, Fearless Friends
Delores and the Big Fire

Jake Drake Series
Jake Drake Know-It-All
Jake Drake, Bully Buster
Jake Drake, Teacher's Pet
Jake Drake, Class Clown

Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School Series
We the Children
Fear Itself
The Whites of Their Eyes
In Harm's Way
We Hold These Truths

Reading Program Books
Karen's Island
Three Wishes for Buster
Bill Picket: An American Original, Texas Style
Hurricane Andrew
Ham and Eggs for Jack
Life in the Desert
Desert Treasure
Inventors: Making Things Better, Steck-Vaughn
Milo's Great Invention
...












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