Jake and Lily [Paperback]

Beloved Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli, author of Maniac Magee and Wringer, addresses issues of identity, belonging, family, and bullying in this humorous and heartfelt novel about twins. 

Jake and Lily are twins. Despite their slightly different interests and temperaments, they feel exactly the same—like two halves of one person.

But the year they turn eleven, everything changes. Their parents announce it’s time for separate bedrooms. Jake starts hanging out with a pack of boys on the block. And Lily is devastated, not to mention angry. Who is she without Jake?

And as her brother falls under the influence of the neighborhood bully, he also must ask himself—who is the real Jake?

In a starred review,Publishers Weeklypraised this smart and funny story. The New York Times Book Reviewextolled Jerry Spinelli as a poet of the prepubescent and added: 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.”

★ “Spinelli adroitly balances emotional tension with introspective moments in this smart and funny story.”“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.”“Each character is portrayed with emotional subtlety and conviction, while their juxtaposed viewpoints bring the energy of opposing forces to the story.”“Double the feelings, double the fun.”“Spinelli’s hallmark issues—individuality, nonconformity, alienation, standing up for the little guy—figure prominently, and the messages are convincingly worked into the story.”