School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-When Jake is accepted to the Music and Arts Academy magnet school, he's afraid everyone will realize he can't really play the piano; for his audition he played the single piece he knew. To fit in and be seen as an artist, he does everything weird he can think of. When the school's talent show is announced, however, he's unsure if he'll be able to pull off a talent. After all, he can't really play the same piece he auditioned with again, can he? Since everyone is required to perform if they want to stay at the academy, time is running out. Narrator Sullivan Jones's unique narrative style easily complements the story. His smooth transitions and distinguishable character voices draw listeners into Jake's world. The plot is engaging and humorous. VERDICT Fans of Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Gordon Korman's Ungifted will enjoy listening to this book. A solid addition to any library audio collection serving middle graders.-Kira Moody, Salt Lake County Library Services © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Actor/comedian Robinson, Go the F**k to Sleep author Mansbach, and The Knight Life cartoonist Knight team up for a slightly edgy spoof of touchy-feely, experiential education in this heavily illustrated story. Jake, an African-American sixth grader, has a severe case of imposter syndrome after cheating and faking his way into the elite Music and Art Academy. Jake's gifted older sister, Lisa, thrives at the academy, where students are encouraged to get creative through assignments like chewing a piece of gum for six hours, then writing a play about it. Under the very loose tutelage of free-spirited Mr. Allen, Jake pushes the definition of artistic in order to "throw everybody off the scent of my fakeness," finding freedom (and a cover) in intentionally bizarre behavior such as trash sculpting or creating bands that don't play music. Knight's zippy b&w spot illustrations play up the story's gross-out humor-as in a scene of laser-beam-wielding dolphins decapitating radioactive kangaroos during Jake's book report about an imaginary book-and a supporting cast of quirky art-school types rounds out this offbeat novel, first in a planned series. Ages 8-12. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Jake's sure he doesn't belong at Music and Arts Academy. He squeaked through his piano audition with some tips from his perfect sister, but music's not his strong suit, and now he's waiting for the day his teachers discover he's really a fraud. But while he's busy completing bizarre assignments (like a book report on a book that doesn't exist) and doing his best flight under the radar by fitting in with the weird crowd, he's also discovering a new talent: comedy. Robinson and Mansbach amp up the laughs in this wry novel, especially when readers get glimpses of some of African American Jake's assignments (made even more uproarious by Knight's caricature-like spot illustrations). There's a solid message here, but it fittingly takes a backseat to the over-the-top school antics, which are made even more outlandish in Jake's straight-faced, first-person narrative. With comical characters, relatable stakes, and an unobtrusive kernel of a lesson about creativity at its heart, this series starter will likely find an easy audience among middle-schoolers, especially Wimpy Kid fans.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2017 Booklist
