Minn and Jake's Almost Terrible Summer - by Janet S Wong & Genevieve Cote Hardcover

About the Book

Book Synopsis

There are a few things / about your best friend
that you can only learn / when you see where he's from.

Minn knew / that Jake was from the city.
But she didn't know / that his grandmother was Korean.
That he liked taking bubble baths. / That his brother, Soup,
might be an eating champion. / That Jake was a cheater,
and that he had a . . . / girlfriend?!

There are some things / about your best friend
that it's better not / to know.

Bouncing free verse and playful black-and-white illustrations combine to make this a charming follow-up to Minn and Jake.

Minn and Jake's Almost Terrible Summer is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Review Quotes

"This is a gentle, resonant story that explores the ways we struggle to learn about one another, and discover ourselves in the process." --Booklist

"Côté's black-and-white cartoons nicely highlight the action and, together with the text, capture the very essence of childhood summers. Good fun." --Kirkus Reviews

"Whimsical ink sketches enhance the storytelling in this creative early chapter book that features smart, endearing characters and humorous antics." --School Library Journal

"Wong is still a keen interpreter of the preteen psyche, deftly exploring such issues as the perceived exoticness of ethnic identities, the ethics of line-cutting, and the almost insurmountable odds against nurturing friendship between a very tall girl and a very short boy." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A truly enjoyable read filling a very real and undeniable need." --Elizabeth Bird, A Fuse #8 Production

About the Author

JANET S. WONG and GENEVIÈVE CÔTÉ collaborated on Minn and Jake, a Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book (see page 45). Ms. Wong lives in Hopewell, New Jersey. Ms. Côté lives in Montreal, Quebec.