The Jake Show

You've got to see this review!

“The Jake Show”, by Joshua S. Levy is about Jake, a 13-year old whose parents are divorced. They used to be a loving Jewish family. They’d watch movies on Shabbat and hang out with each other. Now, his mother is extremely religious and will unplug the TV on Shabbat and other holidays. She calls him Yaakov and will not let him go near any girls. On the other hand, Jake’s dad has completely run away from his Jewish identity. He calls Jake “Jacob” and wants him to go to a non-religious school. Jake’s education is a regular topic of discussion for his parents. Before he knows it, Jake is at a new school - one ordered by court. There he meets Caleb and Tehilla and they become friends. They introduce Camp Gershoni - a camp that is too religious for his dad and not religious enough for his mom. Now, Jake’s plan is to find a way to going to Camp Gershoni without his parents knowing. They would never let him go! His dad thinks he is going to coding camp. His mom is thinking he is going to a very religious camp. He even goes so far as to create two fake camp websites to trick his parents. What's unique about Jake is his obsession with TV, especially reality shows. You can see this in the way he ends some chapters or narrates his adventures as if he's writing a script. Jakes experience is unfortunately pretty relatable to many readers - divorced parents, changing schools, going back and forth to each parent’s houses, trying to persuade your parents to let you go to the camp of your choice. I also liked how Jake’s friendships were portrayed, especially since some books make kids' relationships very unrealistic. If I could change something, I'd add more details about Jake's parents' divorce and his elaborate trick on them. Those moments when he's fooling his parents are so exciting, and more description would make them even better.. In the end, I recommend "The Jake Show." It teaches the importance of talking to your parents and shows that nobody is perfect. Thanks for reading my review! I hope you like the book!