Jake and Lily

Jake and Lily are twins, but not just any twins. They have a sort of special bond that they call goombla. Goombla lets them know things about each other, like what the other is thinking. This brings them close and they are like two pieces of one whole. They do everything together, until one day after they turn 11 Jake starts hanging out with their neighbor, Bump. Lily hates Bump but as summer goes by Jake spends every single day with him. This tears Jake and Lily's relationship apart until they hardly speak. As Jake and Bump begin hanging out more, Jake beings to change. He is mean to Lily and he and his friends are constantly picking on "goobers." For a while, Jake just laughs along with the others. One day Bump takes the bullying too far and Jake begins to feel guilty. He struggles with himself as to what he should do, lose his friend and stand up for the goober, or just sit back and say nothing.Meanwhile, Lily becomes depressed because she feels like she is losing herself. Her grandpa helps her to find a life that is not centered around her twin brother. She struggles with this because she does not want a new life; she just wants her brother back. Lily sees her brother having fun everyday while she remains miserable. She starts to think that maybe the goombla and her brother will be lost forever.Eventually, Lily finds a new friend and Jake befriends the goober, leaving Bump behind. Will the goombla come back? Will Jake and Lily's relationship go back to the way things were? You've got to read it to find out. This is a comical book about two twins growing up and growing apart. It is written from both perspectives (every other chapter is written by Jake and every other is written by Lily). At first, this may be confusing for younger readers. However, as the book progresses the two personalities become more distinct. This makes it easier to discern whose chapter it is, and the reader does not have to flip back to the title to see.The short chapters and simple vocabulary make for a pretty simple read. I would recommend this book for children grades 3-6. I think all types of students could enjoy this book. It is well written and the characters development is inspiring. There is just a right mix between comedy and other feelings (regret, sadness, jealousy, etc.).I think there is a good lesson in this book about bullying. Through this book the boys bully quite a few people, but we get to know one of the kids they pick on a lot. We also get to see how this impacts Jake. He begins to realize that not only is bullying wrong, but so is standing by while someone else does the bullying. Laughing is just as much of a crime, and just because someone is different doesn't make them any less of a person. There is also a good lesson about finding yourself and being true to who you are.As a warning to parents and teachers: In this book there are a few choice words that you may not want in your classroom or your home. They are not cuss words exactly, but some may not be comfortable with their younger children reading it. A few examples so that you can decide for yourself without buying the book are: bull, freaking, moron, crap, etc. Because there is a lot of teasing in the book there is a lot of name calling.

This book is so emotional and funny. These two twins are hilarious. They talk back and forth throughout the book. This book is so cool. It tells about Lily and Jake and there totally amazing life as twins. They can sense when the other is in trouble. The always can find each other in hide and seek. This book is awesome for 10 year olds like me. I even bet if my mom read she would break down in tears. Trust the 10 year old this book is totally AWESOME & AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am a mother of three boys (13 and a pair of 11-year old twins) and they allow me to read books to them (still!). This is one of our "family book club" picks and it was a good one. Jake and Lily are fraternal twins and the book is about how close they are (think "goombla!") and how difficult it is for Lily to find herself in the wake of her brother, Jake, separating to forge his own path with some boys in the neighborhood. The portrayal of her relationship with her grandfather, Poppy, and Jake's relationship with the neighborhood "goober," Earnest (AKA "Soop") were both special. The kids enjoyed the book for the suspense about Ernie's clubhouse. I enjoyed the book for the path Lily was journeying. I think this was a light-hearted but thoughtful treatment of the transition from childhood to adolescence.

That was a really good book! I liked how Lily was looking for a life and then she became friends with Sydney. Twin Magic is fascinating! I would recommend this book to kids who like realistic fiction!😜

I loved this book because the characters both have to overcome difficulties in their lives and they have to figure out a way to keep their goombla there!!! This book had everything that I love in a book: comedy, friends, and love!!! Everyone should read this book. Definitely!!!!

Loved this book. It was amazing and inspiring. I love Jerry Spinneli and his work is truly stunning. My best friend has a twin so she can probably connect with Lily. Even though Ernie is a boy I can absolutely connect to him. I am DEFINITELY a supergoober!!!!!!!!! Thank you Jerry Spinneli for creating these beautiful, heartfelt stories!

My daughter loves the book! She is actually excited to write a book report on it. She usually hates writing book reports. I think it took her 2 days to read. She almost never put it down. I would most definitely recommend this book.

I thought this was a great book and had a lot of thought in it.But I felt like some parts either dragged on or it wasn't clear enough. As far as the content goes it was good,there was a part where a character was implying that another character was a different gender but used the word sex. It didn't really go into that much, so I think it's appropriate.I would recommend this book if your looking for a quick,light read.NO

it is very good book.

My 11 year olds review- best book I have EVER READ. (And she reads a lot) so what more can I say! Brilliant!

I was very surprised by the way Bump bullied Ernie, but when the book got better it cheered me up.I loved the connection between Lily and Jake, it made the book more interesting.It was great!!!

I found this book just so grabbing and when I started, I couldn't stop. Definitely for people that find some books boring as I definitely do.

The little girl that this was purchased for, loved it, and it was read within a week.I became her favourite non relative.