Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Family movie night? There's an app for that

Download our new mobile app on iOS and Android.

Parents' Guide to

Jake the Fake Keeps It Real: Jake the Fake, Book 1

By Darienne Stewart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Funny take on fitting in and self-discovery at art school.

Jake the Fake Keeps It Real: Jake the Fake, Book 1 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (2 ):

Comedian Craig Robinson and writer Adam Mansbach riff on the middle-school-anxiety genre with the start of this fun series. Following a sixth-grader who worries he doesn't have the chops to cut it in art school, Jake the Fake Keeps It Real is buoyed by plentiful illustrations by Keith Knight, whose giddy artwork and jokes are packed onto nearly every page.

Robinson and Mansbach steer clear of the snarky tone so common in humor for the tween set. Like Big Nate, Jake is a jokester -- but he clearly likes his classmates and wants to feel at home among them. And he finally does when he starts improvising on "Operation Outweirdo" -- he feels inspired, challenged, excited, and free. Most of the jokes are focused on the art school crowd, but the humor is never unkind. This one clearly is meant for all the kids who feel like weirdos, with great affection.

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate