<Jake Drake Teacher’s Pet>
I taught English at a primary school for 3 years. It was long enough for me to realise that when parents asked me for book recommendations, what they were really asking for were books that would help their kids ace their composition exams.
If I were to view Andrew Clements’ books from this lens, they would fail to meet the mark for many reasons. His “Show Not Tell” phrases were quite basic. He used casual language like stuff and kids. He employed an American casual style of writing that either used too many and’s in a sentence or started a sentence with And. Not good, not good. I’m not sure students are gonna extrapolate many useful writing tips for the purpose of Primary School Leaving Exams (PSLE).
Nonetheless, Andrew Clements is one of my favourite children’s authors for many reasons. His protagonists are challenged with improbable, yet feasible curveballs. In this book, Jake finds himself being praised by his teachers and even the principal for reasons inexplicable to him. He becomes the flavour of the month, the teacher’s pet - which is something that will send shudders down every child’s spine. No one wants to be singled out for being a goody-goody two shoes! The solution Jake employs to overcome his plight is believable too. He starts behaving badly and acting out in hopes that his teachers will be mad and “dethrone” him from his “label”. Except that his teachers and principal take his outbursts as constructive criticism. Man, what has a boy got to do to just be a regular kid? In the end, he decides to just be himself and not care about whether others would regard him as a teacher’s pet. Andrew Clements delivers this important message of self-acceptance and authenticity in a no-frills, engaging manner. I was captivated enough to finish reading within the hour my boy was engrossed with his merry-making at the indoor playground.
Jolly good read. Honestly, if my boy could write in a heart-felt manner as persuasively as Andrew Clements in the future, I would be really glad, never mind the fact that such writing doesn’t get the top band in PSLE Writing. Lolz
#andrewclements #jakedrake
