Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

by Wendy Mass

Book Overview

★ "This exquisitely executed plot twist, combined with an ending that requires a few tissues, makes this soulful novel one not to miss." --Publisher's Weekly, starred review A sweet, funny, and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316058491
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.8" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Implausible conclusion

This book was interesting enough until the conclusion. Too many people were part of the deception. Jeremy learning the meaning of life through his new experiences with people and places was enough to carry the story. Tying everyone in at the end as part of a big ruse wasn't realistic or believable.

Thought provoking while giggling

This book made me laugh, smile, feel my heart warm and gave me something to think about. I am 43 years old and my daughter asked me to read this book about a boy turning 13 and his best friend (a girl) who is just learning to use her feminine wiles...My favorite part is when they go into the church to get a "Godly" perspective when they arrived in Atlantic City. Read this book!

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life.

I would recommend this book to any one who is looking for a book you just can't put down. It is full of adventure and many what will happen next questions. I truly think it is a great book. I think all pre and teens should read this book because you do learn a lot even though it is only a book. Things happen for a reason in life and you can learn this from reading this book. Everything in life has a meaning weather you realize it or not. Some things happpen for the good and some things happen to teach us a lesson, even though it may be a hard lesson to learn and sometimes bad things happen along the way it all happened for a reason This book will show you why things happen for the beter it is a cheer you up book at times. A must read.

Jeremny Fink and the meaning of life review

The book I read was Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass. The book was about Jeremy Fink and his friend Lizzy trying to find the keys to this box. The box was given to Jeremy for his thirteenth birthday from his dead father. His father had saved it for him and had told his mother to give it to him on his thirteenth birthday, whether his father was alive or not. They looked everywhere for the keys and eventually found them and opened the box. The box contained what Jeremy's dad thought the meaning of life was. I liked the book very much. I liked it because it was always exciting and I was always on the edge of my seat. It was always a mystery, where would the keys be, who had them, how would Jeremy find them? There were so many questions that were always unanswered until the climax and the end. It was a mysterious story that was very exciting. I also liked the book, because the book's ending was satisfying. They explained the whole trick behind it all, how everything was planned, and they answered all the questions that popped up in my head while I was reading. Another reason why I liked the book was that the main conflict interested me. I wanted to know what was in that box as much as they did. I wanted to know what the meaning of life is, even though everyone has a different view of what the meaning of life is; it changes for everyone. The author's writing style had unique characteristics. The writing was very creative and realistic. All the ideas she came up with to make the story flow were very creative. The characters were also very realistic. Any kid I know would jump at the chance to find out the meaning of life, just like they did. The dialogue was also very realistic and was also very well written. I recommend this book to people who like mystery and fiction books. I would recommend this book to them, because there is a mystery going on throughout the book, but it's all fictional so it's kind of nice reading about some imaginary character's life. I rate this book pretty high with the books I have read. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I was always excited, enough said. If a book can do that, then it's a good book, in my opinion. I enjoyed the book very much, so much that I think it should come out with a sequel. It wasn't really a cliffhanger, but the characters in the story were nice and I'm sure other readers would want to hear more about their adventures. I, for one, would love to read more about them. Maybe the next book could be titled Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Death, certainly would be a good follow up to the meaning of life.

Under the radar, but shouldn't be!

I recommend A MANGO-SHAPED SPACE and LEAP DAY as well, but having just finished JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE I have to say it's the best yet from author Wendy Mass. I loved Jeremy and found him to be so much of a real person. An adorable introvert who is set in his ways with his love of classic comics and mutant candy and his intolerance for healthy food...and exercise...and public transportation. He's both very New York and universal at the same time. I liked Lizzy, too. As a person who has both taught and raised children in that 12-13 age range, I found her to be refreshingly like real girls I know. She is very much portrayed in that in-between stage. Young girls who are not yet teens are usually self-confident and comfortable in their opinions and skin. As they hit their teen years they often lose confidence and become interested in new things and Lizzy is no exception. I found her to be realistic and I didn't take long to warm up to her at all. I usually don't like obnoxious children or teens--fictional or otherwise--I just didn't really find her obnoxious. She clearly had her issues, but she WAS abandoned at a young age. She and Jeremy were clearly written as very specific people. I love the mysterious and adventurous tone in the book. It reminded me of my favorite books growing up. It was like a fantasy book--it held the promise of something magical--and yet was still very much grounded in the real world. The book is true to the theme of the book. Jeremy really does explore the meaning of life and collects all sorts of opinions on his travels. I think the book will be a great catalyst for young people to inspire them to contemplate the "whys" of life and believe that for today's generation of preteens and teens this book will be remembered fondly for doing just that. It will open them up to philosophy, science, relationship and spirituality through its layers and stories. There is much to admire. If I had read this at that age it would hold a special place in my heart today. This would make a great gift to a special child or teen that could really impact that young person's life in a wholesome and tender and profound way.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

For Jeremy Fink, the meaning of life is pretty simple. Stay safe, stay focused, stay the course. This is Jeremy's life, until the day the postman delivers a package addressed to his mother. Unable to check his curiosity and the taunts of his best friend, Lizzy, Jeremy opens the package to find a surprise like no other. Inside the cardboard box is another box, one made of a beautiful wood, sanded to a breathtaking sheen, comprised of four intricate locks, and inscribed with the words "The Meaning of Life." Underneath those life-changing words are others, smaller, unmistakably carved by his father: "For Jeremy Fink To Open On His 13th Birthday." For many kids, turning thirteen is a big deal. After all, you're about to become a legitimate teenager, a purveyor of mystic knowledge, an "almost-adult" in a world ruled by adults. For Jeremy, turning thirteen has always been a goal. Now, though, there's another, much more important goal--finding a way to open this magnificent box without breaking it, since no one seems to know where the four keys are that are needed to open the locks. Even more unimaginable is the fact that his father seems to have sent him his birthday gift from beyond the grave. You see, years ago, when Jeremy was eight, his father had died. Had died, actually, at the age of thirty-eight, two years before the fortune teller had told him on his own thirteenth birthday that he would die at age forty. It's important to Jeremy to open that box. It's imperative. It's a necessity. Somehow, his father knew the true meaning of life, and he's managed to provide Jeremy with that tantalizing secret. But how will he get the box open without breaking it--something he refuses to do? How will he and Lizzy, the risk-taker best friend with the non-stop mouth, figure out where to get the keys that hold the answers to that all-important question? When one of their schemes to get the keys to the box goes awry, both Jeremy and Lizzy are forced into working for a mysterious man who may just end up having the answers they need. JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE is a wonderful, emotional read. Yes, I cried at the ending, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. This is a book that is about so much more than growing up; a book that is about so much more, even, than finding a way to open a birthday present. For Jeremy, those weeks before his thirteenth birthday are about becoming closer to the father he lost too soon, about learning the value of friendship, and about learning that the meaning of life, quite possibly, is something that each and every one of us can find inside ourselves. Thanks to Ms. Mass for such an emotional, heartfelt read. This is a book perfect for both middle-school readers and older teens, and you won't go wrong picking up a copy for your library. Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"