Jake Drake Themes

Jake Drake is the lead protagonist of the Jake Drake series of novels by bestselling children’s author Andrew Clements. The first novel in the series was Jake Drake Know-It-All which was first published in 2001. The series of novels are best classified in the subgenre of school stories.

Jake Drake is a fourth grade student whose experiences form the bulk of the stories in the series. Drake shares his experiences ranging from bullying and going on to become the teacher’s favorite student and pet. At between 80 to 100 pages the novels provide entertaining school fodder with some food for thought and humor that make for nostalgic narratives about the school experience.

In the debut novel Jake Drake Know-It-All Jake gets super excited when the

school announces a science fair in which the winner will take home the latest state of the art computer system. Drake has always loved working with computers and he gets down to business so that he can beat Kevin and Marsha the class know it alls. He does his best to keep his work under wraps only for his friend Willie to announce that he is quitting the competition.

With his friend out, Jake thinks that maybe he should quit too. But he has put in so much that he cannot afford to quit. He invites Willie to work on his project with him so that they can create the best project to beat Kevin and Marsha. What follows is a great novel of determination and perseverance that shows why Andrew Clements has won so many awards over the years.

BEST JAKE DRAKE BOOKS:
Jake Drake Know It All the first novel in the series is undoubtedly one of the best novels in the series.

Written in the early years of the new millennium, it is a nerdy novel that references nineties software and games. Despite the nerdy walk down memory lane, it is a realistic and fun story in which the lead character Jake comes up with an interesting hands-on science project. The focus on the friendship between Willie and Jake makes for some great exposition of the power of friendship and determination towards the achievement of an objective. It is a great introduction to friendship and the scientific method for

children.

Jake Drake Teachers Pet is another incredible novel in the Jake Drake series with a theme that most fourth graders would likely face in school.

Jake never wanted to become a teacher’s pet but somehow he always found himself adored with almost the entire faculty singing his praises. As is expected, most of his classmates do not take kindly to the fact that he is the de-facto teacher’s pet. Looking to set things straight, he believes that if he engaged in some naughty mischief, he may damage his positive image among the teachers. His attempts at making himself look bad fall flat as the teachers praise him even more enhancing the disgust of his classmates. Things come to a head when the principal summons him to his office urgently. Could he have done too much in his quest to prove that he is not a teacher’s pet?

Jake Drake, Bully Buster has become one of the most popular novels in the series. Jake Drake is not the funniest, fastest, or toughest kid in the fourth grade though he has the tendency to come up with big ideas. He also likes to tell stories of the going ons in his school though he does not bother with the usual gossip. He loves to tackle forbidden subjects such as bullying from a different angle. For instance he asks if the teaching staff is so smart why is bullying a perennial problem in the school. He takes it upon himself to use his imagination and innovation to come up with some surprising

solutions.

OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE:
Many Jake Drake fans also love the Rotten School series of novels by R.L Stine. The series is set in the Rotten School where the lead character Bernie Bridges cannot seem to ever follow the school rules. Many of the Jake Drake fans also enjoy the Jasper John Dooley series of novels by Caroline Adderson. The lead character in the series is Jasper John Dooley an only child of loving parents who is a funny and charismatic lead character. The books detail his interactions with his parents, his friends, his teachers, and his experiences in elementary school.