The Children’s Book Review | March 15, 2019
Jake Burt’s Selfie with The Right Hook of Devin Velma
This is just your average 40-year-old-dude-hanging-upside-down-off-the-monkey-bars-in-the-dead-of-winter picture. I know, I know – if you’ve seen one of ’em, you’ve seen ’em all. But I had a good reason. In The Right Hook of Devin Velma, Addison Gerhardt’s best friend, Devin Velma, is trying to make enough money to pay for his father’s heart surgery. His plan is simple: make a wild YouTube video, get it to go viral, then rake in the advertisement money. All Devin needs is for Addison to help him record something weird enough, dangerous enough, and breathtaking enough to capture the nation’s attention. Devin’s first attempt? The death-defying danger of the Double-Barreled Monkey Bar Backflip of Doom…
Jake Burt’s Shelfie
This is the top shelf of my classroom library, tucked underneath our reading loft. It’s reserved for newer books, and particularly those featuring diverse casts of characters. Many of the titles here are ones I’ve read and enjoyed over the past couple of years, and lots of these were written by my very good friends. I use these books to highlight the fact that there are new classics being written every year, and that no matter who you are, you can find yourself represented in middle grade books (and if you can’t, I know a whole mess of talented people who’ll write that book for you). I hope this shelf reflects my passion for sharing stories with kids, my love of books across genres, and my ever-growing relationship with the writerly community
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Written by Jake Burt
Publisher’s Synopsis: From the author of Greetings from Witness Protection! comes another unforgettable middle-grade novel about friendship and family.
Devin wants to hit it big on the internet by pulling a stunt at an NBA game―one the entire nation will be watching. Addison can’t turn Devin down, but he can barely manage talking to his teachers without freezing up. How’s he supposed to handle the possibility of being a viral sensation?
Addi’s not sure why Devin is bent on pulling off this almost-impossible feat. Maybe it has something to do with Devin’s dad’s hospital bills. Maybe it all goes back to the Double-Barreled Monkey Bar Backflip of Doom. Or maybe it’s something else entirely. No matter what, though, it’s risky for both of them, and when the big day finally comes, Devin’s plan threatens more than just their friendship.
With memorable protagonists and a wonderful supporting cast, The Right Hook of Devin Velma is a one-of-kind knockout in middle-grade fiction.
Ages 10-14 | Publisher: Feiwel & Friends | October 2, 2018 | ISBN-13: 978-1250168627
Available Here
About the Author
Jake Burt is an award-winning author of middle grade fiction, including Greetings from Witness Protection!, The Right Hook of Devin Velma, The Tornado (Fall 2019), and Cleo Porter and the Body Electric (Fall 2020). He’s also a fifth grade teacher in New Haven, Connecticut. When he’s not writing or teaching, he plays the banjo, messes around with board games, and bakes a killer cinnamon pull-apart bread, which he then hides from his wife and daughter so they don’t eat it all before he gets a taste.
Find him on the web at http://www.jburtbooks.com and on Twitter @jburtbooks.
Discover more books like ‘The Right Hook of Devin Velma,’ written by Jake Burt, by checking out our reviews and articles tagged with Family, Friendship, and Middle Grade Books; and be sure to follow along with our Selfie and a Shelfie series.