Derek Fallon discovers all the angst that comes with being twelve—he just wants to feel grown up, but life gets in the way with a series of mishaps that make him look like a baby. He passes out during a worm dissection in science class, falls flat on his face in gym class and gets a fat lip that causes him to lisp all day, and his plans for a monster-truck party turn into a bouncy house disaster. Why isn't being in middle school as great as Derek imagined? Thankfully, with a little help from his friends—and, ironically, a Toys for Tots fundraiser—things seem like they could start shaping up at last.

My Life as a Joke by Janet and Jake Tashjian is a Christy Ottaviano Book

Janet Tashjian is the author of the popular My Life series including My Life as a Stuntboy, My Life as a Book, and My Life as a Cartoonist, illustrated by her son, Jake Tashjian; as well as The Gospel According to Larry and For What It’s Worth. She lives with her family in Los Angeles, California.