My Life as a Book

Derek Fallon is the novel’s protagonist, narrator, and illustrator. He’s 12 years old and has been labeled a “reluctant reader” by his teacher, Ms. Williams. His parents worry that he’ll fall behind, and some of his classmates think he’s stupid. Even Derek wonders about his own potential. When Derek’s teacher asks him to record the words he learns and their definitions, he instead draws cartoons to define them. By the end of summer, Derek has unintentionally created a flipbook of drawings depicting his summer story—which is the source of the novel’s title, My Life as a Book. Derek’s passions are drawing, his dog Bodi, his family, and his best friend, Matt. He looks up to his father, an illustrator, and wants to be like him one day. He’s close with his mother and spends a lot of time with her, learning responsibility and compassion. Derek loves his grandma, who spoils him and makes him feel “happy to be a little kid again” (147). Derek describes his perfectionism about drawing (which juxtaposes his chaotic nature in other areas of his life) when he says, “I may not make my bed, pick up my clothes, put away my DVDs, or wipe the puddles of water off the floor after I take a bath, but I’m never messy with my drawings” (56).