Surviving the Applewhites

Written by Stephanie S. Tolan

Narrated by Robert Sean Leonard

Will anyone take on Jake Semple?

Jake Semple is notorious. Rumor has it he burned down his old school and got kicked out of every school in his home state.

Only one place will take him now, and that's a home school run by the Applewhites, a chaotic and hilarious family of artists. The only one who doesn't fit the Applewhite mold is E.D. -- a smart, sensible girl who immediately clashes with the unruly Jake.

Jake thinks surviving this one will be a breeze ... but is he really as tough or as bad as he seems?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jan 18, 2005
• ISBN: 9780060834708

Stephanie S. Tolan

Stephanie S. Tolan is the author of more than twenty-five books for young readers, including Listen!, which won the Christopher Award and the Henry Bergh ASPCA Award. Her New York Times bestselling novel Surviving the Applewhites received a Newbery Honor and was named a Smithsonian Notable Children’s Book, a School Library Journal Best Book for Children, an ALA Booklist Editor’s Choice, an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book, and an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults. Tolan has left her home by the small lake in a big woods of North Carolina and now lives in the Hudson River Valley of upstate New York with a view of the Catskills Mountains and the prospect of wintertime cross country skiing. You can visit her online at www.stephanietolan.com.

Reviews for Surviving the Applewhites

[Dinavia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read it. It's worth every second. My whole family laughed out loud. My kids actually asked me to turn it on rather than playing video games.

[electrascaife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jake, a boy who keeps getting himself into trouble and seems to enjoy being called a problem kid, is sent to stay with the Applewhite family, who live on a woodsy couple of acres in rural North Carolina, homeschool their children, and are comprised of all sorts of 'free spirits' - artists, writers, craftsmen. Only one of them - E.D. (a girl about Jake's age) - has any sense of schedules and responsibilities, and she is not pleased to see Jake become part of their family. Her father, a self-centered (not that that sets him apart from any of the other characters, to be honest) Broadway director, takes on the job of directing a local community theater production, and soon the entire family, including troublemaker Jake, are involved. Meh. The characters were too stock-like (the artsy ones were way too hippy-dippy, Jake was too one-sidedly a wannabe-rebel,...), and I'm not a fan of homeschooling, so that part didn't endear me to the story, either. Just not really my thing, I think.

[marse_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an enjoyable tweener book about an unusual "artistic" family whose "Creative Academy" (what they call their homeschool) becomes host to a 13 year old delinquent. When the father (a temporarily unemployed director) is hired to put on "The Sound of Music" at the local theater, spiky-haired Jake is roped into playing Rolf to the chagrin of the only sensible person in the family, middle-schooler E.(for Edith) D. Applewhite. The rollicking production is a hoot, especially if you are at all familiar with the said musical. Not as deep or thought-provoking as I would expect from a Newberry Award nominee, but nevertheless entertaining. Recommended for 4-5th graders.

[rosa.mill · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jake Stemple is considered one of the ultimate bad boys. He's been kicked out of every school he's ever attended. Then he ends up at Wit's End. Wit's End is where the Applewhite family lives. The Applewhite children are all home schooled and Jake's grandfather has decided that Jake will be joining them. Jake moves in with the Applewhites and realizes that they are all crazy artists, but he is eventually sucked in and joins the family for a massive project that will take everyone's skills.

I liked watching Jake find his place in the Applewhite family. He gets sucked in so subtly he clearly doesn't realize it at first. I also like that you get into Jake's brain as he realizes how many of the things he's doing weren't about him but were in fact about how he wanted others to perceive him.

I like the insight into E.D. as well. She is clearly the odd one out but she still plays a vital role in the family. The play could not have been pulled off without her.

I guess I've been reading too much fiction where relationships play a heavy role. I was totally expecting E.D. and Jake to end up in some kind of relationship and that never happened and it felt so much more right because of it.

There was lots of humor and lots of hard work. Destiny is a great example of that. He's a funny kid but he takes a lot of work. It was also interesting to see the amount of work that went into putting on the play.

[loganbuttram330 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great educational book for young teens. I read this book when I was in 4th grade. This book is about a boy who is troubled and is forced to live in a home school. He starts to change his wild ways the longer that he is there and ultimately becomes a better person because of it. This book is really good because I feel many young teens can relate to many of the things in this book. One thing in particular is their eagerness to be accepted and to find themselves. This is a must read for anyone wanting to find a book for young teens that they can relate to in many ways.

[martinp.g3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a trouble maker going into an academy led by a family. He starts to change as hes there and seems to turn more into a nice person. He makes enemies who soon turn into friends of his he could be with. He takes a part of the play "Sound of Music" as a soldier named Rolf. He finds that he has a talent of singing and acting and starts to focus on that leading him to a actor whose a star of the show.He learns many new things that make him act nicer and be good. He also has a little follower who likes to be like him.I liked this book and I hope to read it again. I felt like I was Jake and that I started to change over the time he was in the academy. He found new friends to be with. I liked how he changed and how he became different at the end as a nice and good person. I wanted him to more daring things though. I wanted to see more action as of the complications that Jake had with the others. It was still good and I give it a 3 1/2.

[jenj5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hmm. I really enjoyed listening to this - the story's fun and of course the musical angle is right up my alley. Perhaps because Robert Sean Leonard isn't too famous, after a moment of recognition his voice and personality faded into the background for me. Of the last three narrators of young children that I've listened to, Leonard has easily done the best job with his portrayal of Destiny Applewhite. Not annoying at all which is more of a triumph than you might think. However - the ending lacks punch for me and I have to admit, I was a little disappointed by Jake's transformation. I loved that he found his joy, but why did he have to give up everything he was before for that to happen? I understand the internal logic - everything he was before was simply intended to cause a reaction rather than coming from him internally, but it still doesn't sit quite right with me. Hence the hmmm. Also, I liked the alternating of narrators between Jake and E. D., but they don't really get equal weight. I think perhaps this was just lighter than I expected or remembered. Playaway narrated by Robert Sean Leonard. Previously read.

[smheatherly2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was intruiged by the type of family the Applewhites were and how even a bad boy from the city could feel out of place in this artsy family. But it took such a family to be able to unlock the true talents of those around them and realize that by working otgether great things can happen. It's a lesson on finding your calling and not giving up.

[reece1999 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a juvinile deliquint that has to go to the only school left that will take him, the Creative Academy. This school is probably the easiest school ever. You don't get grades, you don't have order, you just have to be yourself. The only person with order at the Creative Academy is E.D. and has to help that juvinile delinquint, Jake, get a good start in the "real world". Real world isn't the best word for the school though, infact it's just the oppisite. Learn how this works out and hope that Jake doesn't burn down the place. Also don't be influenced like E.D.'s little brother(he colored his hair with markers) to be like Jake. This book was hilarious. Some people weren't big fans of it, but I liked it. Surviving the Applewhites kept you laughing and wanting more to laugh at. Somethings could've been better, but over all it was a pretty swell book. Stephanie S. Tolan did a good job on showing how someone like a juvinile deliquint can become a totally diffrent person. Also she shows that seriousness is good, but just having is good some times too. This book was really enjoyable. It would be cool if Stephanie S. Tolan wrote a sequel also.

[joshua9jrei2733 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Surviving the Applewhites is a book about an artistic family. This family is the Applewhites. The Applewhites stared a home school because a teacher got mad at one of the kids because she painted a zebra purple and black. Everything is going grate until someone comes to the school because he burnt down his old school. He is put with E.D. how is the most organised person of the family. The dad is directing a musica when they get kicked out of the theater and because of that they build a theater in their back yard. So the play starts and at the end it is a big hit. I would rate this book a four star. This is why I liked this book. I liked this book because it should me that people can change. I recamend this book to ereryone. It is a good reading book. it was also funny. that is why I liked that book.

[jarod3jleo6413 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a book about Jake Semple and how his life changes. Jake Semple has been in and out of schools and foster families since his parents got arrested. Jake is out of foster families and schools in the area except one school, the home school Creative Academy. Jake goes to this place but once he gets there he knows he doesn't want to stay there. But if he doesn't stay there he will have to go to juvie but but doesn't want to go there either. So then jake goes to this home and this school and lives with the Applewhites. This book is about how Jake Semple survives the Applewhites and how they change his life.I gave this book a four star rating becuase there were some things that I liked about the book and some things I didn't like about the book. Some of the things I didn't like was that the book swithed perspective through each chapter which sometimes got confusing.I also didn't really like that the author wasn't really descriptive about some things. I did like that the author did describes some things very well. I also like how there was a lot of characters and they all had a part in the book. I also like that all the characters were able to work together at the end and save the problem in the book. I also liked the way that the story ended compared to how it started.

[stephen2cooper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Surviving the Applewhites is a story about a teenage boy named Jake Simple who was always known as the bad kid. He was forced to choose to either stay at a place called Wit’s End or to go to Juvenile Corrections. He chose Wit’s End, a unique home school run by the Applewhite family. He found out it wasn’t like he expected it to be. At Wit’s End he took the Creative Academy. The Creative Academy is a home school that lets you take classes of what you like to do. Will Wit’s End be enough to change Jake’s bad reputation? I like this book because it was really amusing. The best part was when Jake found out what he liked to do. The worst part was when Mrs. Montrose canceled the show. The funniest part was when Wolfy was running around Wit’s End. I think this book has good description. I think the Creative Academy was a good idea. If you like book with family chaos in it then this will be a good book for you.

[ceci9m9foster · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

SUMMARY - In this book, we meet a boy who is sent from school to school destroying and menacing and basically being the "bad boy." After burning down a school, Jake Semple is sent to live with a strange family called the Applewhites. The Applewhites are all passionate artists of different kinds. Randolph, a director, is planning a play. The play is called the sound of music. Randolph is having trouble casting the play. When Randolph hears Jake singing he asks him to play Rolf. When Mrs. Montrose hears that her daughter has not been cast as Gretel, she cancels the show, but the show must go on! The Applewhites have the show in their barn. everyone pitches in. Through the show, Jake finds who he can be and what he can do with his life. Thanks to the Applewhites, Jake has found his way back to the right path.REVIEW - I think that this book is an inspiring story of what u can do with your life if you really try to. I like this story because it is about a large and crazy family just like mine. In a sense, to me this book is rather real life and that helps me to relate to it. This book has a good storyline and I really enjoyed reading it. I strongly suggest reading this book. I prefer when the story is told by E.D.'s point of view because I seem to understand her more. I especially like this book because it is somewhat centered around my favorite show, "The Sound of Music." Overall this book is one of my favorites.

[phillipe4pper6327 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book has an amazing story line. This book has a few climaxes and a great many characters to remember whilst reading. I do not regret reading this book and hope that I won't regret any book I ever read. The description of Wit's End keeps you wondering about what catastrophe will happen next and from what angle, direction or elevation. Many characters in this book are unimportant in regards of the main story line. I would rate this book a 7 out of 10. I don't think I'll read any more Stephanie Tolan books though.

[shoo9139 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

this book is about a boy named Jake Semple and he had some problems in the past but the applewhites helped him live his new life and get over his problems with creativity and definetly acting. Jake was in a play such as The sound of music and he was Rolf. That is when he found the good of himself. When problems started accuring during the play he and Edith were quick to solve them. wheter it was the rain and the lights everything ends out fine. but there also were reporters there and they were astonished that a family with such talent but not much dignity and courage get a great show to go on. but i still think this is a great book with interest in it.

[shanon2sval5976 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book, "Surviving the Applewhites" is about The Creative Academy and E.D. Applewhite and her family. The Applewhites meet a boy named Jake. Jake has dont a lot of negative things and finally got enrolled into The Creative Academy. Jake stays at The Creative Academy because if he leaves he would have to go to Juvenille. Soon, Randolph Applewhite, the husband of Sybil Applewhite directs a play called "The Sound Of Music." All the Applewhites and Jake come and help after the play has been canceled. Jake casts as a boy in the play. Some of the Applwhites work on costumes, sets, and etc.While the play for "The Sound of Music" Jake gets to know the real him. SOme of the characters changed while the book. For example, Jake. He was a boy who smoked, burned down schools, etc. At the end of the book he took out all his piercings, shaved his head, and played a part in a play. I gave this book a 3 out 5 because I really enjoyed really enjoyed reading this book. There were some parts where i realy needed to know more information about. It kept me thinking but i never got to figure out what the answers were to my question. Sometimesi couldn't really get to know one of the characters personalities. I did like how they made a play for "The Sound Of Music." I also liked watching the Sound of Music.

[nicolle7ntho6422 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In this selection Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan Jake a juvenile from Rhode Island. Jake is sent to The Creative Academy. Where Jake meets E.D., E.D. gets angry that Jake is being enrolled into her class. After time Jake and E.D. become better friends. Randolph, E.D.’s dad is a director and at the moment he is directing The Sound of Music. He hears Jake sing and immediately asks him to join his cast. After time Jack finds the real him not what he wants himself to be. At first I really disliked this book because I didn’t like how it began. But, towards the middle it started to get really interesting. How it had the story based on The Sound of Music. I honestly love the movie. I gave this book three stars because of the level of the book. Also, because it was good but, not great. I suggest this book if you like books about turning points in peoples life’s.

[lilly1afou5564 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The book "Surving the Applewhites" is told by two people's different points of view. During this interesting story the Applewhites successfully manage to direct the play "The Sound of Music," and surprisingly helping Jake Semple. Since, Jake had the option to decide where he rather go, (juvi or Creative Academy) he choose to stay with the Applewhites. He prefered to stay cause the Creative Academy is a school where you can make your own program to learn about. After that being done, E.D. comes up with a fantastic strategy for the family to use while guests are staying at the cottages and the 'play' is being edited. All in all the family had a few problems that had to be solved. Luckly they were all tooken care of, when the whole family work together (including: Jake, Govindaswami, and Jermy). It turns out that when eveeryone works together they all achieve peace.I thought this book was kinda sort of boring and nice to read. Once I read 1 page, it turns out I'm reading a whole chapter! It wasn't really one of those books were the action gets higher and it gets better and better the more you read ahead. Then again, it did sorta improve on the story. I got more.....what's the word? Not interesting, but.....Oh, yes! This book got more entertaining to read. So, yeah I guess you can say, "I did enjoy it." Well, since I'm rating it in *stars* I'm going to have to ogive it 2 stars.

[melissa9mhan3754 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie Tolan is about how the Applewhite create The Sound of Music program and survive with Jack Semple. E.D. is having troble getting along with Jack and with the Creative Academy. She was different from the Applewhites because she liked to be neat and organized. Near the end E.D. comes up with this splendid plan to help her father and the rest of the visitors at their house. They make their own stage in their barn and put on the play of The Sound of Music. If is wasn't for E.D. the play would not have been a success. This book was ok, but it was not my favorite. It was cool how E.D. had this idea of making a stage and getting everything ready to actually put on a play with people who come to watch. I also liked Jake's way of the catching real catipillars and watching them turn into butterflies. Destiny went crazy with them and wanted to watch them every second. It was also kind of funny when he changed his hair to become like Jake. Another funny part was when the cook made really spicey food and Ms. Matrose turned red. Most of all I enjoyed watching the Sound of Music after reading the book.

[nicole6nmut8184 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Surviving the Applewhites is an interesting and funny book. It takes place at Wit's End, a lot of acres of land with cabins where the Applewhites live. In Wit's End there is a home school called the Creative Academy. The Applewhites all have a creative passion. E.D., who is one of the Applewhite children, prefers to keep things organized. She feels like she doesn't belong where she is, but she soon realizes that she does. Jake Semple soon attends the Creative Academy because he burned down his last school and is called the "bad kid" no other school will let him attend so he goes to the Creative Academy. This book is about everything that happens when Jake is there. This is a good book to read.

[jfoster_sf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a fun book about a "bad boy" whose been kicked out of every school in the district. Just when it looks like he's out of options, a local homeschooling family decides to invite him into their home. I really liked how this book shows that if you treat a kid like a bad kid and they hear how bad they are over and over, then pretty soon all that they think they are capable of being is a bad kid. It was great seeing how the Applewhites invited him into their home and really turned his life around.

[piggy345 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Surviving the applewhites is about a delinquent kid who goes to live with the applewhites family. It is about him trying to get along with them and learning what life is really about. I did not like this book very much. I feel like they could have said more and explained more about him and how he gets along.

[bobby3457 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a juvinile delinquent named Jake. He has to go to the Creative academy as a last resort before juvie. As he is going there he decides that it isn't as bad as it seems. Randolph is one of the parents of the family that started the academy is a director for the theater. He is trying to make the play The Sound of Music where the family must play as parts in the play. It was a good book, it was funny when the kid kept anoying Jake.

[lena1reed_bob · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a boy named Jake Sempel. Jake is a delinquent and he is living a miserable life. Then come the Applewhites. The Applewhite family is in charge of a Homeschooling program and this family is rather awkward. Jake finds himself as an outsider as soon as he steps foot on the Wit's End property. Jake learns many different things as he lives a Wit's End. Jake learns that he must babysit Destiny, because Destiny can't look up to his older brother Hal, who will stay only in his room. At the end Jake likes the family and him and E.D. get along very well.I really think this book was kind of tidious but then maybe it was also okay. I would have rather really read a different book, something more exciting and not really dull. I can kind of relate to how Jake feels, he is mostly lonely and he tries to fit in but he just can't. Thank you Mr. Poppe for letting me get a wiff of another book that is quite interesting.

[hailey9parker98 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Surviving the Applewhites is about a boy named Jake, who had been kicked out of many schools. Jake was then sent to "The Creative Academy." The Creative Academy is a school where kids can do whatever they would like to learn as long as they complete the project. In the middle of the story The director of the creative academy, decided to direct a play called "The Sound of Music." That is what the story is mainly about.I like the Book "Surviving the Applewhites" because i like all the characters and what they do. There is Randolph, Destiny, E.D, Hal, and most importantly Jake. My favorite character is Jake because he used to be someone mean but once he meets the applewhites he changes.

[john9kaleb · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Surviving the Applewhites is about what is on the outside of a person does not count but what is on the inside does. In this book, Jake Simple a troubled teen with a criminal record and no where to go, ends up living with the Applewhite family. The family is made up of several adult and children who look at people and life in an unusual way. The Applewhite's are a creative family made up of arts, director, authors and dancers. By the end of the book Jake is no longer an outcast but a productive member of the family. I would recommend this book if there was nothing else to read.

[sammynop · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about a boy named Jake who has to move in with a family called the Applewhites. Jake had to move in because he had set his old school on fire. Jake soon found that it was hard to live with the Applewhites. He is thrown into the Creative Academy with E.D. Applewhite. Randolph Applewhite soon realized Jake's talent and puts Jake onto his play, The Sound of Music, as Rolf. The play is very popular and Jake realizes that he wants to sing.I liked this book because Jake became a better person at the end of the book. E.D. found that her family needed her the most at times. I confused me whenever I read about Destiny because sometimes I still think he's a girl.

[mekenna9hooper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Surving the applewhites is about a boy named jake and the family of applewhites. jake has a bad reputation in the town of trunt. he burnt down the school not on purposs, but everyone thought he did. so, he ended up at the creative acdemy (where childern disover ther true potential). when he first gets there he is assined the butterfly porject to do with E.D. (one of the applewhite kids). they were seaching every were for a common butterfly in the corlina. E.D. could not find the butterfly. jake had to search for the butterfly too. Jake was the one that found it on the front of someones car. when E.D. finished a lesson she like to give desitiny a learning lesson. she had done a paper machey of a catipiler and crisloless. then jake had a better idea to have destiney lean by actuly having them grow up while destiney watches. randolf is the father of destiny and E.D. he was a director of broad way plays . his play was going great untill his everyone but the cast quit. so they held the play at the barn.that is tidbits of the applewhites.this book is okay. i belive it is a great teaching toll. it tells that you my be bad at first, but people change. so i like this book more then like explans, but its less then love.

[tylerf1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a book about a school. But not just any school, the Creative Academy. Jake Semple is a sort of "Juvenille Deliquent." The Academy's goal is turn Jake into a well behaved kid. Jake meets a girl about his age named ED. It is ED's job to turn Jake around. Everything works out in the end, thanks to The Sound of Music.I didn't really like Surviving the Applewhites. I mainly didn't like the type of book it was. I like action books. But if I had to say my favorite part of the book was, I would say when Jake found the butterfly ED was missing. I recommend the book to people who like any type of book thats not action or adventure. This book also got boring at a point. I overall didn't like this book.

[matt2rocha0505 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

THis book is about boy named jake who was sent to the creative academy. For setting his old school on fire. In the middle of this book he is picked without asking to be in a play for sound of music. But then he started to like playing as Rolf. At the end the play was a success. This is a good book to read. It caught ma in surprise at certain points in the story. I would like it though if its story was not all over the place.