- Comedy
- Jess Jackson collection
- Ages 8–11
Jess Jackson
Part of the collectionJess Jackson→Best for 8–11s who love funny, true-to-life school stories — pin-sharp comedies about friendship, jealousy and being yourself, illustrated by Sarah Horne.
- Books4 / 4
- Arcs1
- Span2012–2015
- StatusComplete
The series
At a glance.
Jess Jackson fights her battles with cartoons, jokes and a refusal to pretend to be someone she isn't. Across four books she is squeezed out by a glossy, controlling new girl, wins friends back with her sense of humour, then has to keep her head when her school comic becomes a runaway hit and a rival cartoonist comes gunning for her crown. A reluctant turn in the school musical throws her into an unlikely alliance with her arch-enemy, and a local comic shop's interest puts her in real danger of becoming famous — and of learning that success isn't quite what it looks like. Comedian Catherine Wilkins's series, illustrated by Sarah Horne, is pin-sharp on the shifting loyalties of friendship, warm, quick and hugely relatable.
Best for 8–11s who love funny, true-to-life school stories — pin-sharp comedies about friendship, jealousy and being yourself, illustrated by Sarah Horne.
Primary themes
Overall tone
- Funny
- Irreverent
- Warm
- Heartwarming
Publication order (My Best Friend and Other Enemies first) follows the friendships and rivalries as they develop, but each book stands well on its own.
One arc
The shape of the series.
- IStandalone collection arcLow sensitivity
Jess Jackson's disasters and other successes
Four standalone school comedies following cartoon-drawing Jess through best-friend fallouts, comic fame, an eco-protesting dad and near-stardom.
The Jess Jackson books are episodic — self-contained comedies linked by their heroine, her cartoons and a recurring cast rather than one continuing plot. Book one is a best-friend fallout when a glossy new girl arrives; book two turns comic-book fame to Jess's head just as a rival appears; book three ropes her into a school musical and an unlikely alliance with her arch-enemy while her dad protests up a tree; book four sees a local comic shop's interest push her towards real fame and the gap between how success looks and how it feels. All four are low-sensitivity, warm and hugely relatable, built around friendship, jealousy and staying true to yourself.
Book 1My Best Friend and Other EnemiesNosy Crow · MMXIIMy Best Friend and Other EnemiesBook 2My Brilliant Life and Other DisastersNosy Crow · MMXIIIMy Brilliant Life and Other DisastersBook 3My School Musical and Other PunishmentsNosy Crow · MMXIVMy School Musical and Other PunishmentsBook 4My Great Success and Other FailuresNosy Crow · MMXVMy Great Success and Other Failures
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 8–11
- Read aloud · 7–10
- Independent · 8–11
Reluctant-reader friendliness
High
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Adult crossover
Low
Grows with the reader
Not especially
Sensitivity envelope
Low overall, and consistent.
Where it sits
In conversation with other series.
About the author