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Jean Berenson

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For Jake's mother in the TV series, see Nikki

"In a lot of ways being a kid is worse than being an adult. You have the same things to deal with: friends, temptations, love and hate, and all that. Only you don't have the two great weapons that adults have to help them."
―Jean to Jake[src]

Jean Berenson is a writer, the mother of Tom and Jake, and the wife of Steve Berenson.

Biography[]

Family Life[]

"You know, when I was your age and feeling upset, my mother, your gram, would always just say, 'You don't know what unhappy is, you're just a kid.' Like anything a kid would feel would be less difficult or painful than what an adult would feel."
"That's probably true."
"No, it isn't."
―Jean and Jake[src]

Jean is the granddaughter of Grandpa G, a World War II veteran. She has siblings.[5] Growing up, whenever she was upset, her mother would always tell her that she had no idea what unhappiness was since she was a child, a sentiment she disagreed with.[6] In her adult life, Jean became a writer[4] and married a pediatrician[5] named Dr. Steve Berenson[1][2] with whom she had two sons, Tom and Jake.[4] The family lived in a nice neighborhood[7] in California[8] where they raised their children Jewish.[9][10] Circa 1996, when Jake was twelve,[11] he purchased the comic Spider-Man #3 for her as a birthday gift, which Jean was not a fan of.[12]

One Saturday morning in 1997,[13] she let a boy named Tobias into her house after he stated he was Jake's friend. She then led him up to Jake's room before knocking on her son's door to wake her up. When Jake let Tobias enter his room, Tobias thanked Jean before went back downstairs. She then put a waffle in the toaster before engaging in a phone call. Two days later, on Monday evening, Jean enjoyed a chicken cacciatore dinner with her family, where she asked Jake where he had been all afternoon and evening. When he responded that he had been hanging out with Marco, she accepted his answer and reminded him to eat his broccoli.[4]

On another Saturday morning, Jean and her husband Steve left their home in the morning to go play tennis. However, Steve twisted his ankle early on, causing the pair to return home. Jean then went into Jake's room to retrieve an ACE bandage before going into her bedroom. Shortly after, she went down into the kitchen where she noticed that the fridge had been pushed out and that Jake was behind it. She questioned Jake on his behavior and pointed out that he had a Roach Motel stuck to his hair, but chose not to ask further questions. That night, Steve ordered dinner consisting of broiled chicken, potatoes, and veggies from Gourmet Express, as well as cheesecake for dinner from Santorini's, all of which he had delivered to the house. Jean spent this time watching the news, where she saw reports of the park clean-up that Tom was participating in. As Tom came home later that evening, Jean inquired about the cleanup and whether he had eaten, and told Tom that Steve had Gourmet Express delivered for dinner. At the dinner table, Jake insulted Tom's intelligence before remarking on his constant presence at The Sharing. When Tom merely glared at Jake in response, both Steve and Jean felt an uncomfortable silence and tried to fill it. As Jake excused himself to do homework, Jean reminded him to come downstairs later for cheesecake. Later that night, she sat in front of the television with her family as they ate cheesecake.[12]

Saddler's Death[]

To be added

Grandpa G's Death[]

"I mean, I've seen my mom sniffle at Save the Children infomercials and Hallmark cards, but I can't remember the last time I ever saw her really cry. But she was crying now. Something must have happened to Tom. Or to my dad."
―Jake[src]

To be added

Infested[]

"Jake's parents, Jean and Steve, didn't make it out in time. Their chances of escape were slim from the beginning. See, Jake's older brother, Tom, has been a human-Controller since the early days of the invasion. Even with the enemy under his own roof, Jake had managed to protect his parents from the Yeerks. And from their own son, their own first child. Because Tom wouldn't have hesitated to kill either one of his parents if the Yeerk mission required their deaths. Jake had done an almost superhuman job of protecting his parents. Both from death and a fate worse than death. Infestation. Until the last time. When the Yeerks finally took them."
―Cassie[src]

After the Yeerks discovered that Animorphs were mostly humans and not all Andalite bandits, and managed to discover their identities as well, the Animorphs had to evacuate their families. While the Animorphs were collecting Cassie's and Rachel's families to relocated to the Hork-Bajir valley, the Yeerks captured and infested Jake's parents.[3]

Freedom[]

Following the end of the Andalite-Human-Yeerk War, Jean and Steve were freed from Yeerk control. Jake moved back home with them, although by 2003 he had moved out.[8]

Personality[]

"Experience maybe doesn't make you smarter, but it means you can think, 'Hey, I had something like this happen once before, and I survived.'"
"Okay, I'll ask: What's the second great weapon?"
"You are, Jake. Because as your mom, I can look at you and think, 'Oh, man, as bad as I feel right now, as bad as things may be, at least it isn't as bad as being a teenager.'"
―Jean and Jake[src]

To be added

Appearances[]

This section requires expansion

Trivia[]

  • In the TV series, Jean is named Nikki.
    • In earlier promotional items such as the Animorphs Alliance handbook and Jake's Animorphs ID card, Jake's mother is referred to as Nikki.
  • Jake's mother is mentioned many times in the series, but she is not called by name until The Ultimate.

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Ultimate
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Answer
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Diversion
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 The Invasion
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Conspiracy
  6. ↑ The Warning
  7. ↑ The Predator
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 The Beginning
  9. ↑ The Alien
  10. ↑ Elfangor's Secret
  11. ↑ Jake is thirteen in The Capture, set c.1997, and he mentions this event as being "last year"
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 The Capture
  13. ↑ The Andalite Chronicles is said to take place 10 years after the 1966 Yeerk exodus of The Hork-Bajir Chronicles and 21 years before Elfangor met the Animorphs. This places it in 1976, meaning the Animorphs met Elfangor in 1997.
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