| Jack's New Power: Stories from a Caribbean Year Contributor(s): Gantos, Jack (Author) |
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ISBN: 0374437157 ISBN-13: 9780374437152 Publisher: Square Fish OUR PRICE: $13.49 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: September 1997 Annotation: Jack Henry, the hero of "Heads or Tails: Stories from Sixth Grade," is back. It is the summer after sixth grade and Jack and his offbeat family have relocated to Barbados. But even in a tropical paradise, Jack is plagued by misadventure. He gets a violent case of blood poisoning (after chasing a headless chicken), discovers the perils of male bonding (in a pepper-eating contest with his father), and has his heartstrings twanged by an older woman (his sister's best friend)--to name just a few of his trials and tribulations in these eight fierce and funny stories. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure - General - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes - Adolescence & Coming Of Age - Juvenile Fiction | Family - General (see Also Headings Under Social Themes) |
| Dewey: FIC |
| LCCN: 94044442 |
| Lexile Measure: 580 |
| Series: Jack Henry Adventures (Paperback) |
| Physical Information: 0.59" H x 5.12" W x 7.67" (0.43 lbs) 214 pages |
| Themes: - Topical - Adolescence/Coming of Age |
| Accelerated Reader Info |
| Quiz #: 47236 Reading Level: 4.3 Interest Level: Middle Grades Point Value: 8.0 |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: From the Newbery Medal-winning author of Dead End in Norvelt, life for Jack Henry in a brand-new place is filled with the same old craziness Jack Henry has moved to the island of Barbados with his offbeat family and his secret diary. But still he can't escape his penchant for wacky misadventure. Because of a headless chicken, he gets a violent case of blood poisoning. In a pepper-eating contest with his father, he discovers the perils of male bonding. And then he has his heartstrings twanged by an older woman who just happens to be his sister's best friend. These are just a few of his trials and tribulations in these eight fierce and funny stories, based on the author's own childhood diaries. This title has Common Core connections. |
Contributor Bio(s): Gantos, Jack: - Jack Gantos has written books for people of all ages, from picture books and middle-grade fiction to novels for young adults and adults. His works include Hole in My Life, a memoir that won the Michael L. Printz and Robert F. Sibert Honors, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award Finalist, and Joey Pigza Loses Control, a Newbery Honor book. Jack was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and when he was seven, his family moved to Barbados. He attended British schools, where there was much emphasis on reading and writing, and teachers made learning a lot of fun. When the family moved to south Florida, he found his new classmates uninterested in their studies, and his teachers spent most of their time disciplining students. Jack retreated to an abandoned bookmobile (three flat tires and empty of books) parked out behind the sandy ball field, and read for most of the day. The seeds for Jack's writing career were planted in sixth grade, when he read his sister's diary and decided he could write better than she could. He begged his mother for a diary and began to collect anecdotes he overheard at school, mostly from standing outside the teachers' lounge and listening to their lunchtime conversations. Later, he incorporated many of these anecdotes into stories. While in college, he and an illustrator friend, Nicole Rubel, began working on picture books. After a series of well-deserved rejections, they published their first book, Rotten Ralph, in 1976. It was a success and the beginning of Jack's career as a professional writer. Jack continued to write children's books and began to teach courses in children's book writing and children's literature. He developed the master's degree program in children's book writing at Emerson College and the Vermont College M.F.A. program for children's book writers. He now devotes his time to writing books and educational speaking. He lives with his family in Boston, Massachusetts. |