By James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein
Illustrations by Kerascoet
4RBooks: 5/6, grades 6-8
Amazon rating: 4.7/5, grade level 3-7
Good Reads: 4.28/5
Common Sense Media: 4/5, age 9+
363 pages
Synopsis:
Jacky Hart has been the class clown for many years. It started when classmates teased her about her stutter and called her Jacky Ha-Ha as a joke. She decided it was better to make them laugh, then be the joke. But this year, with her mom still in Saudi Arabia with the military, Jacky has decided to change and be less of a jokester, a better daughter and granddaughter, and a more serious student as she starts the new school year.
Old habits are hard to change, especially when you are the middle child of 7 sisters and always looking to stand out and get attention. A series of mishaps leads her to Ms. O’Mara, the new English teacher who is directing the school play, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” After some prodding, Ms. O’Mara convinces Jacky to audition, and she is chosen to play the part of Snoopy.
It turns out Jacky is a natural and soon finds a new set of friends in the theater. She learns that her sense of humor can be an asset, not always a problem. She is then asked to push herself even more by becoming a participant in an oratorical contest, giving a speech in front of an audience, one of her biggest fears in life because of her stutter.
Jacky must learn how to be a part of a team, taking advice and help, and realize that she has more talents and abilities than she thought. Maybe all the adults telling her through the years that she has “so much potential” were actually correct.
Parental Guidance: medium-low
Jacky has her nickname because of a stutter.
Jacky does some dangerous things for a 12-year-old girl, including climbing to the top of a Ferris Wheel, twice, and taking off on a bus and train ride to visit her sister away at college.
Early in the book, Jacky gets into constant trouble at school.
Jacky’s mother is in the military and stationed in Saudi Arabia during the first Gulf War.
Jacky suspects her father of having an affair with a coworker.
There is mild name calling by boys at school toward Jacky.
Jacky’s grandmother passes away.
Recommendation:
There was a lot to like about this book. Jacky is an annoying character at the beginning of the book, but steadily becomes the better version of herself throughout the story and is a positive role model for children overcoming difficulties by the end. The family is close-knit and supportive. Her sisters and friends are unique, trustworthy, and supportive, too. Many of her teachers go out of their way to help Jacky find areas to succeed, turning herself from class clown to future Academy Award winning actress.
I appreciated that the family goes to church on a regular basis and prayer is a major part of Jacky’s life. It also paints a very positive picture of performing in the theater and public speaking.
The book is written as a biographical story from the adult Jacky to her daughters. I didn’t find that confusing, but some young readers might. Jacky is a middle school student, and I would recommend this as a middle school read, but mature 4-5 graders could handle it with parental guidance. The illustrations are excellent, fun, and make the story even more interesting. It is an easy read and one that I think children would start and want to keep going until they are done.
As often happens with Mr. Patterson’s and Grabenstein’s books, the “sophomoric” humor can push the boundaries of acceptability for a children’s book, but this one isn’t over the top. It might be a tough read-aloud in a classroom, but should be fine for a middle school library, or a 5/6 elementary classroom library.
This is the first of a three-book series. I’m looking forward to reading and reviewing book 2 and 3.
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