By James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein
4RBooks: 5+/6, grades 5-8
Amazon rating: 4.8/5, grade level 3-7
Good Reads: 4.25/5
Common Sense Media: 5/5, age 9+
343 pages
Synopsis:
Jacky is looking forward to summer. The second half of the school year has been a good one for her after her successful performance in the school play.
She hasn’t received one detention, and she earned a part in the spring play, too. She is looking forward to summer until her parents hold a family meeting. Mom and dad are both trying to become local police officers and will be in training or the classroom for most of the summer. Jacky and her older sisters will have to try and find jobs to help with family finances.
Jacky is excited to land a job working for one of the game booths, the shoot a water pistol at the clown’s mouth. She is responsible for using her acting talents to bring a crowd of people to the booth. Jacky is a natural and the booth owner is excited to have her. Later, her drama teacher invites Jacky and her friends from the play to try out for a role in “Shakespeare Down the Shore’s” production of a Midsummer’s Night Dream. After a rough start, Jack gets the role of Puck.
Everything seems to be going great until a string of thefts occur on the boardwalk, and a graffiti artist tags a number of walls. One of the thefts causes Jacky to lose her job. She thinks she knows who the culprit is and gets him arrested. She would later call it the biggest mistake of her life. Now she needs to clear her friends name, help capture the real villains, and put on the greatest show of her life.
Parental Guidance: medium-low
Someone is stealing on the boardwalk and putting graffiti on some of the walls.
Small threats of violence from a couple of thugs.
One character’s mother has died, and his father is serving in the Gulf War.
Some minor name calling.
An African American girl is told to “Go back to Harlem” after being told that blacks wouldn’t have been allowed in a Shakespeare play when it was first written.
A lot of middle and high school crushes and romantic feelings with one kiss between a 12-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl.
Recommendation:
Quite often, the second book in a three-book series is not that great (same with movies). Too often they are just a connective tool to get from the beginning to the end. Thankfully not the case here. This is a complete story on its own and a fun, enjoyable read. You know the connection to the first story, but there are no hints as to how the next story will unfold.
The plot is relatable and moves along at a quick pace. Students into drama and theater will appreciate everything Jacky learns while acting in a Shakespeare play. There are also many references to 90’s popular culture which should allow parents to enjoy sharing their own experiences.
The characters are interesting and well developed, and the relationships between friends, family, students, and teachers are appropriate and positive. There are a couple of bullies, but one is working on his image and trying to redeem himself from past discretions throughout the novel.
Though there are no church service scenes, there is still a mention of the family praying for others which is nice to read.
It’s a graphic novel with good cartoon-like images that help the reader picture what is going on in a fun and funny way. Struggling readers will find it a good read, and more advanced readers will enjoy the advanced subject matters of Shakespeare, acting in a play, and the connections to recent history. There are also good life lessons about taking responsibility for your actions, and especially your mistakes.
Like the first novel, the story is a first person narrative told by an adult Jacky, now a major acting star, to her children.
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