- Paperback: 224 pages
- Publisher: FSG Kids; First Edition edition (Sep 1 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0374437157
- ISBN-13: 978-0374437152
- Product Dimensions: 19.5 x 13 x 1.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 181 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,181,942 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From School Library Journal
Grade 6-8?Jack, 13, keeps a diary of his family's year in Barbados, the next stop after Florida?chronicled in Heads or Tails (Farrar, 1994). These entries are his adventures, observations, sketches, and perceptions of this mid-1960s Caribbean environment where pubescence, family disputes, and a fire all combine for a compelling read. Each episode stands on its own, but taken together they create a tropical world that is at once different and universal. Gantos covers pretty much all the bases: death, love, disease, and cock-fighting. Readers may not always like his quasi-autobiographical characters, but they're not likely to forget them anytime soon. In particular, Jack's dad can be a hero when he saves a drowning couple, but more often he's a mean-spirited bully who won't tolerate failure in his son. There's an edge here noted by events as mild as chicken beheadings or as graphic as the discovery of the decomposing body of a missing kid. Throw in humiliation (his true love disdains his "immaturity"), macabre hilarity (Jack's mom is convinced that her errant night shot has nailed a bystander), and surrealism (the drive-in movie screen catches fire while Paul Newman's Luke vandalizes parking meters), and you've got a rich paradise tempered by the wonderings of a confused adolescent.?John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TX
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Gr. 5^-8. In this follow-up to Heads or Tails (1994), Jack finds plenty of new material for his journal when his family moves to the Caribbean. Populated with some eccentric island folk as well as the powerful personalities that make up Jack's family, the eight stories here convey with sharp humor Jack's uncomfortable yet exhilarating early adolescence. Jack's father creates much of the summer's difficulties, in one story, deciding that each family member must conquer a fear and in another, battling with Jack for masculine power. Laugh-out-loud moments punctuate the book, but serious thoughts also force their way in, as when Jack realizes that the money he is lending to his father's sleazy friend is sponsoring cruel cockfighting. Although the book ends on a somber note, readers will still anxiously await the next installment in Jack's life. Susan Dove Lempke
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
inspiration,
By
This review is from: Jack's New Power (Paperback)
i know this is a kids book, and i read it a few years ago, but every once in a while i get it out and read it from cover to cover again. every time i read this book i get inspired about life. does that seem a little drastic? i love this book. it's like my security blanket. read this book!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jack's New Power : Stories From A Caribbean Year,
By A Customer
This review is from: Jack's New Power (Hardcover)
What a truly great book. I read this when I was in 4th grade.It has a beautiful mix of comedy and just plain interesting writing.It's the best book that I've ever read in my entire life. I also own my own copy of it. I would automatically recommend this book to anyone who wants a good laugh. This is a great book for all ages. I would also like to recommend "Heads Or Tails" which is also in the same series. I am also currently reading the third book in the series, "Jack's Black Book". It's great. Everyone should go out and buy copies of all three books and read them.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.8 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews) 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jack's Power,
A Kid's Review - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Jack's New Power (Paperback)
Jack's New Power, Stories from a Caribbean Year, is a good book. I like the way the boy is about my age, is an American and talks about his experiences living in Barbados. I especially liked the part where the drive in movie theater screen catches on fire when Jack and his family are watching a movie. I think it's funny that Jack's dad just waits for everyone else to leave before he moves the car. Jack thinks that it was too bad that someone had to set the screen on fire because he liked going to the drive in. Jack and his sister, Betsey, were always arguing about everything. Jack thought she was a know-it-all, and in the end she did turn out to be right about pretty much everything they argued about. By Evan D. (6th grade, Aspen Creek)
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jack's New Power : Stories From A Caribbean Year,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Jack's New Power (Hardcover)
What a truly great book. I read this when I was in 4th grade.It has a beautiful mix of comedy and just plain interesting writing.It's the best book that I've ever read in my entire life. I also own my own copy of it. I would automatically recommend this book to anyone who wants a good laugh. This is a great book for all ages. I would also like to recommend "Heads Or Tails" which is also in the same series. I am also currently reading the third book in the series, "Jack's Black Book". It's great. Everyone should go out and buy copies of all three books and read them.
5.0 out of 5 stars
My son is now a reader again!,
By A. Riley - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Jack's New Power (Paperback)
I have an 11yr old son who has grown to despise reading. He thinks most books will be boring and thinks reading is a chore. After introducing him to the Jack Henry series he's had a change of heart. He laughs while reading these books and finally looks forward to reading. He even prefers to read to me aloud, because he wants to share with me how fun these stories are! I am loving it! Thanks Jack Gantos!!!
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