A clean break
Technically, I didn't buy this at Borders; rather, my brother picked it up for me at a local garage sale some weeks ago. I have read a majority of Andrew Clements books, and this one was the first published after the huge success of the inventive and clever Frindle.
Jack Rankin is normally a well-mannered, quiet kid who does his homework and doesn't cause trouble. But when he starts middle school, he is faced with the embarrassment of going to the same school where his father works ... as a janitor. After his dad unknowingly humiliates him, Jack decides to get revenge by plastering a huge wad of gum all over the bottom of his desk in music class. Unfortunately, he is caught by his stern vice principal and as punishment is forced to work with his father after school for two weeks, and his main assignment is gum patrol. At first, Jack is resentful as he strives to disassociate himself from his father. But then he starts to learn that both his father and the school hold some pretty intriguing secrets.
This book has all the hallmarks of a typical Clements novel: an engaging young protagonist with a distinct problem and well-rounded adult characters, all within a school setting. Jack and his father share some arresting scenes later in the book, and the vice principal shows some humility after making an oversight. Each character - and really, this is a pretty small cast - is well-developed and things like family dynamics and socio-economic classes are nicely, if broadly, captured. There is a distinction made between Jack and his more wealthy, label-obsessed classmates, for example. Even so, this is somewhat of a weak outing for Clements; Jack's story arc and development, while very present, could have been explored better. Something about the novel leads me to believe that Clements wrote the rough draft before Frindle opened up publishing opportunities for him - it feels like a lightweight, is what I'm saying. But a last-minute trip through a mysterious underground tunnel adds some energy to the ending, and Dad's backstory (and Jack's growing respect for him) ensures that the book has emotional weight.
Rating: 4 wads of watermelon-flavored gum out of 5.
This book has all the hallmarks of a typical Clements novel: an engaging young protagonist with a distinct problem and well-rounded adult characters, all within a school setting. Jack and his father share some arresting scenes later in the book, and the vice principal shows some humility after making an oversight. Each character - and really, this is a pretty small cast - is well-developed and things like family dynamics and socio-economic classes are nicely, if broadly, captured. There is a distinction made between Jack and his more wealthy, label-obsessed classmates, for example. Even so, this is somewhat of a weak outing for Clements; Jack's story arc and development, while very present, could have been explored better. Something about the novel leads me to believe that Clements wrote the rough draft before Frindle opened up publishing opportunities for him - it feels like a lightweight, is what I'm saying. But a last-minute trip through a mysterious underground tunnel adds some energy to the ending, and Dad's backstory (and Jack's growing respect for him) ensures that the book has emotional weight.
Rating: 4 wads of watermelon-flavored gum out of 5.
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