Customer Reviews

Jack's Black Book (Jack Henry)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had never read a book by Jack Gantos before. He came to my school as a visiting author, and I thought he was hysterical! He told us many stories about his life as a kid. Our school was selling books by him and I decided I would by this one. My brother also got a Rotten Ralph book. When I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. I finished this book in about two days. His books are really funny because I know that they are true, and they are what kids our age (10-13) like to laugh about. This book I thought was very hysterical and I think you should read it!

I have read this book to my students (sixth grade) for two years now and each group has overwhelmingly loved it! They enjoy Jack's humor, his follies, and most of all his tell-all style of portraying the middle grade age.

A seventh-grade male, Jack, encounters many obstacles when he tries to succeed in school and write his own novel. Jack's family and teachers do not believe he can do well in anything that requires brains. Continually Jack tries to turn the tough situations he faces into material for an award-winning book. When Jack tries to meet a girl, you'll laugh, when he describes his moments with his silly dog, Beau-Beau III, you'll laugh harder, and when he meets an escaped convict, you'll laugh even harder and louder! This novel shows how Jack, although lonely, and without anyone's support, can still achieve his dreams.

"Then the odor of rotting BeauBeau hit me, I could feel my face contorting as if someone were trying to rip it off, and I began to gag."

This quote is from Jack's Black Book. This a story about a young boy, Jack Henry, who wants to become a writer, but when he takes the IQ test it says that he is not smart enough to do anything but manual labor. The book tells all about what kind of troubles and adventures he gets into over the summer, and never giving up on his dream of becoming a writer.

Jack Gantos also writes other stories about fictional events, however his tales about Jack Henry are all true events that happened to him during his childhood. He also writes children's books. Some of his other books include tales of Joey Pigza.

My recommendation for this book is for anyone who has a sense of humor and needs a good laugh, but isn't too light at the stomach. Girls or boys would enjoy this book. Probably this would be more organized under children's literature. Personally, this is one of the best books I've ever read.

Jack's Black Book is about a kid about my age(13) who has alot of problems. I couldn't put this book down. This is in part due to the fact that the format of the book is a bunch of short stories. I would recommend this book to anyone in the age range of 9-15. Anyone younger might not get some of the hummor.

As the Kirkus Review says this humorous book may be a bit over the top. Jack certainly gets into some amusing events, including causing the death of the dog, burying and then digging up the dog, trying to get a date with a girl, meeting a gangster on the beach, helping his brother who is pretending to be blind, make money, and staying at home alone with his older sister while the parents are away for about two weeks. There are laugh aloud parts, and the gross humor will certainly appeal to children, but scenes such as the one where a old friend is lighting matches and throwing them into gasoline until finally there is an explosion, make me wonder if this is a book we want to recommend to children.

Jack Gantos' book Jack's Black Book is witty and funny. It's filled with emotion (mostly humor)I would recomend his whole Jack series by Jack Gantos. He's a great author who doesn't mind stopping into local schools and library's to talk, sign his books and perform. The book is off the wall funny and i recomend it strongly.

This is one of my most favorite series books ( well next to Harry Potter, Swindle, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, etc. you get the big picture. ) I feel the feelings that are expressed in the book and all the others. I feel it's a very great and emotional book. I wish there was so many more books that have the same technique.

I really like this book because it was funny. Jack always finds a way to get himself introuble. It was hard book to put down because I always wanted to findout what kind of trouble Jack would get himself into. If you are a kid you will love reading this book.

This is a great book. Most parts were really interesting. At first I thought I wasn't going to like it because I like books with beating up people, gangs, drugs, stuff like that so I tried something new and I liked this book. But Jack's Black Book has none of that.

Jack is the main character . Every one thinks and tells him he is stupid, a moron, or an idiot. But he is actually smart. But he keeps trying hard. He does some sick stuff that's gross. He shows his class his dead dog coffin. Jack wants to be a writer so bad that he makes tragic things happen to him just so he can write about it. I feel bad for him a lot cause no one has confidence in him and they're always putting him down on him self.

It's really the readers choice if they want to read the book or not. But you should be 11+ cause younger readers might not get the story.