Jim Ugly [Paperback]

Sid Fleischman (Author), Jos. A. Smith (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 2003 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

A one-man dog

Part wolf and fiercely independent, Jim Ugly is a dog who answers to only one person. Unfortunately, that man -- Sam Bannock -- has disappeared. Rumor has it that Sam is dead, but to his son, Jake, something about that doesn't sound quite right. So Jake and Jim Ugly embark on a wild journey into the frontier West, where they find themselves pursued by a pretty lady, a theater troupe, and one very ornery yellow-legged man. And they all want to know one thing: Where is Sam Bannock?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this comic, suspense-laden Western adventure, Jake searches for his supposedly dead father, an itinerant actor, with the help of Jim Ugly, his father's wolf-like dog. The hunt takes them from Blowfly, Nev., to San Francisco, with Jim Ugly reluctantly accepting Jake's authority. Their grudging but dogged teamwork helps them fend off a beautiful actress, a money-hungry cousin and a bounty hunter--all seeking out Jake's father and the fortune in diamonds they believe he has. Finding work with a theater company, Jake is reunited with his father on stage. The pursuers give up when Dad returns the diamonds in the craws of hundreds of chickens and the curtain falls on a happy scene, with Jake making peace with Jim and his father marrying the beautiful actress. Fleischman's ( The Whipping Boy ) light, tautly constructed genre piece is like the hair-raising melodramas in which Jake appears: certain to entertain, with all plot lines neatly tied together at the end. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-- With a little silent-movie piano accompaniment, this rollicking parody of Western melodrama would effortlessly unfold across any stage. It is 1894, and Jake Bannock's actor father, Sam, has just been buried. The 12-year-old boy is seemingly left an orphan with no inheritance except for an unnamed, one-man dog, ``part elkhound, part something else, and a large helping of short-eared timber wolf.'' Jake calls him Jim Ugly. Mystery arises immediately . Where are the diamonds his dad is accused of stealing? Was that really Dad buried there in the Nevada Desert at Blowfly? Jake sets out in search of the answers, aided by Jim Ugly's keen nose. The two travel by baggage car from one town to another, trying to avoid a bounty-hunting, former cavalry sergeant who villainously skulks around the story's corners. Jake tells his own adventurous story--how he meets Wilhelmina Marlybone-Jenkins, an actress who was Sam's sweetheart; how he plays the apple-balancing role of William Tell's son with a traveling theatrical troupe; and how his search pays off when he sees his father--alive and well--on a San Francisco trolley. The climax and resolution make for a wonderfully improbable, mesquite flavored, farce. Jake's voice is simple and direct, made vivid by Fleischman's command of simile and metaphor. --Katharine Bruner, Brown Middle School, Harrison, TN
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (May 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006052121X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060521219
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #800,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since his autobiography, The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer's Life, was published in 1996, Sid Fleischman has been stealing the spotlight with his exuberant brand of nonfiction. Sir Charlie: Chaplin, the Funniest Man in the World is Fleischman's fourth true tale, following the widely acclaimed The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West and the best-selling Escape! The Story of The Great Houdini.
Fleischman's books have been made into films, performed as plays, and translated into nineteen languages. The author was awarded the Newbery Medal for The Whipping Boy.
Sid Fleischman lives in Santa Monica, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jim Ugly-An Adventurous Tale of Drama and Suspense, March 4, 2000

By 

Virginia Lynn Allen (Sherman, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jim Ugly (Paperback)

Your students will beg for more as you read the story of "Jim Ugly." As Jake begins a secret search for his supposedly dead father, his father's dog, Jim Ugly, is determined to help. There are numerous conflicts and the characters are convincingly sneaky and suspicious. The suspense grows right up to the final page!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Jim Ugly, February 6, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Jim Ugly (Hardcover)

The Diamonds, where are the diamonds?

This book is packed with adventure, and there is always somthing happening. A young boy with a dad wanted by a killer sapposedly died but he doesnt belive it. Every one wants the diamonds that he had but no one knows where they are. Its a race to find his dad and the diamonds.

This book is set for young adults that like adventure stories. It has words that you can understand easily without much comprehension. Adults will like this story becasue it goes back to the time when they were young. If your a young adult you will love this story.

This story is told from the point of view of a boy. He talkes to his dog as if he's a real human and has conflicts with him too. It tells what he is thinking and his story from his eyes. In this story he has many internal and external problems and conflicts which you get to see from his point of view.

This story has many up's and downs and funny parts and a variety of moods.This book was put togeher so it flows through and makes you not want to stop reading. It keeps you reading in suspence. It wont let you down.

If you read this book you wont be dissapointed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Jim Ugly Just OK, November 14, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Jim Ugly (Paperback)

My book review is about a book called Jim Ugly. The author of this book is Sid Fleischman. I thought this book was confusing.
I didn't like it when the author skipped from one event to the other. An exciting event in this book was when Jake looked all around for his dad. Finally, the best part of the book occurs while he is looking.
My favorite character was Jake because he never quit searching for his dad.
I wouldn't recommend this book to a friend because it was too confusing and hard to follow. However, if you want to find out what happens next, you can read the book.