Jack Adrift

Embark on a hilarious and heartwarming journey with Jack Henry as he navigates the treacherous waters of fourth grade in this side-splitting collection of stories from Newbery Medal-winning author Jack Gantos.
As the Henry family sets sail for a new life on Cape Hatteras, fourth-grader Jack is struggling to chart a course between his parents' contradictory advice on making friends and influencing people. With an airheaded, air-guitar-playing neighbor as his closest companion and a judgmental older sister as his relentless enemy, Jack drifts through a crazy school year, falling desperately in love with his young teacher and getting suckered into becoming a bad-behavior spy for the principal. To top it off, he's forced to make a presentable pet out of a duck with backward feet!
This colorful and comic collection of interrelated stories featuring the author's hapless alter ego is the first of five books in the acclaimed Jack Henry series. Praised by Booklist for its "hilarious, exquisitely painful, and utterly on-target depiction" of a boy's life, Jack Adrift: Fourth Grade Without a Clue is a must-read for anyone who's ever struggled to stay afloat in the choppy seas of growing up. With Common Core connections, this uproarious read is perfect for middle grade readers, fans of funny chapter books, and kids aged 9-12 looking for a relatable hero.