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Jack at the Helm
Jack at the Helm
Reviewed by: Sheila Dube - Springvale Public Library, Springvale, Southern Maine Library District
Review Date: February 10, 2016
Review
This is the third adventure in the comical Berenson Schemes series for readers in grades 2-4. Only child, Jack has always been the responsible one since his parents are gullible and dim-witted. This new adventure starts with his parents purchasing a farm in Nepal off the internet (visualize swamp property in Florida) with the intent to start their own religion and make huge amounts of money. As they board a bus in Nepal to locate said property, they recruit their first believer, eighteen-year-old Henry, who is world traveling as he tries to find himself. While hitching a ride on a truck at the end of the bus ride, since no one can seem to tell them the location of said farm, Jack and Henry are thrown from the truck and must work their way down the river in a raft. Along the way, they encounter crocodiles, a cave, torrential rain, capsizing and extreme rock climbing. Henry's fears are tested and Jack comes to believe that when they make it back to the states they should switch parents. When they are finally rescued in a convoluted way by Jack's parents, Jack concludes that his parents do love him, for all their foibles, and that he should stay with them. Stevanovic's full page black and white illustrations are scattered throughout and provide cultural setting details. Doan provides some adult comic stances on religion and some enriching vocabulary along the journey.
Overall Book Score: good
About the Book
Author:
Doan, Lisa
Illustrator: Stevanovic, Ivica
Illustration Quality: good
Publisher: Darby Creek/Lerner
Book Type: chapter book fiction
Genre: adventure
Audience: grades k-3,grades 4-6
Binding Type: trade edition
Binding Quality: good
ISBN: 9781467710787
Price: 17.95