August 20, 2001
In a starred review, PW
said that Clements "effectively draws a parallel" between Jack getting to know his janitor father, John, and John's relationship with his own father. "The author's uncanny ability to capture the fragile transformation from child to adolescent and its impact on family relationships informs every aspect of the novel." Ages 8-12.
Starred review from May 1, 2000
As he did in Frindle and The Landry News, Clements here puts an intelligent and credible fifth-grader at the center of a memorable novel. As the book opens, Jack, after much careful planning, is executing the "perfect crime": he assembles the biggest, stickiest wad of gum imaginable and affixes it to the desk in the back row of the music room. Why? The novel then flashes back to the moment when Jack's father, John, the head janitor, comes into his classroom to clean up vomit and calls Jack "son." At that point, "Jack felt like a giant letter had been branded on his forehead--L, for Loser." When Jack gets caught and the vice principal assigns him to three weeks' duty of scraping gum from school property after school, Jack decides, "There was only one person to blame for the whole mess.... Thanks again, Dad." Clements slowly builds an even, affecting narrative to reveal how Jack comes to better know and appreciate John, effectively drawing a parallel between this father-son relationship and John's relationship with his own father. The author adds a mystery to the mix when the boy discovers keys in the janitor's closet, which unlock literal doors to his understanding of his father. The author's uncanny ability to capture the fragile transformation from child to adolescent and its impact on family relationships informs every aspect of the novel. Ages 8-12.
July 1, 2000
Teased because his father is the school janitor, fifth-grader Jack Rankin smears a giant wad of gum under his desktop, knowing Dad will have to clean it up. Instead, Jack is caught and sentenced to after-school custodial work. The novel, by the author of the popular "Frindle", is resolved too easily when the priggish protagonist discovers a secret that elevates Dad to hero status.
(Copyright 2000 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
March 1, 2000
Gr. 3^-7. The author of "Frindle" (1996) and "The Landry News" offers another lighthearted school story with much middle-grade appeal. Jack Rankin begins fifth grade in the same building where his father works as head custodian. Jack is embarrassed by his father's job and hopes that no one will make the connection, but when the other kids discover this secret, the teasing begins. Jack retaliates, earning a three-week detention helping his dad after school. Although at first this seems like a life sentence--scraping gum off the bottoms of desks and chairs--it turns out to be the beginning of real understanding between father and son. Clements' strength is his realistic depiction of public schools, both from the child and the adult point of view. Jack's antics and those of his classmates ring true, as do the behaviors of the teachers and administrators. Less believable are the coincidental secrets that link Jack and his father with his grandfather, though Clements' legion of fans aren't likely to mind. ((Reviewed March 1, 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)
May 1, 2000
Gr 5-8-Ever since second grade when he announced to his class that he wanted to grow up and become a janitor like his father, Jack Rankin has been the target of relentless teasing about his dad's work. Now a fifth grader, he learns that the town's century-old high school, where his father is head custodian, will serve as his temporary school while a new elementary building is under construction. Horrified at the prospect of being identified as the janitor's son, he becomes so full of anger that he can barely acknowledge his father at school, and vandalizes a desk. When he is caught, however, the principal assigns a most ironic punishment: Jack must spend three weeks cleaning gum off of school furniture, supervised by his own father. In effect, Jack becomes the building's newest janitor, inviting a fresh onslaught of torment from classmates and escalating his anger. Only when the boy finds a set of master keys that allow access to the building's bell tower and underground tunnels does he make a discovery that dramatically changes his opinion about his father. This novel frequently stalls amid weakly drawn characters, contrived dialogue, and a predictable plot. Even Jack's spiritual epiphany is so quick and tidy that it seems implausible. In spite of its shortcomings, the book will appeal to readers who will identify with the beleaguered Jack and his struggle to make peace with his father and with himself.-William McLoughlin, Brookside School, Worthington, OH
Copyright 2000 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.