Amazon.com
Fifth-grader Jack Rankin's father is the janitor of the junior-high school. That wouldn't be so bad if nobody knew about it. But on October 5, disaster strikes when Lenny Trumbull throws up his cafeteria ravioli: Jack's dad appears on the scene with a mop and says, "Hi, son." Jack loves his father and is proud of him, but he knows a giant letter L for loser has just been branded on his forehead. To make matters worse, Jack, furious when the inevitable stream of ridicule begins, blindly crashes into his bucket-bearing dad in the hallway, unleashing laughter, clapping, and plenty of water all around. Jack's anger is now a firestorm, and as author Andrew Clements so vividly phrases it: "The sizzling chunks of Jack's burning rage stuck to his father--like gobs of well-chewed watermelon bubble gum."
Jack's fury manifests itself into the perfect crime--a carefully premeditated, 13-piece Bubblicious attack on an innocent music-room chair that results in a sticky, gooey, smelly web that only a janitor would have the skills to remove. The "sweet smell of victory" diffuses quickly, however, when Jack is condemned to after-school gum-removal duty for the next three weeks. Stickier still is how this is going to play out at home with his mom and dad.
The after-school hours Jack spends scraping gum off furniture prove to be eye-opening. He develops a scholarly interest in gum excavation, and has plenty of time to make a list of ways he is not like his dad the janitor. But one day--first in a forgotten underground tunnel and then on a long truck-ride home--he discovers that there is more to his good-hearted, strong, unassuming father than he had ever even thought to imagine. Clements, a former public-school teacher and author of the bestselling Frindle and The Landry News, has a knack for getting to the heart of things while keeping the story buoyant. Readers of all ages will think twice about what kind of people (outside of their parental or occupational roles) their own parents might be. (Ages 8 to 12) --Karin Snelson
From Publishers Weekly
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. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 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 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The New York Times Book Review, Patricia McCormick
Middle-grade teachers--and, more important, middle-grade readers--love his books (Frindle, The Landry News) precisely because they reflect the emotional and cultural reality of today's children and their school life.
From AudioFile
Can you imagine the supreme embarassment of a fifth-grader who finds himself going to school in the building where his father is custodian? This is Jack Rankin's situation when construction forces a temporary move of his school. The tension between keeping his identity secret and initiating a prank to make the custodian's life miserable leads to an amusing and poignant adventure. It also leads Jack to a new appreciation of his father. B.D. Wong brings Andrew Clements's characters to life. The tone of the all-knowing assistant principal, the taunts of the students, the patience of Helen Rankin, and the quiet determination of John Rankin are distinctly and sincerely presented. And Jack! His heightened sense of smell, his love of watermelon Bubblicious, and his new views of his dad are vibrant in Wong's presentation. The modulation of his voice and reading speed create a spectacular effect. A.R. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
From Booklist
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. Kay Weisman
From Kirkus Reviews
The author of Frindle and The Landry News returns with a touching novel about a boy who is ashamed of the fact that his father is the janitor at his school. Jack Rankin, 11, is a good kid who has always gotten along just fine with his parents. But when Jack starts fifth grade (temporarily located in the town high school in which Jack’s father has been the janitor for many years), the trouble starts. Some of the meaner fifth graders give Jack a hard time about his father’s job. “Must take a lot of talent to clean up a bunch of puke, huh? Sure wish I could learn how to do that,” says one particularly obnoxious classmate. In a misguided attempt to get back at his father, Jack puts the biggest gob of bubble gum known to mankind underneath a desk in one of the classrooms. The culprit is quickly discovered and Jack is sentenced to after-school janitorial gum patrol for three weeks. During his new extracurricular activity, Jack explores the old school building, discovering an underground tunnel with a secret apartment at its end—and also discovering that there are parts of his father’s life that he knows nothing about. But while the first half of this book is great, accurately capturing the voice of an 11-year-old boy, the second half works too hard to show us that Jack’s father is a good man who is more than just a janitor. What would be wrong with being just a janitor, a wonderful father, and a good husband? An enjoyable read and a good jumping-off point for classroom discussions about class and economic status in America, but too heavy-handed to be satisfying. (Fiction. 8-11) -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Book Description
IT WAS THE PERFECT CRIME Unfortunately, it also led to the perfect punishment. When Jack Rankin gets busted for defacing a school desk with a huge wad of disgusting, watermelon bubble gum, the principal sentences him to three weeks of after-school gum cleanup for the chief custodian. The problem is, Jack's anger at the chief custodian was the reason for his gum project in the first place. The chief custodian happens to be Jack's dad. But doing time in the school basement after hours reveals some pretty surprising things: about the school, about Jack's father, and about Jack himself.
Card catalog description
Fifth-grader Jack finds himself the target of ridicule at school when it becomes known that his father is one of the janitors, and he turns his anger onto his father.
Home
