Chapter Book #7 The Several Lives of Orphan Jack

 

Author: Sarah Ellis

Title: The Several Lives of Orphan Jack

Illustrator: Bruno St-Aubin

Readability: 5.1

Genre: Chapter Book

Subgenre: Realistic Fiction

Theme: Follow your heart and you can achieve anything you believe in

Character: Jack (OtherJack), Lady Duff, School Master Bane, Dr. Keen, Mr. Ledger, Cook, a herdsman, Abe, Lou, The Mayor of Aberbog

Award(s) date of publication: Mr. Christie's Book Award and the IODE Violet Downey Book Award;2002

Publisher: Groundwood book Douglas & McIntyre

ISBN: 0-88899-529-6

Summary:

The story starts off in a classroom with OtherJack (his name because when he arrived to the school there was already a child named Jack there) watching his classmates getting grilled for not knowing the answer to School Master Bane questions about snow. In the middle of Mr. Bane question there was a knock on the door requesting OtherJack presence in Dr. Keen office, the head master of Opportunities School for Orphans and foundlings. Since OtherJack was twelve he was able to make the decision to either stay in school or go out and learn a trade. Jack was offered an apprenticeship working for Mr. Ledger working as one of his bookkeepers. When Jack began to work for Mr. Ledger the numbers drove him crazy. When he was almost done Jack began to eavesdrop on a near by co-workers conversation and was startled by Mr. Ledger and spilled ink over his book of numbers. After that Mr. Ledger told him that he was worthless, to never come back, and Jack owed him eleven weeks worth of wages.

Upon Jack’s return to school he laid in the bed and got the bright idea that he should run away to the sea to see what the Cook always talked about. Jack did knowing what could happen if were to get caught. He took a shirt and used it a bundle and decided to run away at dawn. As he ran away he could her the hooves of horses and jumped into bushes to hide but once he came out the horse returned and Jack had to hide in a flock of sheep. The herdsmen name was Gabriel and he called Jack Bleatincheat another name for a goat. Once he knew that Jack was good he told him not to go north because that’s the way they people looking for him was going.

The next morning a man traveling by the name of Abe saw Jack and asked did he want a ride to the fair. Not knowing what a fair was Jack decided that he would take the ride anyway. Once he arrived in town he thanked Abe for the ride and began to look around, he saw a loud girl, name Lou, yelling about buns. Lou introduces herself to Jack and asked him what did he do and of course he did nothing and had no money for a bun. As he was sitting down a young girl asked Jack what was he selling, he answer the girl and said a whim for an apple. Next Jack sold a thought to a woman for a penny and was able to buy a bun. He now had the title of Patch Minder. Later that day Lou found him a job with a Ferrier holding his horse while he was putting on their new shoes.

The next morning Jack was selling his thoughts and the Mayor of Aberbog appear and said that his thoughts should not be sold and that his thoughts would just make problem arise in Aberbog. That night the mayor held a meeting and decided that Jack should be thrown in jail for selling his thoughts. At that moment Jack became a fugitive, Gideon, a Miller, took Jake to his home were they threw Jack a party. Gideon allowed Jack to stay at his house that night. He fed Jake, gave him clothes to sleep in even offered Jack an apprenticeship with him. The next morning Jake decided that he would not accept the offer instead he decided to take his thoughts and continue to travel seaside.

Use in the classroom:

This book would be a great book to use in a literature circle for students in the fourth or fifth grade. The main character in this book is a twelve-year-old boy in which the students would be able to relate to. The themes of hardwork and perseverance would be great for the students to be able to pull out of this book and relate it back to there everyday lives. There are many words in this book that students may have to look up and enlarge their vocabulary with. Teachers could incorporate this book into math lesson with heading lectures with bookkeeping and balance checkbooks as well.