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Just Jack

Book Synopsis

It’s not easy fitting in at a new school. It’s even harder to be yourself. Jack knows LOTS about starting a new school. Since Dad left, he and his mum have moved house five times.

He also knows all about fitting in. The trick is to act exactly like everyone else and make sure no one ever notices him. But it’s hard work trying to be something he isn’t and Jack doesn’t have any good friends. That is, until Tyler comes along. Tyler is funny and different and might be the key to getting Jack to realise that although he is brilliant at pretending to be other people, the very best thing he can be is . . . JUST JACK.

Our Review Panel says...

Just Jack is a modern and entertaining story about losing the courage to be yourself and then finding it again. Covering themes that feel very relevant to pupils throughout KS2, this is a highly recommended read that is well suited to Years 3, 4 and 5 and also to reluctant readers in older classes. Since Jack’s dad moved out, Jack and his mum have moved house lots of times. This means that Jack has had to start at new schools lots of times too. In fact, Jack is becoming so used to starting afresh that he has become an expert at blending into new groups, even when it means pretending to be someone he is not. Jack calls his survival strategy ‘Sherlock Code’, and when he starts at new school number 6, he knows that Sherlock Code will be the key to settling in quickly. All he needs to do is watch how the other children behave and listen to what interests them, and then he can pretend to be just like them…

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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

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