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#02 Jack and the Wild Life

Series: The Berenson Schemes
Written by Lisa Doan
Illustrated by Ivica Stevanovic
Darby Creek         9/01/2014
     144 pages    Age 9—12

“After a wild plan by his parents left Jack stranded in the Caribbean, the Berenson family decided to lay out some rules. Jack’s mom and dad agreed they wouldn’t take so many risks. Jack agreed he’d try to live life without worrying quite so much. Then Jack’s parents thought up another get-rich-quick scheme. Now the family’s driving around Kenya. An animal attack is about to send Jack up a tree—alone, with limited supplies. As Jack attempts to outsmart a ferocious honey badger and keep away from an angry elephant, he’ll have plenty of time to wonder if the Berenson Family Decision-Making Rules did enough to keep him out of trouble.” [book jacket]

Review
The Berenson family adults are constantly trying to find an easy way to make a fortune, conjuring up one odd scheme after another. Jack is the one that pays the price for these awful plans, while his parents wander through life unaware of most everything around them, including their missing son. This makes for many comical situations and gives the series its heart. This time, the Berensons fly to Africa, Jack in tow, because, as Dad tells Jack,

“Your mum and I have invented a brand-new kind of tourism . . . a surefire moneymaking opportunity.”

They plan to build a tourist camp where people can live like a real Maasai tribe. Using mud, sticks, grass, and more mud, Jack’s parents plan to build the Maasai mud-huts tourists will gladly rent to experience tribal life (and a fence to keep out the lions). The best part of their plans, the two adults believe, is they need no money to build their attraction—Mother Nature supplies the materials. Jack is not thrilled. He finally had a “normal” life, a home, parents who held down real 9-to-5 jobs, and a new friend—Diana. Once summer began to fade into fall, Jack’s parents could no longer do that “grind.” But this time things will be different: Jack’s parents will plan ahead, not take any risks, and not lose Jack. Changing their ways proves more difficult than the parents thought, as things do not go as planned, risks are taken, and, well, Jack . . . he ends up in a tree.

Poor Jack, now he is in Africa, stuck up a tree, while his parents—yet to realize Jack flew out of the rented Jeep—are trying to find the guide for their new camp. Jack must protect himself from animals on the ground and the ones that can get past the fence he built around the tree. He sleeps in the tree, eats in the tree, and fears for his life—and the life of Mack, Diana’s stuffed monkey—in the tree. The last time his parents had a get-rich-quick scheme, Jack feared for his life on a deserted island. (#1 – Jack the Castaway reviewed here).

The Berenson Schemes is a wonderful series, especially for kids that wish they could take control. With roles reversed, Jack acts more the parent, setting rules and following through. Meanwhile, Jack’s parents act more like spoiled, unruly children, who care about themselves first and Jack second. They do love their son, but cannot get it together as adults. In book #2, Jack and the Wild Life, the family has new decision-making rules in the hopes that Jack’s parents will be parents that are more responsible. As Jack makes a tree-bed out of duct tape and reads his Kenya guide, he thinks maybe the rules are not working as he had hoped they would.

I love the black and white illustrations. Stevanovic does a great a job of enhancing the story, giving readers a view into Jack’s situation and his emotions. I wish I had more images to show readers. The full-page illustrations are fantastic and have been in both books. By the end of the story, Jack’s parents may see the errors of their ways and promise Jack they will try harder to change . . . until the next edition, when they tire of being adults, devise a new scheme, and hook Jack into their plans. The Berenson Schemes #2: Jack and the Wild Life is great fun and I look forward to each new scheme and Jack’s consequences for merely being his parents’ child. Kids will love the mayhem Doan creates and the magic in Stevanovic’s illustrations. Book #3: Jack at the Helm, released this past March, 2015.

JACK AND THE WILD LIFE (THE BERENSON SCHEMES #2). Text copyright © 2014 by Lisa Doan. Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Darby Creek, Minneapolis, MN.

Purchase Jack and the Wild Life at Amazon—Book Depository—iTunes—Darby Creek.

Learn more about Jack and the Wild Life HERE.
CCSS Guide for Teachers HERE.
Meet the author, Lisa Doan, at her website:  http://www.lisadoan.org/
Meet the illustrator, Ivica Stevanovic, at his website:  http://ivicastevanovicart.blogspot.com/
Find more middle grade books at the Darby Creek website:  http://bit.ly/DarbyCreek

Darby Creek is a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

The Berenson Schemes

#1 – Jack the Castaway

#2 – Jack and the Wild Life

#3 – Jack at the Helm

#01 – Jack and the Castaway – 2015 IPPY Gold Medalist for Juvenile fiction

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Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

Review section word count = 518

The Berenson Schemes #1: Jack the Castaway

by Lisa Doan

illustrated by Ivica Stevanovic

Darby Creek          1/01/2014

978-1-4677-1076-3

Age  7 to 12           152 pages

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“Jack’s parents have been chased out of Tokyo, gone broke in Greece, and hosted Nairobi’s least successful safari. Next they’re taking Jack on a Caribbean vacation—whether Jack wants to go or not. The Berensons are about to start a snorkeling business. It’s their latest get-rich-quick scheme. With these experienced world travelers at the helm, what could go wrong?

Jack’s used to staying indoors and not taking chances. When his parents take him out on the water, he ends up shipwrecked. Now Jack has to survive on a tropical island . . . and avoid a whale shark that’s swimming near the beach.”

Opening

“Jack’s parents had finally returned from the heart of the Amazon. They stood at the front door, browned and emaciated.”

Review

Eleven-year-old Jack Berenson has lived most of his life indoors with his Aunt Julia, reading or playing video games . . . until a bus runs over Aunt Julia. With no other relatives, Jack must go with his parents. Richard and Claire Berenson have spent their lives traveling around the world chasing one get-rich-quick scheme to another. They are not rich. School starts soon and Jack wants to be there. Instead, his parents take him to an “undiscovered” Caribbean Island with plans to start a “lucrative” snorkeling business. They have a “master plan” which they follow, even after a failure. The Berensons decided a long time ago that nothing could go wrong if you have a master plan. Each time I say “Berenson” I can’t help but think of the bears and for some reason, it makes me laugh.

Jack’s parents are unreliable and self-interested to the point they often forget about Jack. They also have no idea how to be a parent or care for a child. The two act as if Jack is an adult as capable as they . . . well, as capable as most any adult. During the first trip out in the “new boat” Jack is expected to keep the skiff following his snorkeling parents, but instead the skiff runs out of gas, stranding Jack and a bird named Loco on an uninhibited island. His parents search for him—a couple of days later, but get distracted by some shiny thing or another and forget why they went out in the boat.

Jack the Castaway will entertain kids with laughs and twists. Most of the laughs come from dad, who makes daffy comments. Like when Jack tells his parents to enroll him in school.

         “ . . . We’ll figure out this homeschooling thingy as soon as we get the business sorted out.” (said Mom)

        “This is more than a thingy,” Jack said. “ . . . You would both be horrible at homeschooling. I doubt you’d even check my homework.”

        His dad laughed. “We’d never give you homework.”

The illustrations pop up every so often and I wish there were more. The black and whites illustrations capture the action of the moment perfectly. Stevenovic creates two parents who never had many worries and see the sky with a permanent rainbow. Jack is more realistic and his face easily transmits his current worries. Jack the Castaway flows well from one situation to another in realistic fashion. I think reluctant readers would like the story. The chapters are short and there are only a total of 143 story pages. I wish the author had included a short glimpse into book #2:  Jack and the Wild Life.

Jack’s situation is just what many kids think they want. Living in one of the best places in the world, swimming every day, doing what you want, when you want, without restrictions, and no homework. Heck, no school. To kids, Jack is the nerd that wants school and homework. But, by stories end, Jack won’t be thought of as that nerd. He survives being stranded on an island for several days—without eating the bird—and finds a way to get his parents to agree to a permanent home and some “family rules.” As the story ends, all is hopeful for the survival of the Berenson clan . . . until the next get-rich-quick scheme. Hold on, Jack!

THE BERENSON SCHEMES #1:  JACK THE CASTAWAY. Text copyright (2014 by Lisa Doan. Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Darby Creek, Minnesota, MN.

Buy Jack the Castaway at Amazon—B&N—Darby Creek—your local bookstore.

Learn more about The Berenson Schemes series HERE.

Meet the author, Lisa Doan, at her website:   http://www.lisadoan.org/

Meet the illustrator, Ivica Stevanovic, at his website:   http://ivicastevanovicart.blogspot.com/

Check out more books at the Darby Creek an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.website: https://www.lernerbooks.com/ 

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Also by Lisa Doan

The Berenson Schemes #2:  Jack and the Wild Life

Also by Ivica Stevanovic

Monsters Can Mosey: Understanding Shades of Meaning

The Royal Treasure Measure

Where’s My Tushy?

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Review HERE.

Where’s My Tushy?

by Deborah Aronson & Ivica Stevanovic, illustrator

Carolrhoda Books              1/05/2014

978-1-4677-1197-5

Age 4 to 8           32 pages

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“In one little town (it is sad but it’s true), the tushies left town without leaving a clue. What happens when all the tushies in an unusual town decide to take a vacation?”

Opening

“We all have a tush and we’re glad that we’ve got ‘em. Our lives would be rough with no tush or no bottom. If our tushies decided to get up and leave, we’d find it alarming and hard to believe”

Review

In an odd little English town, on a nice night, all the tushies decided they deserved a holiday from their tough, stressful lives. The townsfolk awoke shocked to have lost their tushie. They tried to go about their normal day, yet nothing held up their pants. Oh, they all tried. Some stuffed their vacant bottom with socks or pillows, while others used rope or suspenders. It was a sorry sight.

Now, stop laughing! These people couldn’t sit down without their tushie. Standing made their feet tired—would they too walk away? Some cried out for their tushie to return, but the earless, triangular tushies went south, to lounge around on the beach and soak up the sun. Detectives tried detecting. People hung posters. Police took reports. A dog and cat—with tushies—stared at a poster, alarmed at the sight of the smiling tush.

Without the pressure and stress normally felt, the tushies enjoyed each carefree day . . . until, like most on holiday, they begin missing home and their jobs—okay, not quite like most. One day, a young redheaded girl tripped on a lump of grass and fortuitously fell down on her rump. She was thrilled for her tush was once again behind her. One by one, the tushies returned to their bottoms, promising never to abandon their person again.

Loaded with laughs and guffaws, Where’s My Tushie will delight kids. Tushes young and old leave town wearing nothing but undies. They have faces complete with eyes, nose, mouth, and a crack that gives them two horizontal chins. They sprout feet and hands. One must suspend their beliefs to enjoy the story. Easily done. The story, told in rhyme, are made of fantastic couplets—some quatrains—that are fun to read aloud because Ms. Aronson never misses a beat.

The illustrations are nicely done. I love the alarmed looks when all realize they have no tush. For one little boy, a dotted line outlines where his bottom should have been. I love all the detail and the little surprises in some of the spreads. Most have a tush or two looking on, smiling at the make shift behinds, as if enjoying the chaos they have caused. Two detectives, one with a magnifying glass, totally miss the double decker bus with a roof full of tushies. Sightseers, I’m sure.

Depending on a child’s age and gullibility, this inventive story will have kids checking for tushies, at least for a while. I am wondering where the tushies’ arms and legs went now that they have returned to being behinds. Do they fall off and regenerate when needed? I’m just as quizzical about the eyes, mouth, and nose. If the nose remains on the tush, eventually the promise never to leave will be broken. No doubt, kids will have thoughts such as those, and anyone who gets a solid answer, please let me know.

Teachers—inventive teachers—might find a use for Where’s My Tushie in the classroom. Young American kids will have questions about more than tushies. The illustrations are definitely English with a red double-decker and Sherlock Holmes like detectives, among other things. Don’t miss the hungry shark ready to eat a swimming tush. He possesses the crazed look seen in villainous cartoons.

WHERE’S MY TUSHIE. Text copyright © 2014 by Deborah Aronson. Illustrations copyright © 2014 by Ivica Stevanovic. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Carolrhoda Books, Minneapolis, MN.

Buy Where’s My Tushie at Amazon—B&N—Lerner Books—your local bookstore.

Learn more about Where’s My Tushie HERE.

Meet the author, Deborah Aronson, at her bio:  http://www.hermanagencyinc.com/deborah_aronson.htm

Meet the illustrator, Ivica Stevanovic, at her website:  http://ivicastevanovicart.blogspot.com/

Meet Carolrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, at the company blog:

Also by Ivica Stevanovic

Jack the Castaway (The Berenson Schemes)

Jack and the Wild Life (Berenson Schemes)

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Will be reviewing these soon!