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Overview
Basketball-loving Jackson Jones never wanted any part of Rooter’s, the community garden where his mother got him his very own plot for his 10th birthday. But he made the best of it, even planting a thorny rosebush. Now, after months of watering, weeding, and waiting, red roses have finally bloomed. So when Jackson learns that big city developers want to bulldoze Rooter’s, he can’t believe it. The garden means something to him, and he likes hanging out with the neighbors who tend their own plots. But what can Jackson do?With unasked-for help from well-meaning friends—and going to great lengths to avoid a fearsome bully who loves to taunt him—Jackson sets out to save Rooter’s. But coming up with a winning strategy isn’t so easy.
From the Hardcover edition.
His plot in a community garden brings 10-year-old Jackson Jones more zucchini than he cares to see and the unwanted attention of a bully, but when a company plans to destroy the garden, Jackson turns his attention to trying to save it.
Synopsis
Basketball-loving Jackson Jones never wanted any part of Rooter’s, the community garden where his mother got him his very own plot for his 10th birthday. But he made the best of it, even planting a thorny rosebush. Now, after months of watering, weeding, and waiting, red roses have finally bloomed. So when Jackson learns that big city developers want to bulldoze Rooter’s, he can’t believe it. The garden means something to him, and he likes hanging out with the neighbors who tend their own plots. But what can Jackson do? With unasked-for help from well-meaning friends—and going to great lengths to avoid a fearsome bully who loves to taunt him—Jackson sets out to save Rooter’s. But coming up with a winning strategy isn’t so easy.Editorials
Children's Literature
Plot 5-1 is rented in the name of one basketball-loving Jackson Jones. Not his choice, mind you, but his mama thinks the city is no place for a boy to connect to the earth. This little square of dirt behind a garden gate downtown is just what he needs to ground him, or so she thinks. What she does not realize is that just showing up to tend the weeds with his fellow Rooters is causing this 11-year-old more grief than seems fair. The school bully, Blood Green, goes out of his way to make Jackson's life miserable. Snide greetings like "Bouquet Jones" and "Barn Boy" do not help. Mary Quattlebaum's lively story about a plucky kid who learns the value of protecting the past is an entertaining look at the very real historical significance of victory gardens. Her author's note at the end explains that millions of Americans planted vegetable gardens during World War II to provide food for families at home and U.S. soldiers overseas. She and her husband tended just such a plot. Although some of the problem-solving skills young Jackson employs seem a bit beyond his experience, it is nevertheless a lighthearted peek into the life of one young boy growing up in the city. Though raised by a single mother, Jackson is never without the wisdom of experience afforded by the older neighbors around him. This book is a good pick for an educational opportunity wrapped in light fiction reading. 2004, Delacorte Press, Ages 8 to 12.—Francine Thomas
School Library Journal
Gr 3-5-Jackson Jones is back with the same authentic voice and enthusiasm for life, but this time he's up to his elbows in dirt. His mother, concerned that he is too much of a city boy, gives him a plot in the community garden for his 10th birthday. While he digs, sows, waters, and waits, his crop is mostly weeds except for "the unspeakable Z," zucchini. Meanwhile, he has problems with the school bully and he uses his brains, rather than his nonexistent brawn, to defeat the business group that wants to develop the site. Things may be resolved a little too quickly but there is a nice prickly punishment for the bully and the garden survives the corporate takeover. Jackson's way of looking at life is original and appealing-"Other kids have brothers, sisters, pets; I live with a six-foot ficus."-Edith Ching, St. Albans School, Mt. St. Alban, Washington, DC Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.Book Details
Published
February 19, 2009
Publisher
Random House Children's Books
Pages
112
ISBN
9780307533036