Elizabeth Young (Children's Literature)
Following the current popular trend for pirate stories, Babbitt, of Tuck Everlasting fame, seems to have worked her magic again in this work for middle readers. Set in the Caribbean of 1720, Jack, an outsourced pirate, must fend for himself once he has been left ashore. With enough coins for a week’s survival, Jack must find steady work and prove himself fit, or move along. He encounters Mrs. DelFresno, the proprietress of a boarding house willing to give him a chance. What follows is a description of Jack’s daily attempts to find work. Each day is a chapter, and each chapter is an adventure. The chapters are a sheer delight to read and difficult to put down. Are his adventures real? Jack finds out what he is not--a farmer, baker, actor, fortune teller, fisherman, barber, goldsmith, or a musician. So what is Jack? He is himself! Find out how his new life is resolved, or if it is at all. A fresh and welcome addition to children’s literature from a well respected, award winning author. 2007, Michael Di Capua Books/Scholastic, $15.95. Ages 8 to 12.

Monique Mercereau (Children's Literature)
Jack Plank, an unemployed pirate, is searching for a different line of work. In fact, Jack never liked plundering, and when times get tough, the crew and Jack go their separate ways. The crew drops Jack off in a town called Saltwash, where he is determined to start a new life, which he begins by finding a place to live. After wandering the streets, Jack decides on Mrs. Delfresno’s boardinghouse. Mrs. Delfresno is a little leery of Jack at first since he is a pirate, but her daughter, Nina, convinces her to allow him to stay--at least for a week. Nina welcomes Jack. and the two set out on their journey to find him a job. Weeks go by, and Jack still cannot find a job. Every time they discuss one, Jack has a story to explain why he should not be a farmer, a baker, or a fortuneteller. They try nine occupations, and every one ends the same way--Jack knows someone who previously held that occupation, or he recounts something about the job that reminded him of someone, and he just cannot bear to be in that industry. Finally, when it seems that Jack has just about run out of time and money, Nina and her mother come up with the perfect job for him. The novel has very few illustrations, but they come at appropriate times. The black-and-white sketches visually depict outrageous scenes and those that might be difficult for the readers to imagine. For example, in one scene, one of the pirates plays the flute to a crocodile while the croc nestles up to him to listen to the music. Jack’s struggle to find his place in society is one that many children deal with today, which might make this book a good teaching aide for this topic. It emphasizes that one should never give up and that there is a place for each of us in society; it just takes some a little longer to find it than others. 2007, Michael Di Capua Books/Scholastic, $15.95. Ages 8 to 12.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 8))
Babbitt's first offering in 25 years does not disappoint. Jack's pirate crew has fallen on hard times, and as Jack prefers not to take part in the plundering and so contributes the least to their profits, the crew decides that they have to let him go. Jack gets a room at Mrs. Delfresno's inn and eagerly begins to look for a second career. However, at the end of each day, Jack returns to the inn disappointed and still jobless. Each evening he explains to Mrs. Delfresno and the other boarders why he simply cannot work as a farmer, or a baker, or a fisherman, or, it seems, anything else. And each explanation is somehow connected to a riveting story from his days as a pirate. Jack's reason, for instance, that he cannot possibly work as a fisherman, is that one of his pirate cohorts, Figley, had morphed into an octopus in the light of the full moon, and for all Jack knows, the fellow might very well still be swimming around somewhere. Jack spins other yarns about fortune tellers, mummy hands, trolls and even a girl who grew up as a seagull. By the final page, it's obvious what Jack (and Babbitt) can do better than almost anyone elseùtell a really good story. 2007, Michael di Capua/Scholastic, 144p, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 8 to 11. Starred Review. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Paula Rohrlick (KLIATT Review, May 2007 (Vol. 41, No. 3))
Jack Plank was an out-of-work pirate,” begins this enchanting story about telling stories. Jack was never very good at plundering, and now he’s come onshore to stay at Mrs. DelFresno’s boardinghouse and look for more fitting employment. The problem is that nothing quite suits, but each attempt reminds him of a story, which he relates to the other boarders: the tale of a man who bakes a cake for a mermaid, for instance, or the one about a sailor who turns into an octopus in the light of the full moon, or the music-loving croc, or the girl raised by seagulls. The story of the mummy’s hand and the disappointed ghost is particularly memorable, but all the tales offer a charming mix of sly humor, mystery and magic; and in the end, of course, Jack finds the perfect job. This is the first new book in 25 years from expert storyteller Babbitt, author of Tuck Everlasting and many other wonderful titles. It will have great appeal to middle school and upper elementary students, and it will make a terrific read-aloud, too. It’s sure to delight all younger YA audiences. Babbitt supplied the b/w drawings that illustrate the text. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: J*--Exceptional book, recommended for junior high school students. 2007, Scholastic, Michael Di Capua Books, 144p. illus., $15.95. Ages 12 to 15.

Carol Gearhart (Kutztown Book Review, Spring 2008)
Jack Plank is a lovely fellow. But the fact of the matter is that when it comes to pirating, he stinks. He gets along with everyone and he’s been with his ship, The Avarice, for years and years now. But pirates always have to consider the bottom line and when it comes right down to it, Jack doesn’t plunder very well, not very well at all. So off he goes to find a job. While doing so, he settles into a boarding house run by the kindly Mrs. DelFresno and her daughter, Nina. Each day, Jack and Nina go off to try to find him an occupation and each day they come back empty-handed. Fortunately, for every job that Jack turns down, he’s able to tell a rip-roaring story for why becoming a baker, a fisherman, a goldsmith, or a host of other occupations might be too much of a reminder of his days back on the pirate ship. In the end, Jack has told stories involving everything from a girl raised by seagulls to squid men, vengeful ghosts, mermaid lovers, and trolls. Fortunately, sometimes the best job is one so glaringly obvious you don’t notice it until someone points it out to you. This is the first book Natalie Babbitt of Tuck Everlasting fame has written in 25 years. It is good bedtime story material. Category: Tall Tales. 2007, Michael DiCapria Books, $15.95. Ages 7 to 11.

Leslie Greaves Radloff (Library Media Connection, October 2007)
This newest book from Natalie Babbitt has a smiling Jack Plank on the cover inviting readers to come inside and hear the stories he is about to tell. Flanked by an alligator and seabird who seem to be listening and laughing, Plank (now who could resist a pirate with that name?) doesn't look the part. Babbitt's note to the reader gives the setting of these tales as around 1720 in the Caribbean Sea, and also lets them know that Jack was probably not a real character. The tales Jack tells are classic yarns, spun to engage the reader. Veteran writer Babbitt spins a good yarn and her illustrations capture the essence of the time and genre, very much like those found in old editions of Dickens and Tasha Tudor. Jack has been "let go" from the Avarice (lovely name for a pirate ship) because he does not have the knack for pirating. However, since he loves the sea he wants to stay nearby, and spin his yarns. Rich language, seaworthy vocabulary, imaginary creatures, and stories that just might have a grain of truth make this book a treasure, especially for reading aloud. For Babbitt fans this is a worthwhile read. Recommended. 2007, Scholastic, Inc, 144pp., $15.95 hc. Ages 8 to 12.

Karen Coats (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, July 2007 (Vol. 60, No. 11))
Mild-mannered Jack Plank hasn’t the flair for plundering of a proper pirate, but his mates aboard the Avarice enjoy his company and keep him on to mind the soup until they get back from their work. When pirating profits start to go south in the early 1700s, though, they reluctantly put him to port in Saltwash, Jamaica, wishing him well in finding an occupation to which he is better suited. He secures lodging at a boarding house, and with the help of Nina, the little girl whose widowed mother runs the place, he seeks what work may be found. At dinner every night, however, he relates his disappointment by telling a story that proves that he is ill suited to the various jobs that present themselves; each job reminds him of a person from his pirating days, the memory of which would make the work impossible. Jack might be a poor pirate, farmer, baker, fortuneteller, fisherman, barber, goldsmith, actor, and musician, but he’s a dab hand at tale-telling, so when his florins and his prospects peter out, the widow and her boarders come up with a business proposition that will allow him to make money at what he does best. Babbitt’s winsome grace and light touch find apt subject matter in the tales of these sentimental old pirates; we meet, for instance, a man who bakes a cake to win the heart of a mermaid, an old musician who befriends a crocodile with his flute, a rascal who may or may not have killed his companions for their share of buried treasure. There are wonder tales as well, with a hint of a shiver in them, but all remain gentle and upbeat. The boarders provide pleasantly humorous commentary on Jack’s stories, and Babbitt’s own illustrations add warmth as she teases out the sheepish grins, awe, regret, greed, and fear that render the stories diverse and interesting. Indeed, Jack’s tales prove that pieces of eight and gold florins aren’t the only treasures a pirate can pick up on the high seas. Softly shaded black-and-white illustrations combine coziness with rueful amusement. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2007, di Capua/Scholastic, 128p., $15.95. Grades 3-6.