ALA Booklist

No one could ever accuse Gantos of presenting a too-rosy view of childhood; none of his many middle-school fans would ever want him to. His books about Jack Henry (this is his fourth) succeed precisely because they present a hilarious, exquisitely painful, and utterly on-target depiction of the life of an adolescent and preadolescent boy. In this entry, a prequel to the earlier novels, episodic chapters chronicle Jack's experiments with the thrills of living near train tracks, his attempts (with spectacular lack of success) to convince his teacher of his good taste, and his awe as he watches his father attempt to eat his way through a 72-ounce steak. As usual, Jack exhibits his fascination with all things disgusting, constantly struggling to sort out how boys are supposed to behave. The setting occasionally wobbles between the present and Gantos' own childhood, but the experiences and feelings depicted are completely up-to-date, and few other writers have dared to show such things as teacher favoritism toward girls. (Reviewed September 1, 1999)

Horn Book

Jack Henry's back--in a laugh-out-loud read inhabited by killer cats, giant tapeworms, and escaped convicts. This latest installment of Jack's saga will appeal to the many fans of the series, and it can provide inspiration to young writers who will see how Gantos mined his own early school years for stories to embellish (at least we hope they're embellished).

Kirkus Reviews

Jack's back (Jack's Black Book, 1997, etc.) and wacko enough to water ski on land, feed his sleeping sister a cockroach, and bring about the unfortunate demise of three pet cats. Gantos's hyperactive rewriting of his own diaries zips Jack through fifth grade and a barrage of overlapping adventures. Like the steel sphere in a pinball game, Jack bounces around between his older sister's insults, his parents admonishments, and his friend Tack's dares. None of this is for the weak of heart or the gullible; between picking a hookworm (his "secret pet") out of his arm and lying in a hole with a screaming locomotive passing overhead, Jack is no role model, but he is real. His battles with his emotions—why he cries all the time, why he is "more interested in gross things than in beautiful things"—and his struggles to do what he deems right and adult (instead of wrong and childish) ring true. Have readers fasten their seat belts for this one, or—for a real jolt of Jack—don't. (Fiction. 10-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Gantos draws inspiration from his own childhood diaries in the fourth collection of stories about Jack Henry. In these nine tales, his aggravations include his annoying older sister, some crazy cats, a tapeworm and a pair of escaped convicts. Ages 10-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Sept.)