The Luck of Jude

by Andrew Larsen

Overview

When the Grade Four teacher at Trillium Elementary in Toronto assigns a new project, Jude Bhandari is sure that he'll be paired up with his best friend Sanjay. Everyone knows they both love everything to do with outer space. But instead Jude is paired up with the tough new kid from England who likes to pick fights. Will Jude be able to find common ground with the new kid--or will he end up as his latest victim? [Fry Reading level - 2.3

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781552777060
Publisher:	James Lorimer & Company Ltd., Publishers
Publication date:	09/26/2011
Series:	Streetlights Series
Sold by:	De Marque
Format:	eBook
Pages:	1
Lexile:	460L (what's this?)
File size:	916 KB
Age Range:	8 - 10 Years

About the Author

ANDREW LARSEN'S picture book The Imaginary Garden (Kids Can Press) was nominated for a Governor General's Award in 2009. Andrew lives in Toronto, where he is a writer and a stay-at-home dad.

Editorial Reviews

"A funny, down-to-earth take on familiar and universal themes."

Canadian Children's Book News

"The straightforward story is accessible and entertaining."

The Horn Book Guide

"Jude is a sympathetic narrator; his voice is energetic and lightly humourous...It was also refreshing to read a multicultural book where race and culture are not the main points of the novel, and provided a very realistic view of an urban Toronto neighbourhood. Young readers who enjoy realistic novels will like reading about Jude and his friends, and there may even be a rise in in popularity of the game of conkers after reading this book."

KeenReaders.org

"Bullying of innocent victims happens each and every day in Canadian schools and communities. Teachers and caregivers can use this book as a read-aloud to begin a dialogue about bullying...Recommended."

CM Magazine

Violence paradoxically begets friendship in Larsen's simply told chapter-book debut.

Jude is astounded to see his unaggressive best friend Sanjay and their new fourth-grade classmate Terrence trade punches to the face. The next day he runs into sullen Terrence on the street, berates him for his behavior and gets smacked himself! When Jude shares his dismay and confusion, his Indian grandmother Nani counsels understanding rather than anger or escalation. She suggests that Terrence, newly arrived in Toronto from England in the wake of his parents' divorce, might be feeling so upset and lonely that he sometimes lashes out before thinking. Acting on an oblique hint from his own divorced mother, Jude finds a way to make peace, not just between him and Terrence but with Sanjay too—suggesting that they all team up to make and show the class how to play conkers with fallen chestnuts. Larsen only sketches in back stories and daily side business, but Nani, an enthusiastic wrestling fan, animates the small supporting cast. Moreover, Jude's emotions are sharply felt, and his solution models a feasible strategy.

Purposeful but not preachy. (Fiction. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews