Marvelous Jackson by Laura Anne Bird
“Ever since Jack’s mom died — four hundred and seventy-two days ago, according to the running tally in his head — he hadn’t cared about things like report cards or tardies. And it’s not like Norm was paying attention, either.”
One boy’s journey through grief ends up skyrocketing him to a chance at fame in Laura Anne Bird’s new release, Marvelous Jackson. In this masterful follow-up to her previous book Crossing the Pressure Line, Bird takes a disagreeable side character and transforms him into a compelling protagonist that you simply can’t help but root for. So grab your recipe book, tie on your apron and let’s get into it!
Stirring Up Trouble
Thirteen-year-old Jack Wilson hasn’t been at his best lately. In fact, he’s facing his second suspension and the threat of being expelled from middle school entirely. If he doesn’t pull things together, he could be sent away from his Wisconsin home and end up at a tough-as-nails boarding school all the way in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! Things are already hard enough in his hometown, where Jack feels like the only kid his age who doesn’t like to hunt, fish or hike. He doesn’t even feel at home at his dad Norm’s restaurant, where taxidermized deer and prize-winning fish decorate the walls.
Then again, Jack hasn’t felt at home at all with his dad lately. Ever since his mom’s death, it’s like they’ve drifted miles apart. His dad spends all day at the restaurant and Jack spends all day getting up to mischief. Now that he’s suspended, though, Jack’s been tasked with finding a new hobby that’ll keep him occupied and out of trouble. But what, exactly, should he choose?
Life’s Better with Baked Goods
Grief is not an easy topic for authors to handle, but Bird effortlessly weaves complex discussions of the experience throughout the narrative. We see Jack’s inner battle throughout the book as he wrestles with his own behavior — his sadness, his anger, his regrets. He knows his actions are hurtful even as they’re happening, but the habit is hard to break.
“I miss her, he thought. And I miss my dad, which is weird because he’s sitting right next to me. Jack wanted to get back to being the person he was before. Because he realized how much he missed him, too.”
The answer to Jack’s problems comes from an unexpected place — the Marvelous Midwest Kids Baking Championship. It starts out as a show for him to binge with his budding friend Theo, but all that changes when it triggers Jack’s memories of baking with his mom. Soon he’s tying on her old apron and whipping up whimsydiddles, vanilla blooms and maple blueberry muffins (the recipes for each can be found at the end of the book!). And when Jack learns that the Marvelous Midwest Kids Baking Championship is receiving applications for the upcoming season’s contestants, he knows what he has to do.
Neither too bitter nor overly sweet, Marvelous Jackson exists in the optimal space that allows young readers to explore difficult emotions — grief, anger and loneliness — while still giving them that satisfying happy ending. As they follow Jack’s rocky rise to the top, kids can see that while the path to self-growth isn’t always smooth, that doesn’t make it any less worthwhile to pursue. Readers of Crossing the Pressure Line will know exactly how far Jack’s come — and that if he can work through self-destruction, rest assured that we can, too.
A Milwaukee native, Laura Anne Bird graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in English. She lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, three big kids, and little dog. When she’s not reading, writing, or reviewing books, she loves to exercise and explore the outdoors.
Marvelous Jackson is a follow-up to Laura’s middle-grade debut, Crossing the Pressure Line, which garnered awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association, the Midwest Independent Publishers Association, and the Arts + Literature Laboratory’s Wisconsin Writers Awards program.
Join Laura on Instagram @laura_at_the_library, where she celebrates all things literary.
