The Janitor&39s Boy [Paperback]

IT WAS THE PERFECT CRIME
Unfortunately, it also led to the perfect punishment. When Jack Rankin gets busted for defacing a school desk with a huge wad of disgusting, watermelon bubble gum, the principal sentences him to three weeks of after-school gum cleanup for the chief custodian. The problem is, Jack's anger at the chief custodian was the reason for his gum project in the first place. The chief custodian happens to be Jack's dad.
But doing time in the school basement after hours reveals some pretty surprising things: about the school, about Jack's father, and about Jack himself.Andrew Clements is the author of the enormously popularFrindle. More than 10 million copies of his books have been sold, and he has been nominated for a multitude of state awards, including two Christopher Awards and an Edgar Award. His popular works includeAbout Average,Troublemaker,Extra Credit, Lost and Found, No Talking, Room One, Lunch Money, and more. He is also the author of the Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the School series. He lives with his wife in Maine and has four grown children. Visit him at AndrewClements.com.

Brian Selznickis the author and illustrator of the bestsellingThe Invention of Hugo Cabret,which was awarded the Caldecott Medal and was a National Book Award finalist. He is also the illustrator of many books for children, includingFrindleandLunch Moneyby Andrew Clements, as well as theDoll Peopletrilogy by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin, andThe Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkinsby Barbara Kerley, which was a Caldecott Honor Book. Mr. Selznick divides his time between Brooklyn, New York, and San Diego, California.Discussion Topics
Jack makes a careful plan to deface a music room desk. Explain Jack's plan. Do you think most kids put gum under desks or do other damage to school property in similar ways, or for similar reasons? What does Jack hope to achieve lÓÙ