Jack Plank Tells Tales

by Natalie Babbitt

From the author of TUCK EVERLASTING, her first novel in 25 years--now available in paperback! Jack Plank has left his pirate shipmates and gone ashore. Each day he sets out from Mrs. DelFresno's boarding house to look for a new job. Each evening he returns to regale the other boarders with the story of his job search plus a tall tale from his life as a pirate to explain why that particular job wouldn't be suitable. For who would want to work where there might be a troll, or the danger of getting a crab permanently caught in your beard? Or what about a treacherous, music-loving crocodile?

Genres: Childrens, Pirates, Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Middle Grade, Juvenile

144 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

About the author

Natalie Zane Babbitt was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. Her 1975 novel, Tuck Everlasting, was adapted into two feature films and a Broadway musical. She received the Newbery Honor and Christopher Award, and was the U.S. nominee for the biennial international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1982.

Reviews

[Carrie Brownell]

I have a collection of Natalie Babbitt books on my shelf that I've been slowly working through. She is, of course, the author of Tuck Everlasting which is wonderful. A perhaps slightly lesser known work, and my personal favorite, is The Search for the Delicious. At any rate, I had an hour to myself and wanted to read something quick so I grabbed a Babbitt of the shelf and gave it a world.

Jack Plank Tells Tales is the story of a pirate who wasn't very good at his profession. So his shipmates wished him the best but sent him on his way. Each chapter of this story is him giving some thought to what sort of profession he might like to take up next but instead of doing actual work, he lapses into story-telling mode. This is a fun book of pirate-y tales, ghost stories, glimpses of mermaids, etc. Tall Tales, pirate style.

I do not like every Babbitt book I've ever read but I do like this one so it'll stay on the shelf with my blessing. I was glad for the diversion of it. Very fun, quick read.

[Martha]

Jack Plank's tales told to the boarders of Mrs. DelFresno's boarding house were wonderfully tall tales, inspired by the adventures he experienced when he was a pirate on the Avarice, pirate ship. These tales were laced with lots of exaggeration, mermaids, a pirate turning into an octopus, and trolls who wanted money from innocent passersby, to name only a few. This over the top bevy of tall tales is highly entertaining, and would make a great read aloud for develop young imaginations.

[Rachel]

Babbitt never lets you down as a storyteller!
This is a fun little book with tall tales of the sea and pirates.

[poetavates]

babbitt'i seviyorum, yazdıkları yetişkinler için de okunabilir olan çok fazla çocuk yazarı yok...

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer]

For the past 10 years at least, Natalie Babbitt has only been writing picture books, and not particularly good ones at that (in my opinion). This novel, however, was a surprise. A cook on a pirate ship decides to retire to a seaside village and find a job. Every evening when he returns to his boarding house for supper he tells the boarders a tale of his adventures at sea. They're tall tales, of course. Great stuff!

[Veronica]

An excellent collection of bedtime stories for young adventurers.

[Lacy Dohner]

Jack Plank, a retired pirate, is in need of a job. During the day, he exhausts option after option in his futile job hunt, but in the evenings he returns to the boarding house and delights his friends with stories of his pirating days. He must make money in order to live, however, and finally Jack makes up his mind that he will have to return to the sea. But by that time he and his stories have become a part of the boarding house family, and his friends hatch a plot to keep him from leaving.

Almost a novella, this is a really quick collection of short stories tied together by the overarching narrative of Jack trying to find employment. The stories are fun, and Jack and his friends are a likable bunch. This would be a great book for a hesitant reader trying to transition to chapter books.

[Lilyana Page]

Jack Plank is a pirate. A pirate without a job. Times for pirates are tough, and Plank's captain tells him that he's got to go, unfortunately. Jack isn't a very good pirate, so he heads to the mainland in search of more honest work.

With the help of a little girl named Nina, he searches for different jobs each day. And every day it is the same thing. The job is not a good fit for him + a comical story as to why. These stories are told around the dining table at Nina's mother's boarding house. Through them, you learn all about Jack Plank's time at sea.

This book is absolutely HILARIOUS, and I love it!

[Pat Salvatini]

Jack Plank was a pirate who was not very good at plundering. The day came when plundering was not as profitable as it once was and the Captain had to let Jack go. Jack landed in the town of Saltwater, living in the boarding house of Mrs. Delfresno, and looking for work. Each day Jack is guided through town looking for work, and each night Jack tells a colorful tale of why he was unsuited for each job. Not until the end of the book does Jack finally realize where his talents lie. Babbitt spins some wonderful tales based on colorful and fanciful characters. A wonderful read-aloud.

[David Rough]

A series of good pirate short stories comprise this volume. They are good pirate stories as opposed to the wicked, mean pirates; the good stories as in interesting or funny or full of fantasy; they are short stories because each chapter is an entirely unique tale linked together only by Jack's efforts to find a job after leaving his pirate days behind.

[David Macpherson]

A wonderful collection of sea tales, told by an ex-pirate looking to find new employment. This is just terrific. Sweet and kind and funny. Some of the stories are kind of creepy, so it has some nice textures to the tales.

[Katie]

Age: 7+
Content considerations: some talk of ghosts

Short stories told by an amusing ex-pirate. Not the lovely, living language found in Ms. Babbitt’s Tuck Everlasting, but a book a young boy would enjoy to pass the time.

[Julie]

Cute story. My 4th grade daughter liked it well enough. My third grade boy enjoyed it more.

[Stephanie Griffin]

Jack Plank just can’t seem to find the right employment, but he sure can tell tales! This would be a great book to read to young children!

[Suzanne Fournier]

A cute story about the tales of pirates.

[Beronica]

Listened to this on audio books. It’s ok...for fourth grade.

[Julia Orr]

I would probably recommend this book to a friend.

[Lilli Gilliam]

I didn't enjoy this story at all. I wasn't expecting anything, but I was still let down!

[Christine]

Fun romp through a collection of tall tales wit the object of what job a retiring sailor should do.

[Kest Schwartzman]

This is a sweet book, easy to divide up into sections for quick bedtime tales

[Judi]

Natalie Babbitt's books are perfect for reading aloud to children!

[Lesa Loves Books]

Cute!

[Roy Owen]

Good story-telling

[Karen Latham]

Funny at times, light hearted. No objections, but a little too slow paced.

[Holland]

Fun little book, I just love this author

[Trevor]

I couldn’t follow the point of this story at all. Very disappointing.

[Amanda]

Fun stories for youth

[Debra]

The narrator did an excellent job! A pirate relieved of duty shares tells tales to the boarding house patrons instead of finding another job. Cute.

[Emilio]

What a delightful collection of tales ... Told by a great storyteller, or two 😁

Pirates, pallaver, octopus, seagulls, crocodiles .... All the fun things.

[Sadun]

Harika bir çocuk kitabı. Cocuklariniza gönül rahatlığıyla okuyabilirsiniz...