MARVELOUS JACKSON

In Bird’s middle-grade novel, a troubled seventh grader tries to turn his life around by taking up baking.

Northern Wisconsin resident Jackson Jefferson “Jack” Wilson, who was named after three U.S. presidents, has had a rough year-and-a-half. Since his mother's death, he’s been playing a game to see how much trouble he can get away with at school, so he can “feel like a winner at something.” When he gets into a tussle with another student and accidentally knocks his tooth out, he’s suspended for the second time; a third will mean expulsion. His father, Norm, wants him to clean up his act at home, and he encourages him to find a hobby—something positive toward which he can direct his energy. After watching The Marvelous Midwest Kids Baking Championship on TV, Jack is reminded of how often his mother used to bake and decides to give it a try himself. He sticks with it, using his mom’s old cookbook and other recipes from the library where she used to work. Soon, he decides to try to get on a future season of the show. Meanwhile, Norm is engaged in his own cooking competition, preparing for an upcoming competition with local restaurants involving chicken nuggets (or, as repeated endlessly in the book, nuggies). As both Jack and Norm work, occasionally joining forces to gather “nuggie intel,” the two start to repair their relationship. Over the course of this book, Bird does an excellent job of balancing the narrative with short chapters that alternate between present action, reflections on the past, and rising tension as the twin contests approach. Set in the authentic-feeling small town of Alwyn, Wisconsin, the story also boasts a pleasing regional specificity that’s often missing from many current middle-grade books: “Almost everybody here hunts and goes fishing, but I’m not into that kind of stuff. I don’t love being outside, and I’ve got bad aim.” Young readers will find themselves rooting for Jack to succeed, particularly as he faces increasing obstacles in the second half.

A charming story of perseverance, family bonds, and the transformative power of food preparation.