Just My Luck (Zack Delacruz Series #2)

by Jeff Anderson

Overview

Zack Delacruz is back—and this time he has a crush!
Zach really wants to meet Abhi, the new girl at school. But things get off to a rough start when he accidentally knocks her to the ground during a game of dodgeball. And whenever he tries to make amends, she just ignores him. Nothing works—not his friends’ advice or his “lucky” cologne. In fact, he just seems more and more cursed! Then, at the Fall Fiesta-val, Zack finally learns the real reason behind Abhi’s cold shoulder . . . but not before total chaos erupts. With a runaway train, exploding confetti-filled eggs, and Abhi’s terrifying older brother, will Zack ever get a chance to talk to his crush? In the end, Zack learns what it means to believe, to listen, and to be a good friend.
 
This dynamite sequel captures the middle-school experience—and will keep readers laughing from beginning to end.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454920670
Publisher:	Sterling Children's Books
Publication date:	10/11/2016
Series:	Zack Delacruz Series , #2
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	1,045,679
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.20(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	620L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 13 Years

About the Author

Jeff Anderson is the author of Zack Delacruz: Me and My Big Mouth, Mechanically Inclined, Everyday Editing, 10 Things Every Writer Needs to Know, and Revision Decisions (all Stenhouse). Zack Delacruz 2 is the wacky sequel to his debut middle-grade novel. Jeff grew up in Austin, Texas, and learned to love writing by journaling and crafting stories to entertain his friends over the phone. A former elementary and middle school teacher, Jeff travels to schools across the country working with teachers and students to discover joy and power in the writing process. Jeff lives with his partner, Terry, and their dogs, Carl and Paisley. Find out more about Jeff at writeguy.net or follow him on Twitter @writeguyjeff. Jeff lives in San Antonio, TX.

Andrea Miller is an illustrator, a children’s book designer at Sterling Publishing, and a graduate of The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She lives with her wife, her six bookshelves, and a box of ink and brushes. The illustrator of Zack Delacruz: Me and My Big Mouth, you can find her work online at andreacmiller.com. Andrea lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Editorial Reviews

2016-07-02
Things haven’t really changed for awkward San Antonio middle schooler Zack Delacruz.Even after he helped save the sixth-grade dance in Me and My Big Mouth (2015), the Latino boy still finds it hard to be a somebody at school. More troubling, he remains friendless, aside from the ever loyal Marquis, a black boy. Plus, the school bully, José, can’t seem to stop teasing Zack whenever he can. A new Indian-American girl named Abhi adds a new wrinkle to this well-worn story. Captivated, Zack realizes that he needs to talk to this mysterious girl with ice-gray eyes. Once Anderson establishes the central tension, the story quickly turns into a meandering chronicle of Zack’s misfortune. Of course, everything goes awry for Zack, beginning and unfortunately not ending with him nailing Abhi during a game of dodgeball. Could Zack be cursed? This leap in logic perfectly encapsulates a middle school mindset, mining a lot of laughs from Zack’s amusing attempts to remove the so-called curse. However, the author disregards charged themes, including a side plot about Zack’s parents’ divorce, to give ample space to high jinks. As Zack discovers that it's hard to talk to Abhi, the story keeps marching forward to Fiesta-val, the citywide fall festival. Slapstick set pieces soon trump gentle humor, leading to an out-of-nowhere ending that raises a lot of unnecessary questions. A bubbly, multicultural sequel with missed potential. (Fiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews