Hokey Pokey is a good book. It is about Jack, and when his bike gets stolen. The thing I dislike about this book is that it has a different view on how to write it. It was surprising at first. But, other than that, this book is actually pretty great!
Hokey Pokey
By Jerry Spinelli
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 6 - 8 | Grades 2 - 4 | n/a | 3.6 | 38761 |
Welcome to Hokey Pokey. A place and a time, when childhood is at its best: games to play, bikes to ride, experiences to be had. There are no adults in Hokey Pokey, just kids, and the laws governing Hokey Pokey are simple and finite. But when one of the biggest kids, Jack, has his beloved bike stolen—and by a girl, no less—his entire world, and the world of Hokey Pokey, turns to chaos. Without his bike, Jack feels like everything has started to go wrong. He feels different, not like himself, and he knows something is about to change. And even more troubling he alone hears a faint train whistle. But that's impossible: every kid knows there no trains in Hokey Pokey, only tracks.
Master storyteller Jerry Spinelli has written a dizzingly inventive fable of growing up and letting go, of leaving childhood and its imagination play behind for the more dazzling adventures of adolescence, and of learning to accept not only the sunny part of day, but the unwelcome arrival of night, as well.
Master storyteller Jerry Spinelli has written a dizzingly inventive fable of growing up and letting go, of leaving childhood and its imagination play behind for the more dazzling adventures of adolescence, and of learning to accept not only the sunny part of day, but the unwelcome arrival of night, as well.
Publisher: Yearling
ISBN-13: 9780440420514
ISBN-10: 0440420512
Published on 4/22/2014
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 320
Book Reviews (6)
Welcome to Hokey Pokey, where no adults are to be found and in which Jack, is known as the leader of them. But when mysterious things start to happen to Jack, from getting his bike stolen by a girl!! , to finding out that his special tattoo is disappearing, Jack must face the reality as he tries to prevent his disaster from coming. I would recommend this for ages 11+ So this book was pretty good but what I didn't like was that in the beginning everything was super confusing but the rest of the story was super interesting. I liked how at the end everything was fit perfectly together.
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In a world full of imagination , Hokey Pokey shows how kids are left on their own and no adults seem to be found. Jack is almost like a leader to the boys of Hokey Pokey. It is a diverse world for these kids since boys are never really seen with girls. A priority rule for the boys is to never kiss a girl. As the children are on their own kids use their bikes to go places and when they want to reign over the girls that is exactly what they do. Jack likes to cruise around Hokey Pokey for new things to do. Jack has his bike Scramjet that he would never want to be lost. Hokey Pokey was whimsical and everyone had something to do. Adventuring was the top thing on every child's list even if it meant destroying the other's capital buildings. That was how an ordinary day started in Hokey Pokey. The girls had slang when they talked but the boys had strategy and that was all the matter in Hokey Pokey. As the characters point out the little places they call Tantrums or Doll Farm, they try not to make any contact with the girls. Tarzan and his buddies Lajo and Dusty are always up to save the boys from harm. This had to mean that war had come upon them. The boys were sure they could stop any of the mischief girls until Hazel steels Scramjet. None of the boys wanted to go through such pain but facing the girls to get Scramjet was death. Hazel's little brother begged to get it back but she denied him. The girls wanted anything that the boys had and finally they got Scramjet. Albert, Hazel's little brother just wants the boys to have pride and he had no respect for his sister. All of the little kids of Hokey Pokey loved watching the older kids. They were civil when they were young but as they had to grow up , destruction had come. A boy named the Destroyer loved to tear the stuffing out of dolls and everything. If you'd liked to figure out what happens to Scramjet and the boys you should pick up a copy of Hokey Pokey and start turning your pages. Book Review: Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli Review by: RT369
This book didn't make sense to me, it skipped events a lot.
Possible 2014 Newbery Award
Welcome to the wonderful land of Hokey Pokey, where only kids live, and play games and ride their bikes. Where Amigos Jack, LaJo and Dusty live and play. But when they wake up one day, they feel that something is different. Jack’s adored bike, Scramjet is stolen by Jubilee; a girl! Jack is mad at Jubilee, and tries to get his bike back; but Jack doesn’t succeed. Then, Jubilee does something worse; she spray-paints Scramjet yellow! But that is not the only thing wrong. Jack’s tattoo is fading! To become a big kid, every kid in Hokey Pokey has to get a tattoo of an eyeball on their bellybutton. Only Jack’s tattoo is fading, and he’s not the only one who knows. Things are starting to look like the Story of The Kid, that everyone has heard from their half-walnut. Will Jack turn out like The Story? In a wonderful novel of friendship and change, Spinelli vividly illustrates how a kid can “move on”. My thoughts: Hokey Pokey is a great book. I just love the unique world that Spinelli has created. I mean, who would think of Tantrums, a bubble that angry kids go into and tear up dolls? Jerry Spinelli would. I loved the theme of the story; sort of moving on, and going away, and changing. This is the first Spinelli book I have read, but definitely not the last. There was something that I would change, though. The first few chapters are… CONFUSING. I mean, is a tiny, brown bird flying over Hokey Pokey ANY WAY involved in the story? Yeah. But after you get over that, it starts getting good. Jerry Spinelli is a wonderful author and I hope he writes many more books like this.