Just Jack

All he needs is half a chance ... All he needs is half a chance ... Wee Jack Baines is tired of living on a farm in his brother's shadow, and absolutely hates being called Wee Jack. Luckily for him, his Uncle Onslow notices that, as well as being short, Jack is very handy with horses, and so he arranges an apprenticeship for Jack with a trainer in Napier. Determined to prove himself to his family, and especially his doubting mother, Jack sets out for the city with high hopes and dreams of success. Instead he finds a harsh and unforgiving boss, back-breaking drudgery, and a vindictive stable-mate who sees him as a rival. His spirit is shattered when he realizes that the boss sees him as nothing more than a cheap stable-hand, and he despairs of ever becoming a winning jockey. But as the long, hot summer drags on, powerful forces are at work that will change his life forever. Will he have the courage - and the luck - to survive? Age 9-12 Number of Words in Auth: 2 Formats : EPUB Number of Formats : 1 Has Cover : Yes All Identifiers : isbn:978-0-730-49407-2 Single Author : Adele Broadbent Original Source : Mirc - New Files 05 04 B Sorted Author by LN, FN: Broadbent, Adele Title Length : 009 Title Parm D : Just Jack Title Parm F : Just Jack Title Parm A : Just Jack Title Parm B : ( Record ID : 734 Uncomma Author : Adele Broadbent Num of Aut : 1 Coming of age in the Napier earthquake, an exciting historical adventure. Age 9-12 All he needs is half a chance ... Wee Jack Baines is tired of living on a farm in his brother's shadow, and absolutely hates being called Wee Jack. Luckily for him, his Uncle Onslow notices that, as well as being short, Jack is very handy with horses, and so he arranges an apprenticeship for Jack with a trainer in Napier. Determined to prove himself to his family, and especially his doubting mother, Jack sets out for the city with high hopes and dreams of success. Instead he finds a harsh and unforgiving boss, back-breaking drudgery, and a vindictive stable-mate who sees him as a rival. His spirit is shattered when he realizes that the boss sees him as nothing more than a cheap stable-hand, and he despairs of ever becoming a winning jockey. But as the long, hot summer drags on, powerful forces are at work that will change his life forever. Will he have the courage - and the luck - to survive' Age 9-12 Wee Jack Baines is tired of living in his brother's shadow. Unlike his brother Robert, Jack is no good at sports or rabbit-shooting, and is not popular at school. Luckily for him, though, his Uncle Onslow notices that, as well as being short, Jack has a gift with horses: perfect for a jockey! And so he arranges an apprenticeship for Jack with a trainer in Napier. Determined to prove to his family that he can be as good as Robert, Jack sets out with high hopes and dreams of success - so at last he can be called just Jack. Instead he finds a harsh and unforgiving boss, back-breaking drudgery, and a vindictive stable-mate who sees him as a rival. His spirit is shattered when he realizes that the boss sees him as nothing more than a cheap stable-hand, and he despairs of ever becoming a winning jockey. But as the long, hot summer drags on, powerful forces are at work that will change his life forever. Will he have the courage - and the luck - to survive? When Jack's Uncle Onslow notices that he has a gift with horses he arranges an apprenticeship for him with a jockey trainer in Napier. Determined to prove to his family that he can be as successful as his brother, Jack sets out with high hopes and dreams of success. Instead he finds a harsh and unforgiving boss, back-breaking drudgery, and a vindictive stable-mate who sees him as a rival. Will he have the courage, and the luck to survive? Suggested level: primary, intermediate