Out to Get Jack

Book excerpt: Jack Lack is a mainstreamed eleven-year-old with high-functioning autism. Because he can "talk and did well on spelling tests," he doesn't qualify for the sanctuary of the autism classroom, but instead has been thrown into the BD/JD [behavior-disordered/juvenile delinquent] classroom, which is full of wise-cracking malcontents. Jack is the only one who doesn't constantly misbehave, but because he lacks social skills, he is the one who is invariably blamed for everyone else's misdeeds. After a "typical" school day, Jack returns home to find out that he and his parents will be spending a month with his extended family, to help plan his eccentric Aunt Eva's second wedding. The good news is that he will be taken out of school; the bad news is that he will have to spend that month with his scheming, nefarious cousins, who have always been "out to get him." And in fact, as the month progresses, mysterious things happen, things that (of course) Jack is always blamed for. Determined to prove his innocence, Jack becomes a self-styled detective, hunting for clues to find the real villain. In the process, he ends up finding out things about himself and his extended family that surprise everyone. Cover art by Lauren Williams. Learn more at www.outtogetjack.com