Ratchet (aka Rachel) has a "Save the environment" crazy dad, lives in a home called a "Handyman's Special", is home schooled, and doesn't have any friends. Oh, and her mom left when she was a baby. Rachet vows that this year, something will change.
This Journal Belongs to Ratchet
By Nancy Cavanaugh
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 4 - 8 | Grades 4 - 6 | n/a | 5.3 | 36396 |
Move over Diary of a Wimpy Kid―there's a new journal in town and it belongs to Ratchet.
"A book that is full of surprises...Triumphant enough to make readers cheer; touching enough to make them cry." ―Kirkus, STARRED Review
If only getting a new life were as easy as getting a new notebook.
But it's not.
It's the first day of school for all the kids in the neighborhood. But not for me. I'm homeschooled. That means nothing new. No new book bag, no new clothes, and no new friends.
The best I've got is this notebook. I'm supposed to use it for my writing assignments, but my dad never checks. Here's what I'm really going to use it for:
Ratchet's Top Secret Plan
Turn my old, recycled, freakish, friendless life into something shiny and new.
This Florida State Book Award gold medal winner is a heartfelt story about an unconventional girl's quest to make a friend, save a park, and find her own definition of normal.
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
ISBN-13: 9781492601098
ISBN-10: 1492601098
Published on 5/6/2014
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 320
Book Reviews (39)
This book is really good. It is about a girl named Rachel, but she’s called, Ratchet. Ratchet’s mom died when Ratchet was only six years old. In the book, Ratchet is eleven years old. She is home schooled by her dad which everyone in the neighborhood thinks that he’s cray-cray (crazy). Ratchet didn’t have a single friend since she was born, well at least she thinks that she didn’t. Throughout the book, Ratchet makes a friend called, Hunter (male). Ratchet decides to learn more about her mom. Her dad doesn’t tell her anything about Ratchets mom. There’s a mystery box and Ratchet really wants to know what’s inside it. Meanwhile her dad has some trouble in the neighborhood, and Hunter needs help studying on a test. Can Ratchet solve all of these problems at once?
Rachel (a.k.a. Ratchet) is homeschooled, motherless, and friendless, with her quirky, mechanical father at her side. When he is punished with community service hours at a community center (teaching a class on how to build a go kart), Ratchet hopes she can make some new friends in the process. Along the way, Ratchet discovers a box filled with items and pictures that belonged to her mother, some of which might have lead to what happened to her and why she left. This book is written as a series of writing assignments and journal entries. 5/5 stars for Ratchet and her journal!!!
Rachet a.k.a. (Racheal) just wants to lead a normal life. She does not have friends, but hopes to make them. Rachet does not go to school, which may be your dream, but not her's. Nancy Cavanaugh tells the amazing story of a home schooled girl through...well her notebook.
this book has a Dad that likes engineering and the daughter got taught all these things, but she misses her mom that had died. the book will make you a little sad but at the end it will be good again.
This book has action,suspense,and mystery so this book is a good read over the summer. I recommend this book to young kids or people looking to spend the time.
A kid. Their life is falling short of anything to give them fun. Home-schooled. Nothing in this world can change that!! Or can it? Can this kid pick up there motherless, no fun life?
This book is great. It's more than great, it's phenomenal. A girl nicknamed Ratchet is not a tomboy, but is a girly-girl, either. In her town, her father is considered nuts and crazy who happens to be really good at fixing cars. In her town, no kid wants to be her friend because of her lack of style, her homeschooling, and her weird dad. In her town, her father goes to every town meeting and protests against the destruction of Moss Tree Park. In her town, one rich man controls all decisions by bullying the mayor into the decisions. With an absent mom, Ratchet always wonders what her mother would say to all of this, and how she would guide Ratchet. So instead of having a mom, she decides to do everything her mom would want her to do. She goes to a Charming Class and tries to get a style, but the class isn't for her. Sadly, her dad drags her to a class of building go carts, because he is in charge of it. At the class, she discovers herself. She is amazing at fixing cars. Hunter is more than just some neighborhood boy. At home, she discovers her past. Her mother left them, and promptly died in a car accident. Her father almost always knows what's best. And she mixes everything she knows into saving her town park. In this cleverly-formatted journal, you see a tween girl end up improving her town, and more importantly, her future.
This book is about a girl named Ratchet. She wants to get rid of her old, recycled, freakish, motherless life. Now she wants it to be nice and normal, a new life. I liked the story line, I also liked the journal format. Read to find out what happens.
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