Losing Joe's Place facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Gordon Korman |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's fiction |
| Published | 1990, Scholastic |
| Media type | Print, e-book, audiobook |
| Pages | 233 pages |
| ISBN | 0-590-42768-7 |
Losing Joe's Place is an exciting children's novel written by Gordon Korman in 1990. It was first published on April 1, 1990, by Scholastic. The story follows three boys from a small town in Ontario: Jason, Ferguson, and Don. They get to spend a summer living in Jason's older brother Joe's apartment in Toronto. There's one big rule: they absolutely cannot do anything that would make Joe lose his lease on the apartment. This book was even listed on YALSA's "Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults" in 2001.
Contents
What is Losing Joe's Place About?
The story begins in September. Jason's older brother, Joe Cardone, has just returned from a trip to Europe. He is very upset because Jason, Don, and Ferguson have somehow caused him to lose his apartment lease. Jason feels terrible. He calls Don and Ferguson so they can start looking for a new place for Joe to live.
The Summer Adventure Begins
The book then flashes back to the previous June. Jason, Don, and Ferguson have convinced their parents to let them stay in Joe's apartment for the summer. Early on, Ferguson accidentally causes Jason and Don to lose their jobs at a plastics company. This means they need to find new work quickly.
While at a "teenage club," Don tries to talk to a girl named Jessica. He accidentally knocks her out! After this, both Don and Ferguson try to get Jessica's attention throughout the summer. Jason often feels like a 3rd wheel in their plans.
Jobs and Challenges
Don finds new jobs fairly easily, but he often gets fired almost right away. Jason, however, struggles to find any work. This is partly because Jessica keeps asking him for help with different things. A friend of Joe's, Rootbeer Racinette, helps Jason and Don earn money. He does this by finding them odd jobs and making unusual bets, using his large size to his advantage.
The Landlord's Dilemma
Later in the summer, Ferguson comes up with a plan to get back at their landlord, Mr. Plotnick. Mr. Plotnick is very nosy and owns a deli where he also sells hubcaps. Ferguson's plan goes wrong, and Mr. Plotnick gets hurt by a flying hubcap. He needs to rest for a month.
Jason feels responsible for what happened. He decides to take over running Mr. Plotnick's deli while he recovers. To everyone's surprise, the deli becomes very popular under Jason's management! He earns so much money that Mr. Plotnick decides to sell the entire apartment building. He uses the money to build a fancy beach condo. This means everyone living in the building, including Joe, loses their lease.
Finding a New Home
The book ends back in September, right where it started. Jason manages to find a new, much better apartment for Joe.
Meet the Characters
- Jason Cardone: He is the main character. Jason and his friends, Don and Ferguson, are enjoying their summer in Toronto. He is Joe's younger brother. Jason is the only one who isn't a "house guest" in Joe's apartment, even though they are all paying rent. Later, he discovers he really enjoys cooking and cleaning. This is especially true when it helps him avoid looking for a job. His love for cooking leads him to open "Chocolate Delight" in Mr. Plotnick's old deli.
- Don: He is one of Jason's friends and a "house guest" for the summer. Don is good at many things. During the book, he works as a delivery boy, a plastic worker, an usher, and a chrome specialist, among other jobs.
- Ferguson: Often called by his nickname, Peachfuzz, Ferguson is extremely smart. He can tell what's wrong with a car just by listening to it. He even caused Jason and Don to lose their first jobs in Toronto. He helped modernize the company, saving them millions, but it meant his friends lost their positions. Don doesn't always get along with Ferguson.
- Mr. Plotnick: He is Joe's landlord. Mr. Plotnick is careful with money. He only replaces broken items when someone damages them. Then, he makes the new item look very fancy and charges the person who broke it! He also owns the Olympian Deli, which is below Joe's apartment. Mr. Plotnick can hear everything happening in his building through the pipes and heating ducts. He loves to give people advice, even when they don't ask for it.
- Rootbeer Racinette: Rootbeer is a very large person who has a new hobby almost every day. His hobbies include painting, building model airplanes, collecting money and stamps, blowing balloons, playing the kazoo, and using telescopes. He also believes in a special kind of meditation that makes him look like he's asleep. Rootbeer often earns a lot of money by making unusual bets, like biting a tire or wrestling professionals for small amounts of cash. He is Joe's friend, which is how he ends up moving into the apartment with the boys. His name is a bit of a joke: in French, "Racinette" means "rootbeer," so his name is "Rootbeer Rootbeer"!
- Jessica: She is a girl that Don and Ferguson are interested in. Jessica is not good at cooking or cleaning. She often loses interest quickly, leaving Jason to finish the tasks. She later works at Jason's "Chocolate Delight" deli.
- Joe Cardone: He is Jason's older brother. Joe is a bodybuilder and the person who rents the apartment where Jason, Don, and Ferguson stay. He is also friends with Rootbeer Racinette.
