Basketball-loving Jackson Jones never wanted any part of Rooter’s, the community garden where his mother got him his very own plot for his 10th birthday. But he made the best of it, even planting a thorny rosebush. Now, after months of watering, weeding, and waiting, red roses have finally bloomed. So when Jackson learns that big city developers want to bulldoze Rooter’s, he can’t believe it. The garden means something to him, and he likes hanging out with the neighbors who tend their own plots. But what can Jackson do?
With unasked-for help from well-meaning friends—and going to great lengths to avoid a fearsome bully who loves to taunt him—Jackson sets out to save Rooter’s. But coming up with a winning strategy isn’t so easy.
Mary Quattlebaum’s first book, Jackson Jones and the Puddle of Thorns, was the winner of the first annual Marguerite de Angeli Prize for middle-grade fiction. She has also written Jazz, Pizzazz, and the Silver Threads; its companion, The Magic Squad and the Dog of Great… More about Mary Quattlebaum
