Kathleen OdeanTough Jake Semple, who's been expelled from school after school, has one last chance with the eccentric Applewhite family, artists who school their four children at home. Largely self-absorbed, except for the sensible but initially hostile twelve-year-old, E.D., the Applewhites barely notice Jake's spiked red hair and multiple body piercings. Instead, they turn to him to play a role in Mr. Applewhite's local production of The Sound of Music. Jake, who's surprised to find he likes acting and singing, and E.D., whose organizational skills suddenly blossom as stage manager, become allies as Jake adjusts to the frenetic but always funny Applewhites.
Publishers WeeklyWhen a boy is kicked out of yet another school, the Applewhites, an eccentric family of artists, offer to let him live with them and attend their unstructured Creative Academy.
