Master storyteller Natalie Babbitt shares the tales of Jack Plank as he tries to find his true calling in life. Jack Plank tries to discover the perfect job but finds that he is not well-suited to be a farmer, baker, fortune-teller, fisherman, barber, goldsmith, actor, or musician. Each evening Jack shares a tall tale with dinner guests at the boarding house explaining why he is ruling out each suggested profession. What will Jack Plank do?
It's 1720, and times are tough on the AVARICE. Jack Plank, a pirate lacking the knack for plundering, finds himself set ashore near the town of Saltwash, Jamaica. Mrs. DelFresno agrees to let him stay at her boardinghouse for a trial week. If the other boarders don't mind and he can find a job, he can stay. Each day 11-year-old Nina accompanies Jack on his job search, and every evening at supper he tells a tale from his pirate days--a tale that demonstrates quite clearly why he couldn't do this job or that. John Mayer brings Natalie Babbitt's ersatz pirate to life. Young listeners will enjoy Jack's swashbuckling tales and will nod in agreement when the perfect job finds Jack. N.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
