Jack (Sharon Creech) Books in Order

The Jack books are short novels in verse about a boy who would rather not write poetry, at least at first. The series begins with Love That Dog, where Jack is in Miss Stretchberry's class and responds to poetry assignments in a private journal. He is skeptical, blunt, and especially sure that boys do not write poems.

But Miss Stretchberry keeps giving the class poems to read and small invitations to try. Jack's entries begin as objections, questions, and unfinished thoughts. Slowly, he notices that poems can be funny, angry, plainspoken, and personal. They can also hold memories that are hard to approach directly, including his feelings about his dog, Sky.

The books let Jack's voice do the work.

Hate That Cat returns to Jack in the next school year, again with Miss Stretchberry as his teacher. He is more willing to play with words now, even if he still grumbles about metaphors, rhyme, and the demands of poetry. A big black cat near his bus stop becomes the target of his irritation, while a kitten named Skitter McKitter gives him a new reason to pay close attention.

The setting is mostly the classroom and Jack's home, but the series never feels confined. Poems, letters, conversations, and bits of classroom life show how Jack sees the people around him. His mother is deaf, and the stories thoughtfully include the ways he shares language and sound with her. The books also bring in real poets as part of Jack's learning, making poetry feel less like a school subject and more like a way to notice the world.

This is a gentle, funny series with real emotion underneath it. The stakes are personal rather than action-driven: Jack is learning how to handle grief, care for animals, speak honestly, and trust his own words. Start with Love That Dog, because it introduces Jack, Miss Stretchberry, and the experiences that shape the second book. Then move to Hate That Cat to see what happens when a reluctant poet has become someone ready to keep writing.