Other editions of book The Chalk Box Kid

A classroom favorite about the power of art and creativity. A new neighborhood. A new school. A lonely birthday. Life isn’t easy for nine-year-old Gregory. Then he finds an abandoned chalk factory behind his house. It’s a secret place, just for him! Now he can draw anything he imagines on the dark brick walls. What amazing thing will Gregory draw first? Two beloved classics—The Chalk Box Kid and The Paint Brush Kid—get a vibrant new look!

Today is Gregory's ninth and so far his very worst birthday. He isn't having a party or even a cake. His father has another job, so the family must move across town. When Gregory walks into a strange house that night, however, he finds a room of his own where he can hang his paintings. Maybe this is really his best birthday! But the very next day Uncle Max comes to stay. He sleeps in Gregory's room and even hangs posters over the paintings. To make matters worse, the boys at the new school won't play with Gregory. He wonders if he will ever make friends in the new neighborhood - until he discovers an abandoned chalk factory and something magical happens. Award-winning children's author Clyde Robert Bulla turns youngsters on to books with his powerful stories. In The Chalk Box Kid, he tells the poignant tale of a boy coping with his new surroundings. Narrator Johnny Heller perfectly voices Gregory's struggles to fit in and his final, joyous victory. For another entertaining story by Clyde Robert Bulla, try The Paint Brush Kid.

A classroom favorite about the power of art and creativity. A new neighborhood. A new school. A lonely birthday. Life isn’t easy for nine-year-old Gregory. Then he finds an abandoned chalk factory behind his house. It’s a secret place, just for him! Now he can draw anything he imagines on the dark brick walls. What amazing thing will Gregory draw first? Two beloved classics—The Chalk Box Kid and The Paint Brush Kid—get a vibrant new look!

Clyde Robert Bulla, best known for his engaging biographies for young people, has created a warm, satisfying early chapter book about finding hope in unexpected places. As the story opens, Gregory's father has lost his factory job, and the family is moving to a smaller house in a poorer part of town. At first, Gregory feels lost. The kids at his new school don't readily accept him, he has to share a bedroom with his 22-year-old uncle, and the new house doesn't have a yard where he can play. Then Gregory discovers the chalk factory — an old, burnt-out building nearby. Gregory goes exploring, and as he does, he finds plenty of chalk in the debris. With it he begins to draw flowers on the factory's blackened walls. As his garden grows and flourishes, Gregory finds a voice through his art, and his spirits begin to soar. Through a series of related events, his life and that of his family turns around, and Gregory, for the first time, finds his own place in the world. Readers will identify with Gregory's sense of loss — and with his joy at exploring a "secret" place and making it his own. His story should encourage budding artists, and is a wonderful opening for discussions of independence.

Random House is proud to present the tenth anniversary edition of a book Publishers Weekly called "a gem of a book...a story that goes straight to the heart." When nine-year-old Gregory experiences several upsets in his life, he responds by creating a fantastic chalk garden on the charred walls of a burned-out factory behind his house. As his garden grows and flourishes, Gregory finds a voice through his art and, for the first time, is able to find his own place in the world. The Chalk Box Kid is sure to delight a new generation of children and their parents.