Mighty Jack, Book 1
By Darienne Stewart,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Strong kids, soft heart propel thrilling graphic novel.
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What's the Story?
MIGHTY JACK is a spin on Jack and the Beanstalk: Jack meets a man offering a box of seeds he says will give Jack freedom. Jack's autistic sister, Maddy, urges him to trade their hardworking single mom's car for the seeds and sets out to plant the garden. The seeds quickly sprout, but the plants are like nothing they've ever seen: They're aggressive and monstrous, grabbing and chomping after the kids. Jack is worried, but Maddy and their thrill-seeking neighbor, Lilly, are excited by the strange things they find. After Jack encounters first a dragon and then a monster rising out of the earth, he takes drastic steps to keep his family and friend safe. One overlooked detail, however, forces Jack and Lilly to embark on a dangerous quest.
Is It Any Good?
Gorgeous artwork and carefully plotted action drive Ben Hatke's fantastical reworking of Jack and the Beanstalk, where Jack is a practical, reluctant hero nudged onward by two assertive girls. Hatke has a strong track record with great female characters (Zita the Spacegirl, Little Robot), and Mighty Jack is no exception. The fact that Maddy is generally mute never interferes with her heartfelt expressions of joy, stubbornness, and misery -- she's the emotional center of the story. For daring Lilly, knowledge is power. She turns the garden into a research project and tries to figure out how to navigate its dangers and harness its power.
Energetic illustrations, expressive characters, and a well-spun story make this a page-turner. Hatke's fans will be delighted with cameos by familiar characters from earlier books -- and eager for the second and final book to resolve the cliffhanger ending here.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way pictures do much of the storytelling in Mighty Jack. Do you think you would connect with it as well if it were written as a novel or movie?
Do you and your friends (or siblings or parents) ever disagree on what's exciting and what's scary?
What dangerous things have you successfully managed? What tools or preparation did you need to succeed?
Book Details
- Author: Ben Hatke
- Genre: Graphic Novel
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Brothers and Sisters, Friendship, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: First Second
- Publication date: September 6, 2016
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 9 - 12
- Number of pages: 208
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: September 25, 2020
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