Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Today, for the first time, my newly 6-year-old son was the child who asked me if “we could PLEASE get the next Mighty Jack book?”  You know, in that aggravated tone that says the child is SURE he’s been waiting for at least 6 months?

I loved it.

I decided to give him Mighty Jack because Ben Hatke’s graphic novels are light on text; I figured he’d be able to read it, even if it took him a bit, and the graphic novel style was likely to keep him interested.  I was right.  He and his older sisters loved it, and it’s in self-preservation that I’m reviewing Mighty Jack and the Goblin King tonight, because if they find out that a) we have it and b) I’ve finished it but c) it’s still not available to them, I’m not sure I’m going to like the consequences.  (And seriously, the first book ends on quite the cliffhanger; I really can’t blame them.)  In Goblin King Jack and Lilly follow Maddy’s abductor right out of their world, only to find themselves separated and forced to rely on strange allies to rescue her.  There are scenes reminiscent of one of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies here, as well as one of the Harry Potter books, but ultimately it’s a creative and compelling conclusion to Hatke’s reimagining of “Jack and the Beanstalk”.  I hope your kiddos enjoy it as much as mine will!