Jack

Book 10 of my 2016 Reading Challenge
read from January 17 - 21

Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk by Liesl Shurtliff

Summary (via the book jacket)
All work and no play makes Jack extremely bored.
And when Jack gets bored, he makes mischief. It's not that he's bad; he just longs for adventure - and there's nothing adventurous about toiling day and night to grow yucky green stuff.
Adventure finally arrives one day in the form of giants, and soon Jack is chasing them to a land beyond the clouds, with his little sister, Annabella, in tow. The kingdom of giants is full of slugs the size of sheep, venomous pixies as tall as grown men, and a chatty cook with the biggest mouth Jack has ever seen. There's giant fun to be had, too: puddings to swim in, spoons to use as catapults, monster-toads to carry off pesky little sisters...
But Jack and Annabella are on a mission. The king of the giants has taken something that belongs to them, and they'll do anything - even dive into a smelly tureen of green bean soup - to get it back.

My Opinion
I really like this series of books because they show there are 2 sides to every story. The giants have a valid reason in their mind for stealing, and it's good to get kids thinking about someone else's point of view.

My interest must depend on the characters because while I really enjoyed Rump, this one isn't as interesting to me at all.  Once Annabelle showed up it was more fun but it still took a long time for something to happen.

I recognize I'm not the intended audience and I would still recommend this to kids. I just don't think it will be as much fun for the parents as some other books are.

The books in this series appear to stand alone and can be read individually or in no particular order.  The only common thing so far between the two books I've read is the pixies loving gold.  Rump is referenced at the end of this book but not in a way that would make you feel lost if you hadn't read it (or spoil it).

A Few Quotes from the Book
"Maybe I was born to be great, but great at what?"

"What was I thinking? Pulling a prank was all fun and laughs when times were good, but when things were tough, it was just spitting in someone's eye, kicking a man while he's down, and I couldn't imagine that would feel very fun."