review: Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale

genre: middle grade graphic novel
source: publisher

When Calamity Jack arrived at my house, I had to break up a fight between my two older children and put a timer on to keep the peace - everyone wanted a turn to look at it/read it. If you haven't already read Rapunzel's Revenge, you should just on principle. It's a fun read and you'll have more appreciation for the characters in this book if you do. That being said, though, it's great as a stand alone.

Jack's a sympathetic character - always the schemer, always messing up in one way or another. I love that he and Rapunzel fit the caricature of the fairy tale story characters enough to be familiar and give them a skeleton, but Hale does a fine job of fleshing them out and helping them fit into the world she created. There are giants, of course, and other hideous and deadly creatures that make graphic novels so exciting to read. The sprinkle of romance was just right and the political intrigue was sophisticated enough to keep older readers thinking. Some new sidekicks kept it lighthearted and, as in the first book, the drawings are fresh and stimulating, those braids are cr-azy!

One of those books that is a pleasure to enjoy in one sitting, great reading for 4rd graders and up, I'd say, although a certain 7 year old I know loved it too.