Review: Calamity Jack by Shannon Hale

Synopsis from Amazon:

Jack likes to think of himself as a criminal mastermind…with an unfortunate amount of bad luck. A schemer, plotter, planner, trickster, swindler...maybe even thief? One fine day Jack picks a target a little more giant than the usual, and one little bean turns into a great big building-destroying beanstalk.

With help from Rapunzel (and her trusty braids), a pixie from Jack’s past, and a man with inventions from the future, they just might out-swindle the evil giants and put his beloved city back in the hands of good people ....while catapulting themselves and readers into another fantastical adventure.



My Thoughts:

Cute. Cute. Cute.

We get to see our favorite fairy tale characters again: Jack and Punzie.

Only now it's Jack's turn to be in the spotlight as he brings Rapunzel home to meet his mother, but life in the big city isn't how he left it. That giant who lives at the top of the skyscraper--the one with the goos that Jack stole when he planted his magic bean--has taken over and is holding Jack's mom as hostage.

Jack has to make right his past wrongs, but he's afraid of failing. Everything he does fails, and what will Rapunzel think of him if he can't save his mom and the city?

To top it off, Jack can't say anything right, and this guy they rescued seems to have the right words to sweep her off her feet.

This is a fun, fast-paced (haha, I almost typed "past-faced") read. I loved it, TJ loved it, and the kids have devoured it several times over. Nothing like a good book to pull a family together.

Review: Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

Synopsis from Amazon:

Once upon a time, in a land you only think you know, lived a little girl and her mother . . . or the woman she thought was her mother.

Every day, when the little girl played in her pretty garden, she grew more curious about what lay on the other side of the garden wall . . . a rather enormous garden wall.

And every year, as she grew older, things seemed weirder and weirder, until the day she finally climbed to the top of the wall and looked over into the mines and desert beyond.

Newbery Honor-winning author Shannon Hale teams up with husband Dean Hale and brilliant artist Nathan Hale (no relation) to bring readers a swashbuckling and hilarious twist on the classic story as you’ve never seen it before. Watch as Rapunzel and her amazing hair team up with Jack (of beanstalk fame) to gallop around the wild and western landscape, changing lives, righting wrongs, and bringing joy to every soul they encounter.

My Thoughts:

In this entertaining graphic novel, Rapunzel lives in the Wild, Wild West, and she's out to stop the evil witch Gothel who had locked Rapunzel in a tower.

Along the way she meets a boy named Jack, who carries a goose with him wherever he goes. Together, they travel the countryside together, savings towns, making friends, and helping people in need, as they make their way toward Gothel's villa.

What I love about this book is the interactions between Rapunzel & Jack. It's cute and sweet, and their arguments are hilarious. Rapunzel reminds me a bit of Pecos Bill with her amazing ability to solve any problem, but it is her strong, stubborn, kick-ass personality that completely made me fall in love with this book.

I'm already ordering the next book: Calamity Jack.

P.S. My kids have already started quoting this book. I think they have it memorized.

Review: The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell

Synopsis from Amazon:

Twelve princesses suffer from a puzzling (if silly) curse, and anyone who ends it will win a reward. Reveka, a sharp-witted and irreverent apprentice herbalist, wants that reward. But her investigations lead to deeper mysteries and a daunting choice—will she break the curse at the peril of her own soul?













My Thoughts:

I loved this cover of the book and grabbed it off the library shelves without reading anything about it. My first thought was that my daughter would love this book. She devoured it that day and then begged me to read it to her.

I'm so glad I agreed to read it with her! This book is a treasure. The 13-year-old heroine is gutsy and determined, ready to give anyone a piece of her mind and willing to bend over backwards to help someone in need. She can't stand to see an unsolved puzzle and do nothing about it, and this tendency leads her into the den of a zmeu (a dragon or demon of the Underworld).

This book is an enchanting retelling of two fairy tales: Twelve Dancing Princesses & Beaty and the Beast. And even though this is an obvious retelling, it is still fresh and fun.

What's funny is that while reading this book allowed to Makani, I even got my husband wrapped up in the story. He told Kaylee to stop singing because he was listening to the story. Mwahahahaha! To think we ensnared TJ with a children's book!

Highly recommend this book for ages 10 to 14. Even more, I recommend this as a family read. You'll love it as much as your kids do...if not more.