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A review by 5tami8
Calamity Jack by Shannon Hale, Dean Hale
5.0
Calamity Jack is a stunningly good sequel to Rapunzel's Revenge. It is another funny, fast-paced adventure with a fairytale twist. In this book we first get Jack's backstory (which is only hinted at in Rapunzel's Revenge). We find out why Jack had to flee the city, which ultimately led to his encountering Rapunzel in the first book.
In this version of Jack and the Beanstalk our Jack buys the magic beans by pawning his most precious possession--his dead father's coat. He uses the beans as part of an elaborate plan to rob the giant Blunderboar. The plan goes horribly wrong; as Jack escapes from Blunderboar's penthouse he is followed by one of the giant's lieutenants. when he follows Jack down the beanstalk he ends up falling to his death.
Jack races back to the tenement where he lives with his mother in their ground floor bakery. He finds disaster due to a bean mistakenly thrown away: another beanstalk has sprouted and is causing the destruction of the entire building. Although Jack ensures everyone gets out of the tenement safely, Blunderboar swears revenge against Jack for giantcide and Jack's mother tells him she is ashamed of him and he should leave.
Jack rides the train out of the city into the Wild West and meets Rapunzel. With Rapunzel Jack discovers a better part of himself and succeeds in gaining a reward which he wants to use to rebuild his mother's home and business.
The story jumps back to the present as Jack returns to the city accompanied by Rapunzel, intending to right his past wrongs. But things in the city are much worse than when Jack left. The people are besieged by the "Ant People," a terrifyingly gigantic race of ants that walk upright like humans. Blunderboar--the same giant who had sworn revenge on Jack--is now running the city, using his giant forces to battle the Ant People for the citizens.
Jack and Rapunzel team up with a young newspaperman--of whom Jack becomes jealous when he sees him with Rapunzel--who is speaking out against Blunderboar. Jack finds out that Blunderboar is holding his mother prisoner in his fortress, using her to bake bread with a gruesome ingredient. Anxious to rescue his mother and terrified Rapunzel will discover the truth about his past illegal activities the trio nonetheless uncover the fact Blunderboar is not the savior he claims to be.
They plan to expose him to the citizens and set things right in the city. Again we have a nail-biting climax to a fast-paced, funny adventure. This conclusion even includes a dual admission of love--again, enough to make young readers role their eyes and yet have every reader anxious for the next installment.
In this version of Jack and the Beanstalk our Jack buys the magic beans by pawning his most precious possession--his dead father's coat. He uses the beans as part of an elaborate plan to rob the giant Blunderboar. The plan goes horribly wrong; as Jack escapes from Blunderboar's penthouse he is followed by one of the giant's lieutenants. when he follows Jack down the beanstalk he ends up falling to his death.
Jack races back to the tenement where he lives with his mother in their ground floor bakery. He finds disaster due to a bean mistakenly thrown away: another beanstalk has sprouted and is causing the destruction of the entire building. Although Jack ensures everyone gets out of the tenement safely, Blunderboar swears revenge against Jack for giantcide and Jack's mother tells him she is ashamed of him and he should leave.
Jack rides the train out of the city into the Wild West and meets Rapunzel. With Rapunzel Jack discovers a better part of himself and succeeds in gaining a reward which he wants to use to rebuild his mother's home and business.
The story jumps back to the present as Jack returns to the city accompanied by Rapunzel, intending to right his past wrongs. But things in the city are much worse than when Jack left. The people are besieged by the "Ant People," a terrifyingly gigantic race of ants that walk upright like humans. Blunderboar--the same giant who had sworn revenge on Jack--is now running the city, using his giant forces to battle the Ant People for the citizens.
Jack and Rapunzel team up with a young newspaperman--of whom Jack becomes jealous when he sees him with Rapunzel--who is speaking out against Blunderboar. Jack finds out that Blunderboar is holding his mother prisoner in his fortress, using her to bake bread with a gruesome ingredient. Anxious to rescue his mother and terrified Rapunzel will discover the truth about his past illegal activities the trio nonetheless uncover the fact Blunderboar is not the savior he claims to be.
They plan to expose him to the citizens and set things right in the city. Again we have a nail-biting climax to a fast-paced, funny adventure. This conclusion even includes a dual admission of love--again, enough to make young readers role their eyes and yet have every reader anxious for the next installment.