Mighty Jack (Mighty Jack, 1)

This was another wonderful Hatke graphic novel. My 10 year old son and I both love the Zita the Spacegirl series and he was the one who actually brought this book to my attention. This was a wonderfully entertaining and fun read that I enjoyed a lot.This book deals with Jack and his sister Maddy. Their mom is desperately trying to make ends meet when Jack lends his mom’s car to a mysterious man selling amazing garden seeds. There are some cameos in here from a couple of the Zita the Spacegirl characters as well which was neat.I absolutely loved the crazy creatures/plants that took root in Jack’s garden. The addition of a dragon made things even more fantastic. This whole book was action-packed and so much fun. It also touches on some nice family issues and issues with disabilities.The illustration is amazing, full of bright colors and easy to follow. I love Hatke’s illustration style.Overall both me and my 10 year old son absolutely loved this book. The illustration is wonderful and the story is action-packed and very creative. This is just such a fun read and is great for those who love graphic novel fantasy adventures. I would recommend to those who also enjoyed Zita the Spacegirl, Cleopatra in Space or Amulet.

This book series was recommended to me for my kids ages 12, 12, 9. I was looking for something clean with no agendas (iykyk) and this fits the bill and my kids loved it, they’re already asking for the second one.

I love the overall plot of this book and the character development. The graphics are appealing and interesting for young readers (and even an older reader like me). Recommend!

Ben's graphic novels and picture books are staples in our house. We got Mighty Jack the day it released and my son is already asking about the next book. He's read it three times in the first week. He stops every now and again to find me and share a particular section with me. Ben has an extraordinary talent for world building with great characters and an engaging story. Other favorites from Ben: All of his books. Seriously. Buy them all. We are wearing them out. I'm probably going to have to replace the Zita the Spacegirl series at some point since they've read through each of them a dozen times. His illustrations are magic, his stories are wonderful. Are you worried you can't get your child to put down a screen? Hand them anything from Ben Hatke. Problem solved.

It started with Julia's Creatures. We checked it out from the library. I immediately bought a copy. My 5 year old and 2 year old love pointing out all the creatures. Then, we found Nobody Loves a Goblin. My 2 year old insists on reading that book everyday now. Well, he loves a goblin! I took a risk and bought them this graphic novel. What a hit! Both of them sat transfixed on my lap for an hour while we read it. We will be acquiring everything that Ben Hatke writes. What a fantastically gifted person!

As far as graphic novels go, this is excellent. However as a parent, I have to remove a star. This could have been perfect for children, but the author chose to include some language and some pretty creepy elements. I would not recommend for young children because once you get to the cliffhanger end of this book you will have to get the sequel which is very dark, uses language and was overall too disturbing for my 8 year old. Kids dwell on the dark and creepy rather than the good, and I like to keep our reading innocent as long as possible.

We received this book yesterday. 5 of my children have already read the entire thing and are now begging for more Mighty Jack or anything by this author.Hatke superbly uses illustration and dialogue to quickly bring readers close to the characters. Bringing in autism and homeschooling, the author also draws in readers that don't typically see their experiences expressed through characters. The plot is a fresh twist on a classic fairy tale; we can't wait for the continuation! My kids aged 5 through 12 all read and enjoyed it...and so did I!

I swear Ben Hatke is responsible for all of my kids learning to read! His books are so engaging and beautiful. My kids all started by "reading the pictures" and worked up from there. The Mighty Jack series is relatable and fantastical. It is wonderfully exciting without being too scary for young readers. Highly recommend for 6-10 year-olds.