Kids can be encouraged to think about the value of growing things and being content with having enough instead of being obsessed with wanting more. Jack learns empathy and changes his behavior. Her books include RUMP, JACK, RED, and GRUMP, all part of the (Fairly) True Tales series from Knopf/Random House, and the TIME CASTAWAYS trilogy from Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins. Expect fantasy violence from being in frequent peril from giant humans and animals as well as magical pixies a few fights include punches and hits. Liesl Shurtliff is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of books for young readers. Some characters from Rump appear, but it's a stand-alone story. It follows the traditional story with a few alterations, most notably that Jack is 12 years old. Parents need to know that Liesl Shurtliff's Jack: The True Story of Jack & the Beanstalk is another fractured fairy tale from the author of Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin. A bleeding injury mentioned.ĭid you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide. People being crushed and eaten by giants mentioned many times. View peril from fantasy creatures such as giants and pixies.

Knopf Books for Young Readers for review purposes. Please note: This review is based on the advance reader’s copy provided by Alfred A. It turns out that the kingdom Jack enters belongs to King Barf, and the reason for the giants raids is famine. Girls will love the adventure and the magic. Shurtliff skillfully weaves Jacks tale together with other classics about giants and elves as well as her own previous book, Rump (2013). Perfect for middle grade readers or for anyone who enjoys fractured fairy tales.īoys will love the adventure. It’s fun, and readers who loved “RUMP” (and even readers who didn’t) will enjoy this ride into giant-land.

The details are fabulous, the characters winning, and the story engrossing. In fact, she saves Jack’s bacon more than once. She also twists the much-told Jack story, and readers will love to find out about who says “Fee fie fo fum.” Oh, and Jack’s younger sister, Annabella? She is pretty capable, too.

The woman who lived in a shoe with her many children? Check. Shurtliff manages to cleverly include several other fairy tales and nursery rhymes. And when they take Jack’s father, he decides it’s time for him to fulfill his legacy and rescue his father. They take whole houses with the people inside them. But nothing prepares him for when the giants descend through the sky to pick their village clean. It’s about Jack, of course, who has been hearing for his whole life stories about how his “seven times great grandfather” killed the giant.

“JACK: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk” by Liesl Shurtliff is every bit as brilliant and well written as her first book in the series, “RUMP: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin.”

Jack by Liesl Shurtliff