After a heist gets complicated and a giant beanstalk destroys half a city block Jack was run out of town. But now he's back and he's brought Rapunzel along with him. Something funny is going on in his former city though. There are ant people? And the giants are fighting them? It's up to Jack and Rapunzel and a few new friends to figure out what in the world is going on and put a stop to it! Calamity Jack is the second graphic novel in Shannon Hale's Rapunzel's Revenge series. This fractured fairy tale is an interesting take with familiar characters but it all has a western, frontier feel to the storyline. The story text and the pictures really work in tandem to drive the plot forward. Even when there is no text it is easy for the readers to see what the action is and the illustrator also did a great job of showing the emotions of the characters. Most of the characters in the story are very well developed. Humor is also incorporated in to the story but it is done without detracting from the storyline and is not forced. This is a great graphic novel for students who like fractured fairy tales or even westerns. Or if they just like a story where the big guy bulky takes a fall. I would recommend this book for students in 5-8 grades and even older; it was a thoroughly entertaining read. For more reviews go to fairietaleretold.blogspot.comMy Review:Question 1-What was the book's central conflict?Surprising enough, this is a rather difficult question for me to answer. It could be said that the central conflict was Jack and Rapunzel's fight against Blunderboar the giant. However, I feel as thought Jack is struggling inside throughout the book to learn if he really can be one of the good guys. Whether the central conflict is within or outside, I think I can safely say the two are closely connected. Question 2-What events in the book stand out to me as memorable, and why?Well, for starters, the very end of the book when everything gets resolved seemed very memorable to me, but that isn't really surprising. I did find the point in the book where one of the giants expresses his disappointment that the Shuffleboard tournament seems to have been called off, to be quite hilarious and memorable.All in all, the lack of a truly memorable moment in this book brought down the rating a bit.Question 3-Which character(s) would I want to sit with at lunch?I would most definitely want to sit with Rapunzel. She has a strong sense of what is right and wrong, and I really admire that. I also think it might be fun to sit with Prudence the fairy, as she seems to have a very upbeat personality.Over all, this book was a fun read, but nothing special. Still, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick read.
What do You think about Calamity Jack (2010)?
Liked the premise of this book better than RAPUNZEL'S REVENGE, but Rapunzel was wussier in this one.
—12345
it was a little better than rapunzel's revenge. sorry, but i can't think of any thing else to say.
—hnthomas
