Barnhill,
Kelly. The Mostly True Story of Jack. Little
Brown and Company, New York, 2011. 323 pages.
Tr. $16.99 ISBN 9780316056700
Plot
Description:
Jack is not excited about the prospects of his
summer vacation; because of his parent’s divorce he is being shipped off to
spend the summer in Hazelwood, Iowa with the aunt and uncle he has never
met. Hazelwood is a strange place, for
starters people in Hazelwood seem to notice Jack; in the past Jack has always
faded into the background and was easily overlooked by those around him. Not only is the whole town aware of Jack’s
arrival, for the first time in his life he has friends. The longer Jack stays in Hazelwood the more
strange things begin to happen and Jack begins to realize this may not be his
first time in Hazelwood after all and the everything he thought he knew is
wrong.
Review:
The
Mostly True Story of Jack is a complexly woven story of false
identities and magical bargains. Anyone
who has ever felt like an outsider will relate to Jack and will rejoice in his
discovery of finding a place where he feels like he belongs. Barnhill’s debut children’s novel is a bit
slow to start, but readers are quickly caught up in uncovering Jack’s
mysterious connection to Hazelwood. The Mostly True Story of Jack is a
welcome and wondrous stand alone fantasy novel.
Genre:
Fantasy
Reading
Level/Interest Level:
Grades 5-7
Similar
Books:
The
Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
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by
Ingrid Law
Scumble
by
Ingrid Law
Author’s
Website:
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