[Graphic Novel Review] Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke

Jack might be the only kid in the world who's dreading summer. But he's got a good reason: summer is when his single mom takes a second job and leaves him at home to watch his autistic kid sister, Maddy. It's a lot of responsibility, and it's boring, too, because Maddy doesn't talk. Ever. But then, one day at the flea market, Maddy does talk—to tell Jack to trade their mom's car for a box of mysterious seeds. It's the best mistake Jack has ever made.

What starts as a normal little garden out back behind the house quickly grows up into a wild, magical jungle with tiny onion babies running amok, huge, pink pumpkins that bite, and, on one moonlit night that changes everything…a dragon.

* * *

I don't think Ben Hatke can create a graphic novel I won't fall in love with automatically. This is such a fun take on the classic Jack and the Beanstalk fairytale. I am so excited to continue this series.

Jack, Lilly, and Maddy are great main characters. They're such a cute little trio and I cannot wait to see the way they all grow as friends. Jack is such a sweet older brother to Maddy, who has autism and struggles with big crowds and also has selective mutism, which means she often chooses to not speak at all but especially to people they don't know. Because of her autism Jack is often in charge of taking care of her while their mom works. Although he sometimes wishes he could do normal summer kid stuff like sleep in late I think his love for his sister comes through in such a sweet way. Maybe it's because I recently read The Spiderwick Chronicles, but Jack's relationship with his mom reminded me of Jared from The Spiderwick Chronicles and his mom. Both are young pre-teen boys who have past histories of being typical pre-teen attitudes with their mom so they're often not believed when they tell crazy stories of what actually happened. For example, in this story, Jack's mom doesn't believe him when he tells her it wasn't them who threw mud at the house but the magical garden.

The garden and the magical creatures were so cool! I am so excited not only see more different creatures that grow from the seeds but I also need to know more about Phelix the dragon. I have mentioned before about how Ben Hatke cannot do wrong in my eyes in terms of the stories in his graphic novels but it's the art too! I have been in love with his art style ever since reading his Zita the Spacegirl trilogy a handful of years ago.

I highly recommend this graphic novel! It is a great read for all ages and I think Ben Hatke is one of the best graphic novel creators ever. I cannot get enough of his stories and with the cliffhanger we were given at the end of this one I gotta get my hands on the second one, Mighty Jack and the Goblin King, soon! I am also incredibly excited for the crossover graphic novel of Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl!

Thanks for reading!