Mighty Jack and the Goblin King (Mighty Jack, 2)

This is the second book in the Mighty Jack series and was an absolutely amazing read! I am a huge Hatke fan and really enjoy both the Zita the Spacegirl series and the Mighty Jack series. My 10 year old son also reads these graphic novels and they are his absolute favorite right now. This is a very fun and feel good story that’s an absolutely pleasure to read.In this book Jack and Lilly chase the ogre who kidnapped Maddy into another dimension; a sort of floating crossworlds between the worlds. It is incredibly creative and fun to read about with lots of adventure and action.I love Hatke’s illustration; the drawing lines are fairly simple but the color is spectacular and the creativity behind the illustration is amazing. The illustration really makes the whole amazing story come alive.I also like there are some interesting topics covered in here. Of course this storyline continues with the importance of supporting and protecting family. It also covers some about struggling with finances, not taking things at face value, friendship and responsibility.There is a nice big surprise at the end of the book too, which absolutely thrilled both me and my son.Overall this was an amazing read and I loved every moment of it. This is a fantasy graphic novel that is aimed at middle grade readers but is great for readers of all ages. Everything about this graphic novel is perfect from the story to the illustration. Highly recommended.

For those who love a fairy tale inspired fantasy Mighty Jack and the Goblin King - the sequel to the must-read Mighty Jack is perfect. So, if you haven’t read that one yet - first of all - get on that. And second of all, I’m about to reveal a spoiler for the first book so…. you know, you might want to skip ahead a few seconds if that would bother you. Okay - Mighty Jack and the Goblin King begins with Jack and his friend Lilly in pursuit of the ogre that abducted Jack’s sister, Maddy, and carried her up the beanstalk into another realm. Now, I’ve read Jack and the Beanstalk so I thought I knew what they would discover in this other world. But, no…. completely and wonderfully different than what I was expecting! Here are three things to love about Mighty Jack and the Goblin King.1. Lilly’s story with the goblins. At the very beginning, she and Jack get separated and she ends up rescued(?) by a clan of goblins and on the brink an arranged marriage with their king. And the goblins are this weird mix of cute and gross and sweet and disconcerting.2. The magic eight ball and the old mustang that Lilly finds in the goblin’s junk heap. And how both of those objects come into play later on in the story.3. That surprise ending!! I finished this book in the waiting room of doctor’s office and I embarrassed myself by squeaking loudly when I got to that page.The Mighty Jack books have been a huge hit with my students and my kids. And I love them because they have depth paired with a lot of action and humor. So if you have kids who loved Amulet or Hilo - this would be a great series to introduce to them next.(Excerpt from the Books Between Podcast Episode #38)

My son is rather obsessed with Ben Hatke's books, it really started with Zita the Spacegirl, but all of his books have been favorites in our house, and we would highly recommend them. But after reading the first Mighty Jack book a few months ago, my eldest has been eagerly awaiting the next book. It came today, and he was itching to open it and read, but he waited until after dinner and we read it together.This book picks up immediately after the events if the previous Mighty Jack book, do it would be helpful to read that one first. We hadn't read it in a while, but my son's were right back into the middle of Jack and Lilly's search for Maddy.As always with Mr. Hatke's books, the art is gorgeous. The story is fun, the humour is nuanced, and the interpretation of the Jack story is fresh twist on the classic. And there are the inevitable cameos from his other works.We picked up three copies, so that we can donate them to our library and ensure they are in circulation, but I'm sure Mighty Jack will be coming home with us again.

This is my favorite of Hatke's graphic novels to date. It has a slightly more YA vibe, less cute and more angsty, with the protagonists in real peril and few older parental figures involved in the action. The landscapes are more surreal and otherworldly, and the creature designs are characteristically bizarre variants of a classic fairytale concept -- the familiar made new and strange. There really isn't anyone proving the same complete package of kid-friendly tightly-plotted action and dynamic Watterson-esque character design to compete with Hatke, so almost by default he's the best in his class -- although as he starts to compete thematically with YA (or even adult) graphic novels, it starts to become apparent that he doesn't always plumb the same philosophical depths as some other writers. Mostly it seems that he wants to have good clean fun in a way unburdened by allegory or social agenda. And that's just fine by me!

B.Hatke has made a wonderful follow-up to “Mighty Jack” that has the action and suspense needed to really update the Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale. Jack, Maddy and Lilly are back in action along with a wink-n-nod to “Nobody Likes a Goblin.” I especially like the ease of world-building in this story, and especially appreciate B.Hatke’s careful connections of plot to frames in this graphic novel - The flow is smooth. It was an interesting choice to create a small rift between Jack and Lilly, but it doesn’t seem to be hindering anything in the story. I also like the cliff-hanger in the epilogue when the cast from Zita the Space Girl come back to throw in a new twist. Apparently, there will be a third story, and I look forward to it.

Ben Hatke does not disappoint. A rollicking good tale, a good pace and a good development. I like the side story of the romance between the main characters: the romance is sweet, childlike and innocent, like we were at that age. Sigh....

Another Ben Hatke hit in our house!

Fun story. Very exciting.

Yes.

Havent read this yet but I already know it's going to be great. My son is a big fan off all of Ben Hatke's books and to be honest we enjoy them as much as he does. Really well written tales of adventure which girls and boys will enjoy. Lovely illustrations and simple, sparce text which early readers can enjoy reading on their own or with an adult.