BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hale, Shannon and Dean. 2010. Calamity Jack. Ill. by Nathan Hale. New York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781599900766.
PLOT SUMMARY
“I think of myself as a
criminal mastermind…with an unfortunate amount of bad luck.” Thus begins Jack’s
story. “Born to scheme,” Jack moves from petty theft to petty theft until the
day he witnesses his mother being insulted by one of her customers. Jack decides
he needs to find a way to Blunderboar the Giant’s floating palace. Pawning his
father’s leather jacket, which he wears like a shield, Jack comes into
possession of some magic beans. When the beans don’t produce immediately, Jack
tosses the extra beans to the side. When he discovers a giant beanstalk the
next day (check this out), he climbs to his fortune. Sadly, Jack’s infamous bad
luck comes into play, and the vine is discovered, but not before Jack nabs the
goose that lays the golden eggs. Sliding down the beanstalk, Jack chops it
down. In the process, he kills one of the giants, and destroys his mother’s
bakery and apartment house. Fleeing Shyport, Jack heads west, where he connects
with his friend, Rapunzel. After helping Rapunzel in her own story, Jack brings
Rapunzel back to the big city. Upon finding that his mother is a captive of
Blunderboar, as is the rest of the city, Jack and Rapunzel set out to save the
city, destroy Blunderboar, and find their fortune.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Cow? Magic beans? Singing
harp? These traditional elements are all but missing from Shannon and Dean
Hale’s graphic novel, Calamity Jack. Even
without the magic of the original fairy tale, there are plenty of fantastic
creatures in Calamity Jack - evil
giants, pixies, giant ants, and jabberwocks.
Calamity Jack
opens with a brief overview of Jack’s young life. It quickly escalates to the
point of Jack finding himself in dire straits when he steals the goose that
lays the golden egg, kills a giant, and destroys his mother’s bakery and
apartment house. As public enemy number one, Jack is forced to leave the big
city of Shyport and head west. There, he meets up with his friend Rapunzel.
After helping Rapunzel clean up her town and set the people on the road to
prosperity, Jack and Rapunzel head to the big city to find Jack’s mother and
try to fix the problems Jack has caused. Through a series of adventures - battling
giant ants, being betrayed by a pixie, and rescuing Jack’s mother, Jack reaches
deep inside himself to discover the good inside himself. He recognizes that
there are ways to achieve his goals and dreams that can help not only him, but
also those around him.
This graphic novel version of
the traditional Jack and the Beanstalk
story offers more depth for the older reader. This Jack messes up. It is not
just a matter of running up and down the beanstalk a few times, bringing home
some riches, and then dispensing with the giant. This Jack must deal with a
mother’s disappointment, schemes that seem to constantly go wrong, a charge of
murder, and a life on the run. Calamity Jack is a character who reflects the internal
conflicts we all experience as we search for who we are and how we impact the
world.
Nathan Hale’s comic book
style illustrations really move the story forward. The facial expressions of
the characters speak volumes more than the words. Studying each picture allows
the reader to pick up on details and subtle nuances that drive the story. The
use of bold colors draws the reader’s eye along the page. More developed than
traditional comic book illustrations, the pictures carry the burden of telling
the story, and they carry the burden well. Hale’s pictures have the added
novelty of having all been drawn while he sat in a study carrel at his local
library, which is featured in one of the illustrations of the book.
PERSONAL RESPONSE
While I found Calamity Jack interesting, graphic
novels are not a genre I would choose to read for pleasure. I can understand
their appeal, and I think for some people they fill a need. For those who find
them enjoyable, I say, “Keep on reading!” I especially see the value of graphic
novels for use with reluctant readers because of their limited text and high
visual appeal. However, even in the realm of graphic novels, you still have to
have a story that someone wants to read. I think Calamity Jack is such a novel because of its take on a traditional
fairy tale.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Best Children’s Books of the
Year, 2011; Bank Street College of Education; United States
YALSA Great Graphic Novels
for Teens, 2011; American Library Association; United States
Booklist:
“The urban setting suits this
retelling of the familiar beanstalk tale; Nathan Hale’s art gives it a
steampunk twist, and the addition of fairy-tale creatures like giants and
pixies is natural and convincing. Shannon and Dean Hale have done an excellent
job stretching the bones of the traditional fable into a high-action
coming-of-age story that will keep young teen readers excited and engaged.”
Kirkus: “Readers will relish this gleeful mix of
fairy tale, adventure and romance.”
CONNECTIONS
§ Definitely
pair this novel with Rapunzel’s Revenge,
(2008). Pairing these two novels allows students to see strong female and male
characters, how individuals use the strengths they have (Rapunzel uses her long
braids for a variety of things), and how fairytale characters might have interacted with each other given
the chance!
·
Hale, Shannon and
Dean. 2008. Rapunzel’s
Revenge. Ill. by Nathan Hale. New
York: Bloomsbury. ISBN 9781599902883
§ Visit
Shannon Hale’s website for activities and information about Calamity Jack:
http://www.squeetus.com/stage/books_jack.html
§ Have
students choose a favorite fairytale and turn it into comic book form. Have
them add their own twists and turns to the story. Students don’t need to be
artists to draw their illustrations. Work across the curriculum and enlist the
aid of the art teacher to expose students to drawing, collage, photography, and
other mediums that will allow students to best express themselves.
