Crazy Jack

Napoli, Donna Jo. (1999). Crazy Jack. New York: Laurel-Leaf Books.

Reading level: Grades 8-11

Summary:
A retelling of the Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale. Brought on by his father's disappearance, each fall Jack has dreams that drive him to act strangely. This leads the townspeople to call him "Crazy Jack." Jack is in love with Flora, but he can't pursue her, or be at rest, until he finds out exactly what happened to his father.

Comments:
At first, I didn't really enjoy this book. It seems that the women had very passive roles, and that everything besides the popular fairy tale storyline was filler. Once Jack grew up (from age 9 to age 16) the book became more interesting. Jack's behavior was quite strange, and it wasn't really in a funny way, more peculiar. There was some originality, but overall the book just didn't impress me. The author seemed to be trying to put too much symbolism into one small story.

Rating: 3/5