Jackson Jones

Jackson Jones: The Tales of a Boy, an Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish
Written by Jennifer Kelly
Published at ZonderKids

About the Book
When Jackson climbs into his great aunt's hair, untold adventures await!
Sometimes you have to get lost to figure out where you're going.

All Jackson wants is to be the hero, just for once in his life. The hero who steps in at the last minute to save the universe. The hero who saves the entire village from a raging fire. Great Aunt Harriett is always telling him find his own story, but so far his story doesn't seem very exciting.

Until he falls into Great Aunt Harriett's hair, that is. There Jackson will encounter a world of elves, trap doors, bubblegum-blowing birds, hairy-backed spiders, kangaroo meat, and perilous danger which requires … a hero.

Who is Jenn Kelly?
Jenn Kelly lives in Ottawa, Canada, but her heart lives in Paris. Or Hawaii. She hasn’t decided yet. She is an undercover garden guru, painter, and chef, which has absolutely nothing to do with this book. She won a writing award in grade 4, failed English Lit in university, spent many years writing bad poetry, and then decided to write a book. This is it. She is married to her best friend, Danny, and is mom to a five-year-old boy and a dog who worries too much. She embraces the ridiculousness and disorganization of life.

She blogs at http://www.jennkelly.com/.

Our Thoughts
Different.  Innovative.  Out-of-the-ordinary.   These are the words that came to my mind when I was reading the book.   It has humour and a wonderful teaching moment in it.   It would be a great read-along with the whole family.  

The way that Jennifer has decided to write this book is very different to what we are used to.   Somehow, she speaks to you throughout the book and interact with the reader.   And if you know Jennifer, you can easily realize that there is a bit of her in the book.   I was trilled to discover a new side of her while reading her book.  I knew she was talented in many things but now I’ve discover a local writer that has a ton of potential as well.   

My son, Alexandre – age 9, grabbed the book while we were on vacations and devoured it.    Every minutes he could take it, he would read.   You could find him laying in his bunk bed in the trailer, the book in his hands and reading avidly.   He read through the book within a week.   Impressive.  Here’s his thoughts about the book…

I really liked the part where Jackson goes to the cafeteria and eats a lot of meat and candies.  Than he became sick.   After he ate vegetables, he felt better!  That part was so good I read it twice!

Alexandre really enjoyed reading the book and he is also looking forward for the 2nd book of the adventures of Jackson Jones.   After he finished it, he passed the book to the next person in line to read it – my husband.    LOL   By the time Christmas arrives, I think the whole family will have read the book as I am planning to sit down with the younger ones to read-along with them.

When I asked Alexandre which character he liked the best he couldn’t answer me.  Why?  Simply because he liked them all.   Each character in the book is unique and different.   Personally I like Jackson a lot as he reminds me of myself a little bit.

The book contains a lesson on how important we all are and how the author made us the way we are for a reason.    In a time and age where bullying is rampant in schools, having a book that remind us that we are special is priceless.   I would recommend this book to any child.    Yes there are elves in the book but I wouldn’t take it too literally.   Jackson Jones is a very good book that has a wonderful lesson in it.   And mind you it is easy to see that the Author is the Creator – God Almighty.   

The book is so different that what we usually find in the bookstore that I wouldn’t be surprise to see this coming as a movie eventually.    So many books are made into movies now and this definitively would make a wonderful little movie for children to watch.    

I know that Jennifer is currently writing the second book of Jackson Jones.   I am waiting patiently (okay not so patiently…) to read it.  I can’t wait to see what other adventures Jackson Jones will have in the future.

This review was possible because I received a free copy of Jackson Jones: The Tales of a Boy, an Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish from ZonderKids.

Jackson Jones: The Tales of a Boy, an Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish is available everywhere even at amazon.ca.