Mighty Jack and the Goblin King by Ben Hatke Book Review

A copy of Might Jack and the Goblin King and the prequel Mighty Jack were provided for this review. All opinions belong to that of the reviewer.

When Mighty Jack and it’s sequel Mighty Jack and the Goblin King arrived in the mail, I laid them down next to my notebooks and other work items, telling myself I’d read them as soon as I finished some other jobs. It took all of 2 seconds for the oldest girls to come sneak them away from me.

“What’s that mom? Can I read this mom? I promise I’ll bring it right back mom.”

Of course, I wanted to dive into these graphic novels by Ben Hatke first, but alas the kids were too intrigued by the amazing cover art and I was too busy at that moment. A little later in the day one of them came running out so excited because they recognized another name on the front cover – Shannon Hale. As one of our longtime favorite authors (and the inspiration behind my first blog) I knew a front cover review from her meant these books would be golden.

While the kids immersed themselves in the story of Mighty Jack, I took the time to familiarize myself with the author – Ben Hatke. What a fun dude!

Alright, so I finally got the books away from the kids. I’m about to head to bed where I do most of my reading these days when the 7-year-old catches me – “What’s that Mom? Oo I want to read it, Mom! Please let me read it? I’ll read one and you read one and then we’ll switch.” Seriously? So I gave her Mighty Jack and the Goblin King, even though it’s book 2 because I like to read things in order, and well, I’m Mom.

I don’t think I’ve ever smiled so much while reading a book. I was enthralled. Ben’s ability to tell a story through art is truly genius. This was my first graphic novel experience, and I’m hooked. I understand why the kids love them so much. It’s not just a comic book, it’s an adventure. It does what I’m always telling my kids books can do – transports you to another world full of adventure.

Well to end our own adventure, I finished Mighty Jack and then went to switch with my 3rd child. She was so close to being done, but once again I’m Mom. So we bookmarked her place and swapped copies. I delved straight into Mighty Jack and the Goblin King and didn’t put it down until I was done. It picks right up where Mighty Jack leaves off with Jack and his friend Lilly adventuring through a portal to save Jack’s kid sister. Drifting off to sleep I became only slightly aware when the she-child came in to tell me she finished reading – which must have been some time after 11 pm.

If you haven’t checked out the Mighty Jack series yet, I highly recommend them! Now, I’m off to check out more of Ben Hatke’s books.