Review/Giveaway: Jackson Jones

A WINNING READINGS GIVEAWAY!

Title: Jackson Jones: The Tale of a Boy, an Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish
Author: Jenn Kelly
Genre: Christian children's fiction (ages 9-12)
How to enter: Leave a comment on THIS post right here! If you're a subscriber or a follower, leave a second comment for a second entry.

Entry deadline: November 10, 2010

Restrictions: Open internationally!

That's right, enter right here for this giveaway.  This is my review ARC - an uncorrected proof that has been gently read
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It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!

You never know when I might play a wild card on you!

Today's Wild Card author is:

Jenn Kelly

illustrated by:

Ariane Elsammak

and the book:

Jackson Jones: The Tale of a Boy, an Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish

Zonderkidz (August 6, 2010)

***Special thanks to Pam Mettler of Zonderkidz for sending me a review copy.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

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 absolute 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.


Visit the author's website.

Ari has worked as a freelance illustrator for a variety of projects, mostly in children’s media. Her specialty is character design and she most enjoys illustrating humorous and wacky predicaments.

She studied editorial and children’s book illustration at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and the DuCret School of Art in New Jersey. She uses a variety of media to create my images both traditional and digital.


Visit the illustrator's website.

Product Details:

List Price: $12.99
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Zonderkidz (August 6, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0310720796
ISBN-13: 978-0310720799

PLEASE CLICK THE BROWSE INSIDE BUTTON TO VIEW THE FIRST CHAPTER:

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What I Liked:  This book is just hilarious!  The way the author interacts with the reader outside of the storyline reminds me for some reason of Charles Dickens (though without the Dickens vocabulary). 


And of course, there is the main message of the story.  The story itself is in fantasy form (taking place in Great Aunt Harriett's hair), which seems to be the popular genre of the day among tweens.  I find it interesting; while I could take or leave the fantasy elements, they do provide a good backdrop for this story.  Jackson, the main character, is one of those kids that is easy to relate to - he tries hard and is basically a good kid, but events keep conspiring to make him not quite the man amongst schoolmates.  He discovers who The Author is on his journey, realizing his own value and also the value of friendship.

If you're looking for a fun storyline and a good message, this is it.
What I Didn't Like:  Nothing - except I still don't know what the deal is with the stinky fish!

Posted by Jane from Mozi Esmé