Jaclyn and the Beanstalk by Mary Ting turned the tale of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ on its head. Jaclyn lives with her mum and dad on their isolated farm. She knows how to wield a sword, thanks to her father. When he, and several companions, set out to take care of some monsters terrorising the region, they don’t return. With her friend Jack, Jaclyn sets off to find and free her father.
Though it started off a bit in the slow side with setup, I really enjoyed once Jaclyn was off to free her father. This was a great story for showing women can be every bit as brave and valorous as men. A little more description would have been nice. Details to help further anchor a scene and weave the word-magic. Make no mistake, though! This book is well worth checking out, especially for those who enjoy rewoven fairytales. My only big grumble is all the Christian angle, which I wasn’t expecting. The tale is set in the 1600s though, and that is a time when such things would have been prevalent. It adds to the twist of things, so I will refrain from spoiling. I just wished the synopsis/ blurb had hired at that angle. I would have gone into my reading with different expectations.
***Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review. This book was reviewed for the JBN Blog Tours.
