Hatke, Ben.
MIGHTY JACK
New York : First Second, 2016
IL 5-8, RL 2.1
ISBN 978-1-62672-265-1

Mighty Jack is a modern twist on the classic fairy tale, Jack and the Beanstalk. Jack and his sister, Maddy, who is autistic and doesn’t speak, live with their mother who struggles to make ends meet. At a flea market, Maddy trades their mom’s card for a box of magic seeds. With their friend, Lily, they plant the seeds and grow a garden, unsure of what to expect. The garden turns into something wondrous, but also dark and frightening, and nothing like the real world. The garden may be pure fantasy, but the characters are rich and fully developed. The book ends with a cliffhanger as Jack and Lily go off into the garden to find Maddy.  GARDEN STATE CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS, 2019