A Silly, Fun Story for Boys that Moms will LOVE: Jackson Jones: the Tale of a Boy, and Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish by Jenn Kelly

Bed-time reading:  it is a highlight of our day for the boys… and for me.  Each night before lights out, the boys and I curl up together to read chapter books, picture books, comic books, magazines, whatever they are in the mood for on a given night.  Over the past few weeks, we’ve been reading a newly published book:  Jackson Jones:  The Tale of a Boy, an Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish by Jenn Kelly, illustrated by Ariane Elsammak, and we’ve laughed, and smiled, and read well past our usual cut-off time on many a night!

Jackson Jones:  The Tale of a Boy, an Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish is the story of ten-year-old Jackson Jones, a young boy who is struggling to fit in at a new school after his family’s recent move far away from all that was familiar to him:  his home; his friends; and his very large, very involved extended family.  It is the story of a boy’s search for his identity, for his “story.”

Jackson is a quiet boy, a loner, a book worm, an aspiring author, a young man unsure of himself, his choices, and his future… until the day he falls into Great Aunt Harriet’s hair.  Yes, that’s right.  He falls into Great Aunt Harriet’s GIANT hair and finds a whole new world, a world with elves, keys, doors, and ok, you knew it had to be coming, right?… a stinky fish.

The author is the mother of a young boy, and after reading this book, both of my boys are convinced that she must be one wild, crazy, and FUN mom!  And, I am prone to agree!  Jackson Jones:  the Tale of a Boy, and Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish is written so that the reader feels that he is sitting down with the author and listening to her tell a story.  There are interruptions as the author commiserates with the reader about having to put the book down after the cliff-hanger ending the previous chapter; congratulates readers alternating turns with their parents on lucking out in drawing a short chapter to read; and prepares the reader for an important chapter, an integral event, or a surprising turn in the story.  There are breaks when the author stops to define a “sixth grade” vocabulary word or encourages the reader to use his imagination, to visualize, and to dream.  And there are is laugh after laugh as Jackson meets a host of interesting characters in Great Aunt Harriet’s world! 

Jackson Jones:  the Tale of a Boy, and Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish was as fun for me to read to the boys as it was for them to listen.  We couldn’t help but laugh at the story, the author, and the hilarious titles of the 78 chapters… my favorite:  Chapter 15 In Which There are Too Many Books (as if That’s Possible), or maybe Chapter 16 In Which There is Frustration, Annoyance, Irritation and Exasperation.   The boys’ favorite:  hmmm… that’s hard, maybe:  Chapter 7 In Which the Book Really Begins… they thought reading 6 chapters before the book “really begins” was just over-the-top funny!

For all of its hilarity, this book also relays an important, though not heavy-handed, message to young boys… and girls, the message that each of them is created by “the Author;” each of them has a story to write, a life to live.  It reassures children that although they will not be masters at everything they attempt, they each have strengths individual to them and it is their duty to develop these strengths and to use them to make a difference in their lives and the lives of those around them.  In the end, quiet, uncertain, loner Jackson learns that he holds the key to making a difference in both his own life, and in the lives of those he loves, including Great Aunt Harriet!

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.

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.

This has been 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!