Jackson Jones, Book 1: The Tale of a Boy, an Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish [Hardcover]

Jenn L. Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 2010 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Sometimes you have to get lost to figure out where you're going. All Jackson wants is to be the hero, just for once in his life. The hero who steps in at the last minute to save the universe. The hero who saves the entire village from a raging fire. Great Aunt Harriett is always telling him find his own story, but so far his story doesn't seem very exciting. Until he falls into Great Aunt Harriett's hair, that is. There Jackson will encounter a world of elves, trap doors, bubblegum-blowing birds, hairy-backed spiders, kangaroo meat, and perilous danger which requires ... a hero.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Christian Library Journal
"This story will have readers laughing out loud ... silly, quirky ...  keeping the readers hooked... an excellent addition to Christian children's literature, combining fantasy and science fiction to teach a lesson. Recommended for church, school, and public libraries, as well as families. Carol Gehringer --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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 absolutely 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.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Zonderkidz (August 17, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310720796
• ISBN-13: 978-0310720799
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,121,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I live just outside of Ottawa, Ontario, which is in Canada. I've lived here forever with the exception of some years living in small towns. I failed English Honours at Ottawa U, but I got my CFT (Certified Forestry Technician) at Lakehead U and my Arborist certificate at Kemptville College. Which has absolutely nothing to do with writing.

I have two novels under my belt. "Jackson Jones: The Tale of a Boy, an Elf and a Very Stinky Fish", and "Jackson Jones: the Tale of a Boy, a Troll and a Rather Large Chicken". I am currently working on two totally different novels. Because it's fun.

I am a brilliant chef (except when I fail horribly - and I only fail fantastically), a creative gardener (oh, you'd be jealous), a fantastic presenter (schools looove me - warning: they will be hyped up afterwards), excellent chai latte drinker and voracious reader. Wait, every writer is a voracious reader. How about I read everything except murder mysteries and death books. And complicated sci-fi with too many characters. I don't read those either.
My favourite books (which inspire me regularly) are: Through the Looking Glass, the Little Prince, Anne of Green Gables, anything by Rachel Cohn, and who doesn't love Francesca Lia Block? Am fully in love with Marian Keyes, and will one day develop a friendship with Jen Lancaster. Note: The last four authors aren't exactly 'kid-friendly' material. Just in case you were wondering.
If I were to die tomorrow my last meal would be steak. Wrapped in bacon. Covered in melted cheese and onions. And mushrooms.

One day I will go to California and learn how to surf.
One day I will go to snorkeling in Hawaii.
One day I will drink a $400 wine. And it'll taste good.
One day I will master how to put on makeup.
One day I will become a full-time disaster relief worker.
One day I will eat an entire industrial sized Toblerone without throwing up.

Am I allowed to write all this?

Feel free to visit my webpage at www.jennkelly.com I send lovely mail. Especially stationary mail. I bought it especially for readers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Christian Fantasy For Children, August 18, 2010

By 

Kristen Stewart (Midtown Memphis) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jackson Jones, Book 1: The Tale of a Boy, an Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish (Hardcover)

When the publisher contacted me and offered me a review copy of Jackson Jones, I was curious. I can't remember working with Zondervan in the past, and I haven't reviewed very much christian fiction, as I've found it to be a wasteland with very few gems, and I prefer to read books I'll enjoy. However, I'd been spending time purging books in the school library and had been wondering how the genre of children's christian literature had changed since my childhood, and I am predisposed to liking fantasy with slightly nerdy protagonists, so I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, the book only served to reinforce my frustrations.

Stylistically, this book is distinguished by it's peculiar narrator. As a literary device, an intrusive narrator who addresses readers directly can be a boost to some novels, when used sparingly and with great judiciousness, e.g. the famous line from Jane Eyre, "Reader, I married him." In Jackson Jones, the narrator addresses the reader incessantly. She informs the reader that she is going to take a bathroom break and suggests he do the same, as holding your bladder for a long time is unhealthy. Suspense is attempted by inserting an extra chapter that says "I'm so mean." Large words are used, and then parenthetically defined with examples and commentary.

As a parent, a former teacher, a lover of children and literature for children, I find myself firmly in the camp that believes that children respond best to literature that treats readers with dignity and respect. C.S. Lewis famously wrote in an essay about writing for children "We must meet children as equals in that area of our nature where we are their equals... The child as reader is neither to be patronized nor idolized: we talk to him as man to man." I rarely felt like the narrator could be connecting with eight to eleven-year-old children.

That lack of connection was disappointing, because the story itself was interesting in many ways. The characters, setting, and back story all had good potential. But like most of the christian literature I've encountered, the christian elements were rather heavy handed.

Theologically, I found the message mixed. The idea that God is the author of all of our stories and that he is weaving them all together into one great story is one that I not only believe, but share with my children. However, the book falls into the common western evangelical error that the things we think are most important in our lives (job, where we live, etc.) are most important to God. We can chose the wrong thing, and thus find ourselves wandering away from the story God has for us. In reality, I think the Bible consistently shows that God's story for us has less to do with whether we are concert pianists or businessmen and much more to do with how we live our lives. Do we love our neighbors well? Are we taking care of those in need? Do our lives reflect the values we say we believe? How has the gospel changed us?

There are some great meditations about our identity in Christ in this book. But the idea that we can make a mistake about where we go to college or what career to pursue creates a culture of paralyzing fear that we will miss God's will for our lives that is very real to 21st century North Americans and this may fuel that fire.

In the end, Jackson Jones is a fun story, and I don't think it's dangerous or absolute twaddle. I just hoped for something better.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fun, Silly Book for Boys that Moms will LOVE!, September 30, 2010

By 

Jennifer (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jackson Jones, Book 1: The Tale of a Boy, an Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish (Hardcover)

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!

I received this book from ZonderKidz. in exchange for my honest review. The thoughts printed in this review are entirely my own.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seriously Silly, August 26, 2010

By 

Laura - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jackson Jones, Book 1: The Tale of a Boy, an Elf, and a Very Stinky Fish (Hardcover)

This was a fabulously silly book with a very serious message. The joyful narrative allows the reader to enter the silliness with all the seriousness that a truly silly tale requires! I found the main character very relatable (having been a bit dorky myself), and absolutely adored the supporting characters, especially Meeka, the heartwarming, slightly off-kilter tour guide! Children of all ages will enjoy the humour, and the quirky interjections of the writer. I loved it so much I wanted to devour it all in one sitting, but found that within the story, the truths being presented required more reflection and thought. Reluctantly, I put it down a couple of times and have been deeply impacted as a result. It is a fun and easy read, and with all the quirky characters would be an absolute joy to read aloud with all the different voices. No matter who you are, this book will provoke thought and challenge your understanding of who you think you are. Go get it for all the kids in your life, and the adults who are cool enough to be kids at heart!