Ben HatkeReviews

This was a very cute spooky adventure story for kids. It's short and simple but I enjoyed it.½

Aww... even though I'm not a big fan of quest or sword & sorcery fantasy, I do like this spin on the tropes. The wizard, the elves, the innkeeper, etc., all just perfect. Chase scenes are funny. Adoption of human 'spoil' best use of 'brave young girl' that I've ever seen captured in just three wordless images. And that's the stuff for adults. The stuff for kids is great, too! I will definitely look for more by the creator.

Why don't I love this as much as others do? Is it because I object to almost absolutely no adult influence on this five year old child's life? Is it because I have no idea how she can immediately tell a 'good' robot from a 'bad' one, especially the hand of big yellow? Is it because my interpretations of the images were often proven mistaken a few pages later? So many questions... I, personally, know that I was even less into ambiguity when I was a child. Especially when there's no good reason for it.

Cute enough, I guess, but I was hoping for SF, not fantasy. I mean, everyone speaks English and this other planet has the same atmosphere and gravity that Earth does? Well, I'm not the target audience, so I'll shut up now.

When Milo's baby sister Lucy is crying, his mother sends him down to the basement to look for Lucy's special pink sock in the laundry. But instead Milo finds a sock rat running off with the sock! Milo faces his fears to chase the creature down ... and down ... and down ... find layer after layer of subterrain spaces underneath his house.

This book is an interesting concept and I do appreciate books like this for kids that *are* a bit scary but not too overwhelming. Basements are creepy, but this is no ordinary basement. And, it turns out that some ghosts and skulls and otherwise otherworldly creatures can actually be a friend once you get over the shock.

That being said, I also felt like this book just went on for way too long. Okay, one sub-basement that leads into another sub-basement is funny. When we're four deep, I'm over it. Milo getting the sock back despite tremendous odds feels like a turning point that should lead into the denouement, not just another hurdle to pass. I may be wrong, but I feel like if I am impatient with a book plodding along for far too long, the target audience of young children have already abandoned it. And all this with a book that relies heavily on being a graphic novel, with many pages having few -- if any -- words.

To recap, I generally liked the idea of the book, and it definitely had some good moments as well as an overall positive message. But it just needed to be a little shorter and more to point.

The story wasn't quite as engaging for me as the first volume, but I tore through the book nonetheless. The goblins are hilariously fantastic, and I can't wait for Jack & co to take their next step in the adventure with some familiar characters.

An excellent, fun read. The characters are immediately likeable, and the action is clear and concise. There are carefully layered conflicts, both internal and external, which Hatke articulates with a minimum of dialogue and precision artwork. The way he draws his figures, especially in action, are unlike anything I've seen. They have a cartoonish feel, but there is something so positively real about them that I love. The set up for volume 2 is excellent. I want it, and I want it NOW.

A fairly straightforward story of friendship. The art was excellent, and really tugs at the heartstrings in places. I wish there was a little more dialogue, and I'm not sure if I'm sold on the ending. Good pacing and action should give it broad appeal.

Gr 3–5—A trip to the basement laundry to retrieve a missing sock turns into an epic journey as Milo ventures
through the never-ending cavern, making unusual friends and encountering danger. Hatke displays a genius for
setting as well as character; each level Milo descends features a different style of art, architecture, and sculpture. A
stellar story about courage and friendship.

The charming side characters remind me of a Ghibli movie cast. Zita herself is incredible heroic and a great role model. Definitely more of a plot-oriented story, even Zita doesn’t have much of an inner world that we see.

An enjoyable read. Many of the pages are wordless but following the story arc is easy for readers of any level. Milo finds himself on the adventure of a lifetime while in pursuit of his baby sister's missing sock. Who could guess what kind of world exists in the basement and beyond? To quote Milo, "This is a really big basement". It's a thoroughly engaging read. You'll be as determined to find that lost sock as Milo!

I lovelovelove these! I picked it up at the library hoping that my daughter would read it but I'm pretty sure I liked it more than she did. I look forward to adding them to my personal collection.

Loads of fun (just like its preceding first volume/adventure) and a book I think I'll have to pick up for my niece for her birthday....Shhh. Don't tell her!

Even mythical creatures need to learn to do their chores. FYI, there is a mermaid that just covers herself with her hands, so skip this one if that doesn't fit your family values.

I enjoyed this thoroughly. It had mystique, heart, and charm!

At the heart of the story is a big brother and a good son wanting to fulfill his mother's request and the chaos that follows. Hatke masterfully wields sequential art/comics as a storytelling medium.

Zita is so charming. She and a friend end up in another dimension and separated. Zita makes friends on this strange new world and she has to save the day.

Ben Hatke is clearly influenced by the likes of Jeff Smith (creator of Bone) and Bill Watterson (creator of Calvin and Hobbes).

Like Bone, Zita the Spacegirl will appeal to both children and those who are young at heart.

3rd-6 grade independent reading level.

It's the middle-grade team-up of the century as the heroes of New York Times bestselling author Ben Hatke join forces to save the world in Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl.
reading age 8-12 years

Jon called this "Boring Jack"

2.5 stars

Independent Reading Level: 3rd-6th grade
Awards: The Amelia Bloomer book list 2012

Ben Hatke could not write a bad book if he tried. While his books are meant for kids, they pull at the heartstrings of all ages. In this book we follow Milo as he searches for his baby sibling’s sock. Milo and his family have just moved into the new house and the basement is a tad bit scary. This basement isn’t just scary. It’s crazy. It’s crazy big and Milo meet some new fantastic friends. They are very few words in this book. And it doesn’t need them. Ben creates not just a story, but a heart gladdening tale that you hope there’s a sequel to. This book is adventure from beginning to end and love from one scene to the next. In my eyes Ben Hatke can do no wrong and this is just another of his five star reads.

Reynard the fox is being pursued by his distant cousin the wolf, on behalf of the king; can he make it to a safe oasis, or will he be run to ground? Dangers threaten, temptations tempt, but Reynard is victorious even over Death (at least temporarily), and then it is someone else's turn to wander for a while.

Beautiful production and art design; it feels special to hold and read.

Quotes

Would it be so bad? To stay here, ambered in the sweetness of the past? But not all memories are kind. (34)

And now we've come to the end of this particular tale, though it is merely a fragment of the great tapestry, and endings are but convenient snipping-off points along the infinite thread. (78)½

Jack has to take care of his sister, Maddy for the summer while their mother is working two jobs to try to make ends meet. When they go to a local flea market to buy tools, Maddy, who almost never speaks, tells Jack to buy some seeds from a vendor who will only trade them for his mother's car. At Maddy's insistence, Jack trades the car for the seeds. When they start to plant them, strange things begin to happen.

Mighty Jack is very much a mix of a modern Jack in the Beanstalk, Little Shop of Horrors, and Lord of the Flies. The magical plants are unique, especially when they are eaten. We really don't know why Maddy is unable to talk much. Hopefully that will be revealed in future books in the series as well as more development of all the characters. Overall, Mighty Jack is a fun graphic novel with lots of references to other classic stories.½

How big is this basement?
...
This is a really big basement.
...
How far down do you think we are?
...
We must be at the bottom.

Cast of Characters
Milo (human/dreamer)
Sock Rat
Chuckles (skull/muse)
Weepie (eyeball with tentacles/visionary)
Belle (ghost)
The Gobbler (monster)

Milo, his mom, and twin babies have just moved into a new house, and when Milo's mom asks him to go down to the laundry in the basement to get his sister's special pink sock, it turns into an epic journey. Milo sees a "sock rat" run off with the sock, and he chases it down level after level; art and sculpture in the rooms and on the walls indicate that each level is another leap backward in time. Along the way, Milo makes friends with Chuckles the skull, who speaks in emoji; Weepie, a big eyeball with tentacles; and Belle, a ghost. Besides the sock rats, a huge, translucent green monster called the Gobbler haunts the underworld, consuming everything it can. Milo must be creative and courageous to regain the special sock and fight his way back to the surface - without abandoning his new friends. When at last he returns, his mom thanks him, and asks one more favor: could he get something from the attic?½