Percy Jackson may be a bit out of reach for a third grader, but not the Jack Blank series! Kids aged 8 and up who love superheroes will enjoy this bestselling and highly-rated chapter book series.
School Library Journal says:
Jack Blank’s dull life as a 12-year-old orphan ends when he is attacked by a mechanical monster, then whisked off to the Imagine Nation, a floating island populated by superheroes. The boy makes a few friends and several enemies, explores the parameters of his own newfound superpowers, and tries to uncover the mystery of his origin. The backstory of the Imagine Nation takes a while to develop but ultimately pays off in a richly imagined world with strong appeal to fans of comics. The island is populated by a fun cast of heroes and villains, many of whom Jack already knows about from the comic books he loves to read. Brisk narration captures the superhero world with a mixture of fast-paced action, wry humor, and occasional heartfelt speeches about courage and friendship. Jack’s destined role in a looming alien invasion is revealed gradually and quite effectively, and he becomes a more interesting protagonist as he learns more about himself.
Accidental Hero (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $7.59)
All Jack Blank knows is his bleak, dreary life at St. Barnaby’s Home for the Hopeless, Abandoned, Forgotten, and Lost—–an orphanage in the swampland of New Jersey.
Covertly reading old comic books is Jack’s only solace. But his life changes forever when he meets an emissary from a secret country called the Imagine Nation, an astonishing place where all the fantastic and unbelievable things in the world originate. Including Jack.
Jack soon discovers that he has an amazing ability—one that could make him the savior of Imagine Nation and the world beyond…or the biggest threat they’ve ever faced.
The Secret War – A Jack Blank Adventure Book 2 (5/5 stars, currently priced at $7.23)
Jack and his fellow students are now well into their School of Thought training and are “sidekicking” for official, card-carrying super heroes. But even though Jack feels more at home in the Imagine Nation, he’s still hiding secrets from his friends Skerren and Allegra.
Jack is busy trying to find out how far the Rüstov sleeper virus has spread, working to find a cure, and striving to avoid the dire future that Revile warned him about. Meanwhile, Jonas Smart is working just as hard to discover what Jack is hiding from everyone. When a rogue Secreteer—the protectors of Imagine Nation citizens’ secrets—starts selling info to the highest bidder, Smart is ready and waiting.
If Jack is going to help prevent a second Rüstov invasion, keep Smart from discovering his secrets, and find out what a shadowy, half-mad Secreteer knows about his long-lost father, he’ll need to learn to trust his friends and find the true path toward becoming a hero himself.
The End of Infinity – A Jack Blank Adventure Book 3 (5/5 stars, currently priced at $7.59)
Jack Blank confronts his destiny in this action-packed conclusion to the trilogy Publishers Weekly calls a “no-holds-barred adventure.”
Ever since Jack Blank learned that he came from the amazing country of the Imagine Nation, he’s known that his fate could go down two very different paths—–he could either be the greatest hero the world has ever known, or its greatest villain.
Now the final battle is here, and it’s time for Jack to discover the direction of his destiny.
The action-packed trilogy concludes with more surprises, twists, and adventure than ever—along with the same humor and heart that has brought so many fans to Jack’s story.
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