Jack and the Snackstalk

Princess Pink and the Land of Fake-Believe #4

by Noah Z. Jones

This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!



Princess heads to Moldylocks's house for movie night. Moldy's cousin Jack comes, too. He brings pink jelly beans for a snack. But Princess doesn't like pink, so she throws the jelly beans out the window. Soon, the beans sprout into a huge pillar of snacks! The three friends climb up the snackstalk and find themselves in Snackland! It is filled with pizza-roll hills, nacho-cheese rivers, and there's even a golden egg roll in a snack-filled castle! The problem is there's also a GIANT in that castle! Will Princess and her friends ever escape Snackland?

Genres: Fairy Tales, Childrens, Chapter Books, Fantasy, Humor, Fiction, Middle Grade

80 pages, Library Binding

First published January 26, 2016

About the author

Noah Z. Jones is an author/illustrator/animator who draws all sort of wacky oddities out of his home in Camden, Maine. After taking part in a monster-drawing contest in the fifth-grade (placing fourth out of five) he realized that he wanted to create art for a living.

As a kid, Noah Z. Jones' love for drawing was fueled by dinosaurs, monster movies, and the WACKY PACKAGES line of trading cards. He would spend hours poring over books by Maurice Sendak, Richard Scarry and Mercer Mayer.

His unique art and designs have added to numerous award-winning projects from clients such as Nickelodeon, PBS and Disney. His crazy web developed characters have attracted world-wide recognition and can often be spotted popping up on t-shirts around the globe.

Noah Z. Jones' ability to change styles both digitally on the computer and to more traditional pencil drawings demonstrates an unusual stylistic versatility. His books with Candlewick Press, NOT NORMAN, THE MONSTER IN THE BACKPACK, WELCOME TO THE BED AND BISCUIT, and THOSE SHOES-- each with a different author -- show his ability to approach every story with a fresh eye.

In addition to his work on children's books, Noah Z. Jones divides his time between creative collaborations with commercial clients and developing his own odd collection of characters, ideas and all-around lunacy.

Reviews

[Ro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great. thanks to Lucy Hickman

[Karrie Callahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book☺☺☺☺

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zany! I think kids will love it.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to suggest to young readers (grade 1-2, beginning readers) who really want a graphic novel.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love traditional tales and this series is great for those who love traditional tales! Princess Pink is not the type of child who loves pink things at all. She loves bugs, sports, and drawing and her pet is a spider. She discovered in the first book that her refrigerator allows her passage to the Land of Fake Believe. In this 4th book she is heading to a friend's house for movie night. None of the fun and crazy things that happen in the Land of Fake Believe phase her and she is able to go with the flow on this adventure that starts with some jelly beans that are thrown out a window. Hilarious adventure ensues in this wildly silly story and the connections to traditional tales is also fun and will lead well into story retelling writing work. The chapters are short and manageable for new chapter book readers.

Series norms: as with all the Branches series books for new chapter books readers, there is plenty of white space and great illustrations to support readers. There is a page of comprehension questions after the story and a table of contents listing chapter titles.

[Jenne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has been a favorite with my 7 year old. The Adventures of Princess Pink, a girl who is neither a Princess nor likes the color pink, in the land of Fake Believe has got her to read beyond the set 20 mins a day just to find out what happens next.
She was sad to find that this was the last one.

The Scholastic Branches books are well laid out with bright, eye catching colors and the use of text and comic book style has made these books an easy read.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Princess Pink once again jumps through her refrigerator into the Land of Fake Believe. There she meets up with Moldylocks and her cousin, Jack. They decide they’ll watch some movies and go on a quest for snacks. Jack absentmindedly trades what he has for magic jelly beans….

Mixed up fairytales make this series a delight! I’d definitely recommend this beginning reader graphic novel to anyone who needs a happy little read!

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Real big on gender fluidity. Like the other extreme of all the ultra-conservative ones. Guys would have girl names, girls would look and act like men, just awkward. Ok on creativity, but a little boring.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a funny series. Jack is obsessed with food and wants to eat the giant bunny's golden egg roll 😂. Princess and Moldylocks have to help save him after their movie night goes awry. Fun and colorful illustrations, too.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun twisting of fairy tale genre at an early-reader pace. Should appeal to boys and girls, especially any with a goofy sense of humor.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The land of fake-believe offers lots of silly fun.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was so funny because princess thought that the wereworms were real but they were just her friends. And it was very funny because in the middle of the story there was pizza and I wanted the pizza.

[Ally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventures in Kid Lit-

This is a zany, fun twist on Jack and the Beanstalk. A cartoony style, humor, snacks, friends- an interesting first chapter book.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny

[Joelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, quick read. Entertaining enough that I wont mind reading it again. Definitely appreciate the word-play

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maddie really loved this because she must have recently talked about Jack and the Beanstalk at school.

[Serika · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a magical beans. But it tasted yuck.

[Kristina Greco]

Another winner! Fractured fairytales are a new favorite in our house!

[Charly Troff (JustaReadingMama) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kids loved it and even though it's really silly, I enjoyed seeing the way they twisted the original story.

[MisterT · Rating 2 out of 5]

A silly adventure.

[Debra (Dragon Nanny) Phiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

The giant was not unexpectedly the twins favorite! 😂 The whole story was a sweet treat!

[Shelby Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super silly book that my 7 year old loved. Definitely good for early readers because there were a lot of illustration’s

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the fourth title of a series about the Land of Fake-Believe, Princess Pink uses her refrigerator as an entrance point for a very strange land where her friend Moldylocks lives. Together with Moldylocks' cousin Jack, they decide to watch some movies and gorge on snacks. But the pink jellybeans he has brought aren't very tasty so they toss them aside. Overnight, they sprout and grow into a huge stalk, which the youngsters climb to find a land where everything is made of yummy snacks. Of course, readers familiar with the original story will know what happens next. Still, the story is short and entertaining enough to keep young readers turning the pages while also being reminded that too much of a good thing isn't necessarily a good thing, and that it's sometimes a good idea to stop while you're ahead. The book made me smile at several points, particularly when the friends are making their getaway.

[Christine Rains · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this fourth installment of the Princess Pink series, Princess heads to her friend Moldylocks' house for a movie night in the Land of Fake Believe. Of course Moldylocks' home is moldy! Moldylocks' cousin Jack is also there, and he made a bad deal for some yucky tasting jelly beans. They throw them out the window, and they grow into a giant sprout of snacks! I'm sure you can guess where this takes them.

I think we'd all like to go to a land of snack foods every now and then! This is one of my six and a half year old son's favorite series. He's a big Princess Pink fan, and he loves she likes bugs and does karate. Lots of kooky and hilarious bits in this fairy tale retelling. Gorgeous, colorful illustrations too.

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there is plenty to smile about in this fractured fairy tale, there are a few moments that jar. Knowledge of the fairy tales is definitely helpful. Young readers might be confused by Mother Moose being a boy and hirsute Big Bunny being a girl. The frenetic pace, snark and lack of controlled vocabulary might not make this a good choice for newly fluent readers but for more competent ones.

[Kelly Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early chapter book readers will probably enjoy this book and series. The full color illustrations and graphic novel like design appeal to younger and struggling readers. The humor of the land of Fake Believe plays off of traditional fairy tales, so some background knowledge is helpful.

[Cleo Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny, cartoon style series about a girl who can travel to a make believe land which is goofy and kind of gross (Moldylocks instead of Goldylocks; Tunacorn, a unicorn with a fish for a horn). Good choice for reluctant readers, or fans of Geronimo Stilton and Adventure Time.

[Debby Baumgartner · Rating 1 out of 5]

First chapter book series about Princess Pink and her land of make believe.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of these Land of Fake Believe books are awesome! In this last book, Jack is hilarious. I hope more Princess Pink books come out.

[Heather Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

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