Spill the Beans

Whatever After #13

by Sarah Mlynowski

The enchanting New York Times and USA Today bestselling series continues with installment number 13!

The New York Times bestselling series!My brother Jonah's dream has come true. We have FINALLY landed in his favorite fairy tale: Jack and the Beanstalk!It's a lot of fun meeting Jack. But then we accidentally mess up his story, which means Jack can't climb up the magic beanstalk to find the giant's riches. It's time to take matters into our own hands. Now we have to:- Make a deal with a sneaky trader- Climb a beanstalk into the sky- Try not to get eaten by a giant - Find the goose that lays golden eggsOtherwise, Jack won't get his treasure, and our troubles will be GIGANTIC . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Retellings, Fairy Tales, Audiobook, Childrens, Magic

176 pages, Hardcover

Published April 30, 2019

About the author

Sarah was born in Montreal, Canada. After graduating with an honors degree in English literature from McGill University, she moved to Toronto to work for Harlequin Enterprises. While she never met Fabio, she used her romance publishing experiences to fuel her first novel Milkrun.

Since then, Sarah has written four additional novels for adults: Fishbowl, As Seen on TV, Monkey Business, and Me vs. Me; the New York Times bestselling middle grade series Whatever After; the middle grade series Upside-Down Magic (with Lauren Myracle and Emily Jenkins); and the teen novels Bras & Broomsticks, Frogs & French Kisses, Spells & Sleeping Bags, and Parties & Potions (all in the Magic in Manhattan series), as well as Gimme a Call, Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have), Don't Even Think About It, Think Twice, and I See London, I See France. Along with Lauren Myracle and E. Lockhart, Sarah also wrote How to Be Bad, and along with Farrin Jacobs, she wrote See Jane Write, a guide to writing. Sarah also co-edited two bestselling charity collections (Girls' Night In and Girls' Night Out), and has contributed to various anthologies (American Girls About Town, Sixteen: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday, 21 Proms, First Kiss (Then Tell), Fireworks, and Vacations from Hell).

Sarah is also a co-founder of OMG BookFest, a celebration of books aimed at the early to middle grade reader (ages 7-12) that brings together commercial and award-winning authors with underserved local communities for an exciting experience of books, games and activities.

Sarah's books have been translated into twenty-nine languages and optioned to Hollywood. She now lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.

Reviews

[Gracie Dix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this fun series by Sarah Mlynowski⁠.
I was so excited when I read the description! One of the main characters, Jonah, has been wanting to go up the beanstalk FOREVER and in this book he finally gets his chance! I just read this and if you love fun remakes of fairy tales like I do, you will love this one!⁠

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fifteenth different title I have read in this series. I have been reading these stories with my girls for over 8 years now. I read a few of these stories with my oldest starting in 2016. Now my youngest is reading them to me. Last year for Christmas her older brother even bought her the next 3 titles she needed because he enjoys listening to the stories. My youngest now insists we review everything that we read together, so this review from 2023 is part of that effort. My youngest has been writing her own reviews of the books she has finished for the last year and a half and is planning on starting her own book blog. Between reading with my oldest and youngest this is the twenty-first time I have read a book in this series. The stories have great staying power. Even as an adult I enjoy these books, not only the first time but rereading them again and again.

Mlynowski as always does a wonderful job with the story in this book, and all we have read in the series so far. The whole family loves these stories from a now 13 year old to 82 years old. For they have been read to grandma in the car on road trips by both the girls. This is another great read in a fantastic series. The stories are always fun and extremely entertaining, but they also have some valuable lessons and insight.

My youngest daughter and I both give this story a solid 5/5 stars, she says this is a not as dark as the last few, but also much more interesting. She was surprised by the turns in this story. This story had a number of twists and turns that we had not guessed and took us by surprise. She was totally taken by what happened at the end. She also always wonders what the change in the jewellery box will be at the end of the story.

The description of this story is:

“The enchanting New York Times and USA Today bestselling series continues with installment number 13! The New York Times bestselling series! My brother Jonah's dream has come true. We have FINALLY landed in his favorite fairy Jack and the Beanstalk !It's a lot of fun meeting Jack. But then we accidentally mess up his story, which means Jack can't climb up the magic beanstalk to find the giant's riches. It's time to take matters into our own hands. Now we have Make a deal with a sneaky trader- Climb a beanstalk into the sky- Try not to get eaten by a giant - Find the goose that lays golden eggs. Otherwise, Jack won't get his treasure, and our troubles will be GIGANTIC . . .”

Most of the stories in this series take us by surprise at some point by the twist they contain, but this one ever more so. We had long been awaiting this story for in several of the other adventures Jonah keeps hoping for the story of Jack. But once they arrive they soon realized this is the other version of the Jack story. And soon Abby is having second thoughts about stealing from the Giants, and realizes that sometimes the win is not worth the cost. We both enjoyed this one very much. It was also interesting seeing Abby jealous, and Jonah admitting he always wanted a brother. Sarah normally pulls some twists and flips stories on their end, but did she ever pull a number with this one, for with our heads in the clouds we did not see how it would all tumble down or tumble out.

As with all the other books in this series we always enjoy Mlynowski’s twists and takes on old tales. This is a great take on another familiar tale. The writing in these stories is excellent. My daughters and I love reading them together. My oldest outgrew the series, but my youngest insists we will read them all, no matter how old she gets. The retelling of this story is full of surprises and both of us and I am certain it will surprise you. It is another excellent book in a wonderful series.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't read these books anymore, but my younger sisters now do. So when I saw that they FINALLY get to go to the story Jack and the Beanstalk... I picked it up.


CONS OF SPILL THE BEANS

I didn't even read all of it. It just got so boring to me that I skipped the middle and went to the end. No joke. I usually push through these sort of things (see my review for To Best the Boys) but I didn't even try to with this. BUT. Do take into consideration that these books are intended for children, and I am a teenager. I read much more adventurous and twisty-turney books on a regular basis. This is probably a great book for kids.

For what I saw during my skipping, it really made it seem like stealing was okay if you had your reasons. If the other person has already done something bad, that somehow makes it okay. There's never any way to justify stealing; you should just never steal. Case closed.


PROS OF SPILL THE BEANS

As always, Sarah Mlynowski did try to include a good lesson.

They finally got to go to Jack and the Beanstalk.

Her brother actually got on this cover. (though he's tiny and in the top corner)


OVERALL

I'm just getting the feeling like these are being written for the sake of being written. She's trying to have this great build up to the big ending or whatever, but while the first books did pretty good at that, they now are just throwing in random things at the end almost like an afterthought. "Oh, I've got to build suspense. Right." It's like one of those kids series where they're just writing books to make money, like Geronimo Stilton.

[Kara Kuehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I absolutely love fairytale retellings, but this one fell short for me. The storyline itself was okay, but I had too many concerns (see Romantic Content and Additional Notes sections).

Things to be aware of in “Spill the Beans”

Violence:
- There are obviously many references to Jack and the Beanstalk some of which discuss giants killing/murdering humans (grinding bones, etc.) and human who desire to kill giants.

Romantic Content:
- Instances of blushing and winking as well as mentions of crushes, “being cute” (in reference to a boy) and girlfriend(s).
- One kiss (on the cheek) SPOILER!Okay, I did NOT like that! Usually, I’m all in for the little bits of romance, but this just felt weird to me. First of all, Abby and Jack are so young. Second, I felt like Abby’s crush was not reciprocated and therefore this was just tacked on at the end. This is just my personal opinion. END OF SPOILER!

Additional Notes:
(-2 stars)
- There are elements of and discussions about stealing (as this appears in the Jack and the Beanstalk fairytale). While the majority of the stolen items are returned, I still felt as though it was not handled in the best way. The stealing should have stopped long before it did and there should have been consequences for what was stolen (in my opinion). Furthermore, at the end of the book, Abby thinks, “Jack tried to steal Nelly (the goose that lays golden eggs) to ensure he and his mom would survive. That’s a pretty good reason!” I disagree!! There are many ways this conflict could have been resolved WITHOUT stealing and justifying it.
- There is an instance of lying/not telling the full truth to a character’s mother.
- A character makes the statement: “sometimes you have to do something wrong to make up for something wrong.”


Read my full review here: https://kbook-reviews.blogspot.com/20...

[Lilah Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like how it's super adventurous and exiting.

[Valery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute children's fairy tale spin off with great moral/teaching moment.

[Alannah Allocco · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book. I have been reading this series since I was really little and so I always read the new books that come out and then my niece reads them after me.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so cute! I'm so glad Jonah finally got to visit his favorite fairy tale!!!

[Delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved it.

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{My thoughts} – I feel like I need to start re-reading all the original fairy-tales. I feel this way because every time I read one of these stories, it’s like the story has changed or is changing or something to that effect and then I am thinking is that how the original went? It’s one of those I’m not so sure anymore. These books are loosely based of the original versions and then of course Abby and Jonah manage to change the story and make it a happy ever after for all characters involved.

Ever since the beginning of the series this is the one story that Jonah has always hoped they’d be sent into. When they land in this story and piece it all together he isn’t sure what he should believe. He wants it to be real, but then he doesn’t. He wants to meet Jack but then he doesn’t. Eventually Abby is able to convince him to get a move on with the story line, but he isn’t real certain that it is what he wants in the beginning.

I have to say out of this entire series, this is a close close tie to one of my more favorite books. My favorite currently being the one that takes place Down the Rabbit Hole. I love how the author is able to pull the story together by adding bits and pieces of the original series along with bits and pieces of a whole new story of her own making.

In this story Jack’s mom sells the cow and not Jack. So Abby, Jonah and Jack have to figure our a way to get the magic beans from the trader. When they finally come up with a plan, it isn’t the plan they’d originally thought of, but they reluctantly agree to the terms. A lot happens once they get possession of the magic beans, but in the end they figure things out.

I really enjoyed reading through this book and I look forward to reading the next book in the series. I am also extremely happy that this wasn’t the last book in the series, because I was almost certain that once they finally landed in this story it would be the end of the series. With that said, I am glad there are still more books to come out in the future.

[Hiroko Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the one we’ve been waiting for- Abby and Jonah FINALLY end up in Jack and the Beanstalk!!! Abby and Jonah are siblings, and in their basement, there is a magic mirror that takes them to different fairy tales. They don’t know why or how this happens, but what they do know is that there is a fairy named Maryrose trapped in the mirror.

Abby and Jonah are both having rough days, especially Jonah. In order to cheer him up, Abby decides they’ll go to a fairy tale in the evening. They fall into a fairy tale and find out it’s Jack and the Beanstalk! Jonah’s favorite! They meet Jack and his mom Ada, but with one slip up, the two mess up the story, as usual. This time though, they feel especially bad because Jack and Ada are very poor and can’t afford much. So now Abby and Jonah have to trade their dog for magic beans, untrade their dog, plant the magic beans to grow the beanstalk, climb the beanstalk, and find/take the treasures from the giants without getting eaten so that everyone is satisfied. Or else…

I really enjoyed this book, I’ve been waiting forever for the Jack and the Beanstalk Whatever After book! And I was not disappointed. I recommend if you’ve read the other books in the series, or fairy tales.

[Floating Lemon Bars · Rating 4 out of 5]

These used to be favorites when I was a child, so when I saw there was a new book out, I read it. I feel like this series is losing its magic; I remember reading the first ones and thinking to myself how amazing this book series was. I absolutely loved these books. It felt magical. Now, these books feel stale and dry, this series has been milked too much. I think it would have been a smart choice to stop at the previous book. The only reason I rated this a four is that 1. It was a quick read, and I enjoyed it even if it has lost its magic. 2. It's angled towards children, ages 7-10 I would say, and because of that I can't judge it since I am definitely NOT ages 7-10. I like to consider all things when reviewing a book, so setting my personal age and biases aside, this is a good children's book/series that I would 100% recommend to my younger siblings. This series introduced me to reading when I was in 3rd grade and I would never say that I don't like this series.

[Talycat45 · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Minor Spoiler Alert!* It's not really spoiling, but I sort of hint at some parts of the book, so please be cautious.

I read this last August, so this is a long overdue review, but here I am.

Sarah Mlynowski has been a favorite author of mine since Elementary books, and I especially enjoy her UDM and Whatever After Series. However, reading this book caused me to realize that I have almost outgrown this series. Nevertheless, I will still continue to read about Abby and Jonah's adventures.

One thing I am really glad about is that Jonah finally achieved his dream of traveling to the story about Jack and the beanstalk! I particularly liked how he felt about messing up the story line, which was really sweet to read. One thing I didn't like as much was the connection between Abby and Jack. I feel that there should have been a book or 2 after Seeing Red since basically the same thing happened with Jonah in that book.

To conclude, I believe the book was okay and should earn a 2.5 stars. I can't wait to read the next one!

[Tasha Birckhead · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It was my first time reading a book from this series. I may have to go back and read the first one. This was so cute and I love the fairy tales as well as lessons learned in both worlds. I think anyone who loves fantasy and folklore would love this series. The stories you know are not always what you think they are, especially after you find out the truth. Which is what happens when main characters go into the fairy tale of Jack and the Bean stalk. You find out that every time the enter stories they end up changing something. I'm not sure if this is good or bad but I definitely think I will be reading more from this series.

[Rubi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet siblings

Jonah was feeling down so Abby decided to cheer him up by taking him into a fairytale. And he finally got into the one he's been waiting for!
Of course, Jonah messes the story up by mistake and in tryin to fix it, they lose Prince 😱
There were ups and downs, friendly giants, a devious merchant, a kind mother, a bad fairy, sibling love, and learning whats right and wrong. I love that Abby didn't put HER needs first.

Side note: Robin is such a hypocrite, getting all mad at Frankie for doing the SAME THING she did to them in book one. Ditching them for Penny lol

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading this series with my daughter. The characters are enjoyable and they make mistakes, creating great learning opportunities for the target audience. My daughter and I love to discuss the choices being made and whether we agree or not, and even though we may have made different choices, things work out nicely for the characters with alternate solutions. As always, we read through this really fast as my daughter simply MUST know what happens next. Now we get to wait (again) for the next book to release.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

What??? Jonah on the cover of a Whatever After book??? My day has been made!

This was a super cute book. I used to read these books all the time, but I kind of forgot about them for a little while. I found them again at my last trip to the library and they did not disappoint. It had all the charm that I have come to expect from these books and made me smile. It was a pretty quick read and I think, unfortunately, that I'm getting a bit too old for these books and that makes me sad. I will, however, continue reading these books for as long as I can!

🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱🌱

[Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like always Sarah writes the best books and this one in the series was just as phenomenal! The sibling learn a valuable lesson about being grateful for what you have and cherish it. I thought it was so cute that this time Abby was the one who developed a crush and on Jack that is 🥰 so cute! I wish Jack wasn’t part of a fairytale so his and Abby’s relationship could blossom into something beautiful. I know they’re only 10 years old but still it was so cute reading about how Abby always blushed whenever Jack said something to her. Perfection!!!

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! I would definitely recommend this book to people who are a big fan of Jack and the Beanstalk. It's about how Abby and Jonah go through their magic mirror and end up in the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. Near the end of the story, you learn 2 valuable lessons. Don't judge a person by his/her appearance. The person you think looks ugly may be a great friend. Don't be self-centered. Sometimes, it can be hard, but let go of some things.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

April 2020 age 9 - The story is about a girl named Abby and a boy named Jonah who go into a magic mirror and get sucked up story of Jack and the beanstalk. I loved it! I liked when Frankie, Robin, and Abby solve their problem. I did not like when Jack took the goose for himself. It was exciting when they got to meet Jack and his mom. I would recommend this book to excitement lovers, Ellen and Brooklynne.

[AMY · Rating 4 out of 5]

160 pgs. Another great installment in the fairytale adventure series. This time Jonah and Abby visit Jack and help out with the beanstalk and giant situation. They reluctantly trade their dog, Prince, to a local man who has magic beans. What a mistake! The adventures will keep a reader engaged right up to the end. Girsl will especially enjoy this series and boys might enjoy this one since it has more boy characters. HIghly recommended for Grades 4-5.

[Favour · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I ship Jack and Abby and no one is telling me it's impossible, because it's a fairy tale and dreams can come true. Somehow, Abby felt more relatable in this one. Yeah, she liked Jack but she still felt jealous of him with Jonah idolized him. It shows she's really a multifaceted protagonist instead of a somewhat whiny middle schooler.

[H.S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely great and I learned some things from this book that sometimes you have to choose between two things and you shouldn't just consider yourself.
And at the end I should say that this series of book made me pay more attention to fairy tales and be curious to read the the original version of it.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jonah finally gets to meet Jack and sometimes you don't want to meet your heroes. While the plot seemed a little more complicated than it had to be, this was great for the character development between Jonah and Abby. It also dealt with some interesting philosophical and moral problems. definitely one of the best in the series

[Blake Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a tiny bit disappointed in this one because it is Jonah’s favorite, but it was still good nonetheless! I loved the different twists and how everything turned out in the end. But what did Maryrose mean when she said the “big one”???

[emyrose8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moral dilemmas abound in this tale. I liked that they referred to a few varieties of Jack stories in here. It was cool the world they landed in seemed a bit more modern. I loved the way the story twisted! And the ending was just perfect! One of the best in the series, I’d say.

[Eleanor Whisenhunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This time Abby and Jonah go into Jack and the Beanstalk! Jonah is so excited to meet Jack but he accidentally messes up the story so basically Abby and Jonah basically you have to do all the stuff Jack was gonna do alone.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

WAHOO! Abby and Jonah FINALLY get to meet Jack and his mom! Some great lessons were touched on in this book. I like that the fairy tale went a bit deeper and with a different outcome the the version I'm familiar with.

[holden caulfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loveee the complexity of abbys crush on Jack. I also love how her crush came right after jonahs. but abbys showed that, like her situation, feelings aren't always black and white and it's up to you to decipher and interpret them to whichever works best

[Rmsooon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ive reas " spell the beans " ,, it was nice the moral is no one is perfect and everyone make a decision based on his situation so dont judge ,, i gave it 4 out of 5 stars