Title: General Jack and the Battle of the Five Kingdoms
Author: David Bush
Publisher: Self-published
ISBN: 9798667226413
Pages: 189
Genre: Fiction / Fantasy / Children
Reviewed by: Susan Brown
Hollywood Book Reviews
Writing a book that would inspire a child to actually pick it up and read it is no easy task. General Jack, dedicated by the author to his nephew, is a book young readers will not only pick up, it’s also one they’ll not put down until the end. It hits all the high points. Intriguing and engaging characters; heroes to root for; fascinating settings; multiple inspiring themes; and images throughout that capture the action taking place on the pages.
The book’s setting is a fantasy world where animals of different species, who all live on one large land mass, can communicate with each other. It’s also an oppressive world, governed by tyrannical rule of King Roar the Lion and his pride of vicious lions known as the Feline Overlords. The narrative is presented through the perspective of the protagonist, a faint-hearted and somewhat fearful cat named Miaow, chief of the cats. There are five animal kingdoms that dominate this world, four of which chafe at the brutal dominance of King Roar.
Into this mix walks a savior in the form of a young 10-year-old boy named Jack, who brings with him a message of change that would release all animals from the bondage they currently live under. Jack inspires Miaow to, “Concentrate on possible in the word impossible. It’s easy. You just have to ignore the first two letters of the word.” With that inspiration, the two friends and compatriots enter into a battle for the ages, a fight to liberate all the subjugated animals from the Felines, in faith that good will beat evil. In the process and in a classic hero’s journey tale, Miaow finds his inner strength to rise above his fears and insecurities and step into his role as a leader, igniting, “The three cardinal virtues of life in him — faith, hope and charity.”
The battles are disastrous on many fronts, but in the end the Felines are finally overthrown. The animals are free — which of course leads to a new challenge … how to live in freedom with each other in a world that Jack, their liberator, has left. The promise of his return elicits a powerful response in Miaow about the importance of believing in a covenant agreement. There’s a wealth of information at the end of this book included by the author about nature and wildlife, famous battles, types of governments and warfare, man as guardian of the environment, and on the role of journalism. All great conversation starters to engage in with young readers.
This novel is an imaginative and innovative story, jam-packed with all of the elements that engage young people to sit down, open a book and disappear into a world of make-believe. It’s also a fun book for parents to read out loud to children at bedtime, on a long journey or simply as an entertaining diversion.