Twelve-year-old Jack knows they shouldn’t go but is unable to persuade his parents not to take the planned trip to the Lake District. Something was going to happen but what? The weird feelings he had were always so fuzzy and they didn’t always make sense. Maybe it was just because he’d have to spend time with his pampered cousin, Rosie?
Anyway, it was nearly Christmas and what could go wrong with just staying in some cabin in the woods? He was being stupid…all he had to do was ignore the way his belly churned and his head pounded.
He might be wrong after all.
Knowing Jack is an exciting adventure book for preteens but also entertaining for adults. Twelve-year-old Jack has a sixth sense about the dangers surrounding a family vacation to spend Christmas in a cabin in the woods. On top of that, he is unhappy to spend time with his complaining cousin Rosie. When Jack's father is injured, the two children find themselves in a precarious situation. The action-packed scenes move at a fast pace and the conflict runs high as Jack and Rosie fend for themselves, ultimately fighting for their lives. Because of Powell's well-told, vivid, engaging scenes, I felt the emotions of the characters and was immersed in the action. Thematically, this is a story of survival, bravery, and determination as Jack risks his life for others. Sandra Yuen MacKay, author
I must say that the start of this novel really drew me in. The writer has portrayed the aprehensive feelings of twelve year old Jack's forthcoming trip very well. Although I'm not a young adult, I could quite happily read this book. Julie Elizabeth Powell has a crisp, clean, writing style.
"Find Out What Jack Knows (Part I)" Knowing Jack is a book written by the Lulu Book Review's roving reviewer, Julie Elizabeth Powell. I first encountered Julie on the Lulu forum boards and was struck by her enthusiasm and encouragement for other authors work. In addition to this her dedication to writing is evident, and I felt like I had encountered a kindred spirit from across the pond. I was very happy to have been instrumental in bringing Julie onboard at the Lulu Book Review, because she brings an added dimension to the team, allowing us to provide reviews of Lulu authors work who have not necessarily requested a review. My only delay in reviewing Julie's work has been my own preoccupation with completing the sequel to Misfit McCabe, something I know that Julie understands. We've all had those feelings. You know the ones I'm talking about. Where you feel like something bad is going to happen, but don't know what or when. It's just that niggling feeling at the back of... More > your mind that can color how you approach your day. Twelve year old Jack Kane understands exactly what I'm talking about. All of his life, Jack has been plagued by knowing things or prescience. He doesn't always get specifics, just a general feeling about things, or he'll just know something without any idea as to why he does. Things like the time Mrs. Hodges couldn't find her keys in her purse, and Jack told her she'd find them on the front doorstep. Or when Mr. Dixon missed the bus, Jack told him not to worry, that his daughter would be there soon and could give him a ride. Sometimes things come in dream fashion, that he doesn't always understand. Like the dream that he'd been having for weeks about a hefty figure wielding an axe wearing a big flapping coat. He just knew that the dream gave him a bad feeling. As Knowing Jack opens, Jack and his folks are getting ready to take a vacation trip to a cabin in the Lake District. Well, vacation for some. Jack's dad, Frank, has to do a little work, taking some pictures and then doing a write up. The closer it gets to time to leave, the worse Jack feels. His stomach is churning and his head feels like it's in a vise and someone is turning the screw. He tried to get the family to back out of the trip, but to no avail. In addition to the great feeling of dread that something bad was going to happen, Jack was not looking forward to the trip for another reason. Auntie June, Uncle Alan, and their ten year old daughter, Rosie would be there as well. Rosie was spoiled, the pampered, pink princess, and she always did as much as she could to give Jack grief. On the way to the cabin, they had to stop to pick up the keys to the cabin at the Post Office. While they were stopped, a couple in a dirty white van came into the Post Office as well, and Jack's feelings went into overdrive, complete with heart palpitations and sweat trickling down his back. As his father put the car into reverse to back out of the parking space and continue the trip to the cabin, Jack screamed for him to stop. While his parents were still recovering from Jack's outburst, the van came roaring past and barely missed hitting the back end of Jack's car.< Less
"An enthralling adventure" A great adventure story for pre-teens. Twelve year-old Jack has a bad feeling about his parents' planned trip to the Lake District. It is just before Christmas and the holiday location is plagued with snow storms. When they arrive at the Lake District, Jack notices a strange man and his wife in a white van; they have a small girl with them whose face appears haunted. Jack feels that something is not right. The man notices that Jack is staring at him and does not take kindly to the attention. The white van almost hits the car that his dad is driving and from that point Jack is convinced the man is trying to kill them. The next encounter with the strange, angry man ends in disaster and Jack and his cousin Rosie are then caught up in a desperate race to escape from the man and also to save Jack's father's life. The story will appeal to children as an adventure, as they follow Jack and Rosie's quest for survival. It keeps you interested with the twists... More > and turns in the storyline, so that you are never quite sure what will happen next, and the dramatic climax towards the end of the book is intensely enthralling. Jack learns a lot about his cousin Rosie and a lot about himself by the end of the book. The characters are all well developed and there is a great deal of educational content for children. I would highly recommend this book by a very promising new writer.< Less
"Adventure" J.K. Rowling created Harry Potter and whizzed us into a world of wizardry. Many of us are still attached to his broomstick. Arthur C. Clarke balanced the human race on the edge of a tensioned springboard and released it into a future, where man's creative technology attempted to unlock the secrets of the universe. Ian Rankin skims-off the thin layer of civic respectability and with utter realism, pulls his readers into the mire of criminality. Now, out of nowhere, comes Julie Elizabeth Powell. With an uncanny mastery of words, she enters the neural pathways of our minds and sieves-out the cells of emotion - mixes them with our heart's blood until the recipe is ready to be re-transplanted into our brains. At that point, the reader's unique helix creates a completely new set of emotions – ones hard to control when turning the pages of her novels. Brian W Fisher Author of 'The Billy Trilogy'
