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14th out of 19 books
—
185 voters
The World Above: A Retelling of "Jack and the Beanstalk" (Once Upon A Time)
Gen and her twin brother, Jack, were raised with their mother's tales of life in the World Above. Gen is skeptical, but adventureous Jack believes the stories--and trades the family cow for magical beans. Their mother rejoices, knowing they can finally return to their royal home.When Jack plants the beans and climbs the enchanted stalk, he is captured by the tyrant who now...more
Paperback, 175 pages
Published
June 8th 2010
by Simon Pulse
(first published June 4th 2010)
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Jack and the Beanstalk with a girl, huh? Is what I thought when I first heard about this retelling. However, it worked nicely into this book. Jack has a twin sister and her name is Gen and she helps quite a bit in the success of her brother.
I like it that Gen isn't one of those who seek out adventure. A reluctant heroine if you will. While Gen is practical and dependable Jack is spontaneous and erratic. So when it is Jack who brings home the magic beans he is more than ready to climb up to the...more
I like it that Gen isn't one of those who seek out adventure. A reluctant heroine if you will. While Gen is practical and dependable Jack is spontaneous and erratic. So when it is Jack who brings home the magic beans he is more than ready to climb up to the...more
Long sigh... What can I say? Well that this is one of my new favorites in the series. I was wondering how they were gonna pull this one off because the protagonist are always females and Jack and the Beanstalk is known to have a male lead. As always the series put their twist on it so we could see the "real" story.
Gen and Jack are twins and live on a farm with their mother trying to scrape by. Gen is the pratical twin and Jack is the adventuresome one. The other big difference between the tw...more
Gen and Jack are twins and live on a farm with their mother trying to scrape by. Gen is the pratical twin and Jack is the adventuresome one. The other big difference between the tw...more
I truly enjoyed this retelling of "Jack and the Giant Beanstalk". In this retelling, Jack and his twin sister Gen live in the world below where there mother tells stories to them at night about their home above. Jack has always believed in the world above..always the dreamer. His practical sister Gen has had no problem with the world she lives in. As the story goes, Jack sells the cow for seven magical beans. Gen is outraged but to her surprise, her mother is joyful, shedding tears of happiness....more
Yes, I think I have probably read every book in this series. I just really like retold fairy tales (that might explain my gazillion-year obsession with writing a retold Beauty and the Beast) (which, by the way, is going reasonably well!).
This one was middling for me.
This is what I liked: The deeper version of the story. Here's what I remember about the original: Jack makes a stupid bargain for beans that probably aren't magical. By tremendous luck, they are. Then he goes up a beanstalk, steals...more
This one was middling for me.
This is what I liked: The deeper version of the story. Here's what I remember about the original: Jack makes a stupid bargain for beans that probably aren't magical. By tremendous luck, they are. Then he goes up a beanstalk, steals...more
So Cute! and simple! I loved it. it is a younger level like 4th or 5th grade but diffinently intertaining. this is a retelling of Jack and the beanstalk from his twin sister Gen's point of veiw. i never really found the story of Jack and the Bean stalk all that interesting and when i picked up this book i was honestly wondering how you could right a whole book out of something like that! I was surprised and deffinently pleased. Jack and Gen's mother was the wife of a duke and had to run away whe...more
I realized going into this that The World Above is intended to be a light, fluffy read for young teens. The entire Once Upon A Time series is all made up of fairy tale books retold in a literary manner within a relatively sanitary and safe fairy tale world. Even knowing all this I still took issue with the book because, well, it’s boring.
In The World Above Jack has a twin sister who is the main character of the book. All of the Once Upon A Time books have a female protagonist. Following things f...more
In The World Above Jack has a twin sister who is the main character of the book. All of the Once Upon A Time books have a female protagonist. Following things f...more
A fun read. "The world Above" is an imaginative and fresh retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk. Dokey proves herself a clever writer with the rearrangement of the old tale to accommodate a spunky, if not reluctant, heroine and two different worlds--one 'Above', and one 'Below'. Like with many fairy tales, the true love happens with a snap of the finger, unexpected heroes and heroines nobly rise to the occasion, and the villain is quick to admit his mistakes and accept defeat when cornered. Noneth...more
Ah, the Once Upon A Time is Timeless series...if you've read one of them, you'll understand the reason why I can say that I love reading them, but they are still only average reads. Dokey's probably the best writer of the series in terms of consistent quality. Her books take a few pages to get into (and those prologues should NOT be there, which makes me question how much editing the books actually get) but she can tell a creative retelling. It's a shame these books can't be more fleshed out, be...more
As with many of Dokey's other retellings, The World Above is enjoyable but too short. I'm familiar with very few fairy tales, this being one of them. All I ever knew was Jack had a bean, he planted it, and *poof*, a beanstalk. What happens after that, I don't have a clue. That said, there wasn't anything I could expected out of the story.
I found the first few pages to be somewhat confusing. I had to re-read it several times to understand who was who.I'm slow on catching on. I felt that some par...more
I found the first few pages to be somewhat confusing. I had to re-read it several times to understand who was who.
I enjoyed THE WORLD ABOVE. It was a very quick and delightful read. It is the retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk, but it also includes the Robin Hood tale (though the words "Robin Hood" or "Locksley" are ever mentioned). The two are combined seamlessly, and I really enjoyed it.
Gen is a fun character who points out her own flaws but doesn't apologize for them. I always have a hard time with love at first site stories because it seems the characters are oblivious to the fact they just met, now t...more
Gen is a fun character who points out her own flaws but doesn't apologize for them. I always have a hard time with love at first site stories because it seems the characters are oblivious to the fact they just met, now t...more
3.5 stars if I could. I enjoyed this book. It was a quick and easy read. I like that the story is told from the point of view of Gen - Jack's twin sister. I thought the twists and the inclusion of another fairy tale were great. But...
SPOILER ALERT!
I'm not in love with what happened to Robin's dad. He was all the sudden rather repentant and wanted to make things better... but then they exiled him to the World Below? It just didn't really fit or make sense in my mind.
Dokey seems to do this quite...more
SPOILER ALERT!
I'm not in love with what happened to Robin's dad. He was all the sudden rather repentant and wanted to make things better... but then they exiled him to the World Below? It just didn't really fit or make sense in my mind.
Dokey seems to do this quite...more
4 Stars!
I thoroughly enjoyed this short but sweet book. The basic concept of the book is different – Jack and the Beanstalk with a female protagonist, so the plot itself was refreshing. Gen, the protagonist, is also headstrong, being smart, practical, and well-planned, contrasting her twin, Jack (and in case you haven’t guessed, the one who climbs the beanstalk and gets into trouble). This is unusual, especially in the time setting in which the story takes place.
Another reason why I enjoyed the...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this short but sweet book. The basic concept of the book is different – Jack and the Beanstalk with a female protagonist, so the plot itself was refreshing. Gen, the protagonist, is also headstrong, being smart, practical, and well-planned, contrasting her twin, Jack (and in case you haven’t guessed, the one who climbs the beanstalk and gets into trouble). This is unusual, especially in the time setting in which the story takes place.
Another reason why I enjoyed the...more
Gen is a wonderfully upbeat heroine who doesn't allow her skepticism get in the way of accomplishing what needs to be done. She's practical and blessedly admits when she is wrong, rather than hanging on to denial for the entire duration of the story. The contrast between her and her twin brother add much to the believability of their relationship, and gives them both a very distinct personality.
Adding onto this is the combination of a retelling of "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Robin Hood," which...more
Adding onto this is the combination of a retelling of "Jack and the Beanstalk" and "Robin Hood," which...more
"Everyone needs to believe that they are special, different from those around them. That's what my mother's story always seemed like to me. A charm, a way to get us through hard times. But even as I appreciated the story she told, I never believed that is was true. Not the way Jack did, in my innermost heart of hearts."
But it turns out the story Gen's mother told her and her twin Jack was true. They are the rightful heirs to a kingdom above the clouds and now they're going to have to return to...more
But it turns out the story Gen's mother told her and her twin Jack was true. They are the rightful heirs to a kingdom above the clouds and now they're going to have to return to...more
This is the seventh book in the Once Upon A Time series that I have read. I am amazed how the authors have been able to tell these stories with such a fresh look. Reading these books have made me feel the same sense of wonder and excitement that I remember feeling when I was young and first heard the original tales. In these stories the female character is not just sitting around waiting for a hero to come and save her. In all of the tales there is a strong heroine that any girl could look up to...more
This is a VERY fun...I hesitate to say "retelling" because it's so different..."version" of Jack and the Beanstalk. Jack has a twin sister, Gen, who gets to move most of the action in this book. I loved this book because the concept was so fresh and gave great energy to a story that I would have thought would be hard to re-write and make it new and exciting. Cameron's a very good writer and makes the characters sympathetic, even the villains. Even the beanstalk became magical and exciting. I'd r...more
I loved this light retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk. What didn't get into the original fairy tale was that Jack had a fraternal twin--a girl named Gentian. While Jack was the one that always got into scrapes and adventures, Gen was the practial one who made the plans to get him out of the scrapes. The fairy tale of Jack and the Beanstalk gets mixed up with the story of Robin Hood and the girls help save the day along with the guys. Some nice comments about the difference between being adventu...more
A retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk with elements of the Robin Hood legend mixed in. Not as impressive as Dokey's other contributions to the Once Upon a Time series, maybe because of the main character, Gen, Jack's sister, who wasn't very appealing for some reason. When her husband the duke is murdered, Celine flees for her life using a magic beanstalk to go down to the world Below. She is pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl, who grow up to be Gen and Jack and who venture back to the World A...more
Un lindo libro, sencillo y entretenido.
Me gustó porque, si bien es corto, las cosas pasan rápido y no hay lugar para que se profundice en nada, está bien construido, así que todo es creíble -tan creíble como puede ser un cuento de hadas- y tiene de todo, magia, aventura, un montón de acción, personajes queribles, sangre y amor. Todo en su medida justa.
También me gustó que a pesar de su sencillez, lograra emocionarme, hacerme reír, asustar y ponerme nerviosa montones de veces.
Por último, los rete...more
Me gustó porque, si bien es corto, las cosas pasan rápido y no hay lugar para que se profundice en nada, está bien construido, así que todo es creíble -tan creíble como puede ser un cuento de hadas- y tiene de todo, magia, aventura, un montón de acción, personajes queribles, sangre y amor. Todo en su medida justa.
También me gustó que a pesar de su sencillez, lograra emocionarme, hacerme reír, asustar y ponerme nerviosa montones de veces.
Por último, los rete...more
I was wondering what Dokey would do with "Jack and the Beanstalk" since the story has a male protagonist and a giant. I've gotta say, she really outdid herself in retelling it.
Sixteen-year-old Gen lives with her twin brother Jack and her mother in what her mother calls "The World Below". Throughout her childhood, Gen's mother told her and her brother about how she used to live in "The World Above", and how she fell in love with the Duke Roland des Jardins and married him. But before she discover...more
Sixteen-year-old Gen lives with her twin brother Jack and her mother in what her mother calls "The World Below". Throughout her childhood, Gen's mother told her and her brother about how she used to live in "The World Above", and how she fell in love with the Duke Roland des Jardins and married him. But before she discover...more
Sep 04, 2012
Janus Vielle (The Blair Book Project)
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
owned-paperback,
yabc-tbr-2012
When I first saw the World Above [seeing a girl on the cover], which was described as a retelling of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” I thought the retelling was going to go something like this: Jack is really a girl who disguised herself as a boy then went up a beanstalk. Well, I couldn’t be more wrong; my bad. Turns out the World Above is actually a retelling in which Gen, our main character, is the twin sister of Jack. And this is supposedly the true story of “Jack and the Beanstalk.”
Now let me give...more
Now let me give...more
Gen and her twin brother Jack have always lived with their mother on a small farm struggling just to get by. They love each other and their mother always keeps them entertained with stories of the land above--where she and her father ruled a magical kingdom until one day he was overthrown and their mother had to climb down a beanstalk to save herself and her unborn children. When the family is in financial trouble once again, their mother decides that Jack must go and sell their last cow. Jack c...more
Also on http://thedailyprophecy.blogspot.com
This has to be one of my favorite retellings from Cameron Dokey together with Golden (retelling from Rapunzel). It has everything you could ask for in a fairytale. A intelligent, strong heroin, a sweet love romance and some action to spice it all up.
Jack and Gentian (Gen) live with their mother. They aren’t rich, but happy. When their need for money is high, Jack is sent to sell their cow on the market. Instead of money, Jack comes home with magical be...more
This has to be one of my favorite retellings from Cameron Dokey together with Golden (retelling from Rapunzel). It has everything you could ask for in a fairytale. A intelligent, strong heroin, a sweet love romance and some action to spice it all up.
Jack and Gentian (Gen) live with their mother. They aren’t rich, but happy. When their need for money is high, Jack is sent to sell their cow on the market. Instead of money, Jack comes home with magical be...more
I'll freely admit I have no love for the original Jack and the Beanstalk tale. It bothered me that Jack could be so thoughtless when he knew so much was at stake. Plus I felt it taught a bad moral lesson; do irresponsible things and things turn out better! However I'm a big fan of the Simon and Schuster line of "Once Upon a Time" novels, and Cameron Dokey as an author in specific, so I was content to read this novel.
I wouldn't say The World Above blew me away, or made me rethink how I felt abou...more
I wouldn't say The World Above blew me away, or made me rethink how I felt abou...more
Biased because Cameron Dokey is my preferred author in this series. I'm glad the library (finally) purchased this book. I'm not too keen on the different type of female-figure-centered covers since I prefer Kinuko Y. Craft's covers, but eh, this review should be about the story, right?
The spin Dokey puts on for having a female figure into Jack and the Beanstalk is for Jack to have a not-mentioned twin sister. Is the somewhat dichomotous twin setting, Jack is the fantastical impulsive believer, a...more
The spin Dokey puts on for having a female figure into Jack and the Beanstalk is for Jack to have a not-mentioned twin sister. Is the somewhat dichomotous twin setting, Jack is the fantastical impulsive believer, a...more
This could have been so good, Jack and the Beanstalk as a girl combined with Robin Hood-genius. Robin Hood is second only to pirates in my mind, which is what is garnering this book at least 3 stars. Everything felt too rushed to be enjoyed and overstated. I know it's supposed to be short, but I dig short stories, this felt like a truncated long story. The problem is in all the times there were statements like "she was the serious twin" instead of story that showed her being serious.
When I saw that this book was derived from the story of Jack and the Beanstalk I was concerned that there wouldn't be enough story to make a whole novel. I was pleasantly surprised.
Jack is the same Jack we all know, but he has a twin sister named Gen. According to their mother they are royalty in the World Above but their mother had to flee when it was stolen from her. Jack trades their cow for some magic beans and Jack and Gen go to the World Above for an actual adventure, despite Gen's protest...more
Jack is the same Jack we all know, but he has a twin sister named Gen. According to their mother they are royalty in the World Above but their mother had to flee when it was stolen from her. Jack trades their cow for some magic beans and Jack and Gen go to the World Above for an actual adventure, despite Gen's protest...more
An imaginative re-telling of Jack and the Beanstalk. Jack is not an only child, he has a twin sister Gen. Jack and his family come from the world above. His father, the Duke Roland, was murdered and his kingdom taken over. His wife escaped to the world below where Gen and Jack were born. Now that Jack has traded the cow for some magic beans, he and Gen are going home to reclaim their inheritance. Another stellar installment in the Once Upon a Time series.
This is gonna be short people. I loved the book i really did! But then came the stupid idiot named Jack. The only parts of the book i didn't like had-you guessed it-Jack right smack dab in the middle.
He was an idiot, reckless, stupid, and incredibly lucky that the "magic beans" he had were actually magic. I was surprised that their mother didn't scold him even if they WERE magic. Seriously! What idiot with goats for brains-whoops that would be mean to goats-would trade their cow for "MAGIC BEANS...more
He was an idiot, reckless, stupid, and incredibly lucky that the "magic beans" he had were actually magic. I was surprised that their mother didn't scold him even if they WERE magic. Seriously! What idiot with goats for brains-whoops that would be mean to goats-would trade their cow for "MAGIC BEANS...more
- I love that the story combined Jack and the Beanstalk with Robin Hood. It was really clever how the author mixed the two stories.
- The story goes by quickly. You start reading, and before you know it, the story is ending, and the ending is good!
- I really liked the characters in this book. Gen is the type of girl that I wish I could be, sensible, practical, and witty. Robin has to be my 2nd favorite character. Who doesn't love a good Robin Hood character?
- Jack and Gen's relationship was reall...more
- The story goes by quickly. You start reading, and before you know it, the story is ending, and the ending is good!
- I really liked the characters in this book. Gen is the type of girl that I wish I could be, sensible, practical, and witty. Robin has to be my 2nd favorite character. Who doesn't love a good Robin Hood character?
- Jack and Gen's relationship was reall...more
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| Is this the last "Once Upon A Time"? | 6 | 37 | Dec 29, 2011 07:17pm |
Cameron Dokey is an American author living in Seattle, Washington. She has a collection of over 50 old sci-fi and horror films. Cameron was born in the Central Valley of California. Cameron grew up reading classical literature and mythology, perhaps due to her father, Richard, being a teacher of Philosophy, Creative Writing, and Western Literature.
Cameron has one husband and three cats, and is th...more
More about Cameron Dokey...
Cameron has one husband and three cats, and is th...more
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“I'm sorry I never really believed," I said. "Not the way Jack did."
"It doesn't make any difference," my mother replied. Her eyes focused on the beanstalk for a moment, then returned to mine. "You believe now. Be safe and smart up there, my Gen. Be yourself."
Before I could answer, my mother turned away and walked quickly toward the house. I turned to face the beanstalk.
There is no going back now, I thought.
For better or worse, there was only going forward. There was only going up. Seizing the trunk of the beanstalk with both hands, I pushed off from the World Below and began to climb.”
—
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More quotes…
"It doesn't make any difference," my mother replied. Her eyes focused on the beanstalk for a moment, then returned to mine. "You believe now. Be safe and smart up there, my Gen. Be yourself."
Before I could answer, my mother turned away and walked quickly toward the house. I turned to face the beanstalk.
There is no going back now, I thought.
For better or worse, there was only going forward. There was only going up. Seizing the trunk of the beanstalk with both hands, I pushed off from the World Below and began to climb.”
Sep 26, 2010 02:29pm
Sep 28, 2010 03:25pm