Jack Janson and the Storm Caller by Andrew Marsh

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Publication date - out now!!

Publisher - self published.

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Jack Janson is nearly fourteen, an only child living with his parents who hate him almost as much as they hate each other. The only good things about his life are the girl next door, Sarah-Jane Farmer, whom he adores, and his Granny Jean in Cornwall who he spends the summer holidays with.

His gran is cool but she is hiding a HUGE secret. As her health fails, she decides to share the secret with Jack.

Gran leads Jack to a cave.

“Boom Tom tum” a loud voice echoes and a rock opens up to reveal a young giant called Winfred Storm Caller. Gran has been looking after the friendly giant since pirates killed his mother, but she needs Jack to care for Winfred.

Sarah-Jane arrives to help and they uncover The Book Of Lore hidden in the cave.

What magic does it possess?

Have they found a way to get Winfred home to his own lands?

Are Sarah-Jane and Jack brave enough to use the book to save Granny Jean’s life?

Review.

I will admit that I had never read a YA book until this point. Yes, I somehow missed the whole Twilight and Hunger Games books furore but I was willing to give this a go and I am pleased that I did!

I can see how this book would appeal to young teens as it covers a lot of issues they might be going through - hard family lives, changing emotions, bullying, learning about relationships and sexual awakenings. But for me the main takeaway from this book was acceptance. Acceptance of strange circumstances, magic being in the world, a giant, to name but a few.

This is a great book to introduce a young teen to the fantasy genre if they haven’t read one before. This book does take you to another world - one were giants and magic exist at the bottom of the garden and I can see how this will make a great series. Winifred the Giant has a lovely child-like manner and it was a delight to see how he progressed through the book. Jack and SJ were also great characters but I loved Granny Jean the best.

Author Bio.

Andrew is a 55 year old former geologist from the construction industry who discovered a passion for writing inspired by things that happened at work, on sites, and in life generally.

With the winnings from his appearance on The Weakest Link in 2003, he self-published his first novel, The Long And Winding Road in 2004.

In 2014 he self-published his second novel The Truth, an adult crime thriller which is still available in Amazon in both formats.

Since then he has written a fantasy trilogy, which is still being worked on and his current Young Adult WIP, the Jack Janson series.

Four years ago, Andrew was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome which has brought great understanding to his life and this has also prompted him to write poetry on a number of topics, including his Asperger’s.

Andrew attends the Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick, has presented there on two occasions and also served on the committee.

Andrew also blogs about writing.