A humorous graphic novel with a gender creative protagonist and an underlying message about embracing all the parts of oneself and following one’s own path.
Jack has a vampire dad and a lumberjack mom. When it comes time for him to leave elementary school, his mom suggests going to Mighty Log Lumberjack Prep, where he’ll learn to be tough and chop wood; his dad, however, suggests Sorrow’s Gloom Vampire School. They say they’ll be happy with whichever one he chooses. Jack, however, really wants to dance.
After trial visits at each school, he’s convinced he fits in at neither place, not tough enough to be a lumberjack (though he has some talent for log rolling) nor scary enough to be a vampire (though he’s talented with hypnosis). A new friend, however, tells him of Tip Tap Twinkle Toes Academy, a dance school. Jack is reluctant to try it, afraid he’ll disappoint not one, but both parents.
He finally sneaks off to Tip Tap and is inspired by the diverse student body there. But can he summon the courage to tell his parents? In the end, after a few misadventures, he learns to embrace both his lumberjack and his vampire parts and to finally show his cool dance moves to the world.
The light-hearted tale is full of puns, silly asides about vampire and lumberjack life, and spreads showing the (fictitious but amusing) songs that Jack likes to dance to. His burly, red-haired mom and slender, dark-haired dad seem an odd couple at first, but show how even opposites can live and love together. Bearded Jack is a memorable and sympathetic protagonist. Overall, it’s an entertaining read with an important but not pedantic message and clever, original worldbuilding.
