Summary
Jack Zulu is a half-Appalachian, half-African 8th grader who lives in rural West Virginia in the 80s. He lives with his mom, after the mysterious death of his police-officer father. His mother is in the hospital, worsening every day, and all he wants is for her to be healthy and to leave his small town behind.
One night the local bookshop keeper, Mr. Wheeler, entrusts Jack with a cryptic box that Jack must deliver to him in the middle of the night. When he tries, he is attacked by a terrifying Mothman-type monster who desires the contents of the box- a key. Mr. Wheeler then appears and uses the key to open a secret portal in a tree to another world, the Wayland, where Jack, Mr. Wheeler, and Jack’s best friend Benny escape. The Wayland is like a middle ground between the twelve worlds or realms and has portals to each one. Benny and Jack soon learn that Mr. Wheeler is much more than a bookkeeper, but actually, a very respected warrior and sage in the Wayland, who wealds an enchanted sword, the Prism Blade.
Jack and Benny become acolytes to Sage Wheeler to learn the ways of the Wayland and become warriors. They travel back and forth daily from West Virginia to the Wayland to continue their training. When some deadly crows from another realm make their way to Jack’s hometown, Michelle, his crush, gets involved in battling the forces of darkness as well. Jack, Benny, and Michelle soon learn that there is much turmoil in the twelve realms because of an evil leader, Rancast. Rancast has been imprisoned in the Wayland for some time, but because the council could not decide on his fate, his followers have been continuing his evil takeover in other realms.
Rancast’s fate is finally decided, banishment in an inescapable prison, but on the day they are transporting him, those loyal to him break him free. Jack is caught in the thick of it and has a chance to accept Rancast’s offer to make his mother well, escape the small life in West Virginia, and rise to greatness, or stand for what he knows is true.
Reading Level: Ages 10-15, but I recommend waiting until 12.
Read Aloud Age: 12+
Mom Thoughts
This new series from The Green Ember author and his son is fantastical, wildly exciting, and full of heart. The writing is, as expected, excellent. Constructing a compelling and exciting story is no easy feat, but here it feels effortless. Setting the story in the 80s is a fun twist for those who lived through it, but I’m not sure how much that will resonate with younger readers. The characters are beautifully rich and developed, and we grow to love them quickly.
I appreciate that while they’ve created a completely new world with twelve realms and rules, it is not “high fantasy” in the sense that there are 40 characters of which you need to keep track; it’s easily followable for younger readers. There is some allusion to romance with Jack’s crush on Michelle, as you can see below, but it’s never disrespectful. Magic is definitely a heavy theme throughout, so if that is something that you try to avoid, this is not the series for you.
The themes very clearly center around good versus evil, and we see some glimmers of Christ in Mr. Wheeler and some similarities to Satan in Rancast. This is not, at least to my knowledge, an allegory, but there are strong Christian themes throughout. This includes, but is not limited to several mentions of prayer, God, and not fearing death because they know where they are going.
There are some heavy battle scenes with much peril throughout the book, which may be perfect for the reader who loves intense and dramatic action. For example, “Jack grew desperate as the crow screamed in his ear, biting and clawing at him. Then he turned in a circle and swung out with his bat, commenting with the creature’s wing. A crack sounded and the wing bent sickly down as the crow pitched sideways. Jack choked up on the bat and stepped forward, prepared to deliver a deathblow, but at that moment a second crow shrieked from behind and glided at him, snapping its beak and baring its sharp talons.” While this may be categorized as a middle-grade novel, because of the content, I’d recommend it for children at least 12 years old.
Language: shut-up, clown (as an insult), loser, stupid, creeps, nerds, “Sam Hill”, refer to Jack as “poor half-African kid” and a “black boy” which initially sounds like it is meant to be insulting, but turns out to be just stating a fact.
Questionable Behaviors: ditching class, hiding from parents where they are going
Magic: Mentioned in passing: ancient cures, dark magic, witch doctors, the witching hour, wizards, potions
A character who has gotten into the occult says, “I am powerful and full of earth’s energy. I am a goddess of vibrant grove and green valley. I am force of vine and path. I am the magick of ways.” She also calls herself a “coven mother.” Rancast uses “dark spells.”
Sexual Content: Although never sexual in nature, Zack often thinks of and comments on Michelle’s beauty. “Dark hair bounced around her lovely face, framing huge eyes like pools of deep meaning.” He stammers and becomes quite nervous around her, accidentally spitting food in her hair and other embarrassing things. She is referred to by Benny as the “prettiest girl in middle school.” Michelle is called Jack’s “little girlfriend” by a bully.
Other Things to Know: There is quite a lot about Halloween; a few chapters take place at a Halloween dance. Jack references that he has felt prejudice because of his skin color. The phrase “white man speaks with a forked tongue” is used. We are told that Benny attends Saint Andrew’s Catholic Church and Jack attends Ebenezar Baptist. Benny once references “Father Lorenzo.”
Jack Zulu and the Waylander’s Key