Captain Hook, by J. V. Hart

My fascination with villains began early in life. When wandering the souvenir shops at Disney World, I was drawn to the dark green and blue posters, mugs and mouse pads that were covered with characters from the Underworld. In hindsight, I find this immensely odd, as I was not an evil or mean child. Perhaps sneaky, though. Villains and children do seem to have that personality trait in common.

When the book Wicked hit the bookstores back in 1995, I was one of the first to read it. I found the idea of following a villain back to their childhood absolutely fascinating. Gregory Maguire quickly became a favorite author, and I drank up every backwards tale he told-why Cinderella's stepsisters were so jealous, how a twisted stepmother could turn a little girl into Snow White, and even how Jack the Ripper could be intertwined with the ghosts of A Christmas Carol. Sadly, these stories are not appropriate for a K-12 classroom. My mind was racing with units for the villian genre-but what literature could be used?

There are several picture books that can be used to teach about empathy and taking a look at the whole situation before passing judgment, such as 'The True Story of the Three Little Pigs'. But what if you want to do a hearty book study, and dive into the mind of a so-called villain? At last we have our novel: Captain Hook, by J.V. Hart. This book caught my eye with it's familiar cover-dark and haunting, with a ruggedly handsome young Captain Hook looking at us through coal black eyes. Where will this rogue take us? How can he be transformed from a romantic hero to the aging monster we later face in Peter Pan?

Mr. Hart begins his tale with a confrontation between King Jas. (Captain Hooks' first nickname of choice) and a certain Mr. Arthur Darling (foreshadowing, anyone?). This confrontation escalates throughout the story, allowing both characters to show 'poor form' many times over. But in the true fashion of the villain genre, we quickly begin to loose our hearts to King Jas. and his seemingly sinister outlook. Jolly Roger, his best friend and constant companion, reminds us all the value of true friendship and loyalty. And the many figures of authority that stand in King Jas.' way bring back memories of our former teachers and bosses whom we would have loved to exact revenge upon. As always, there are two sides to every story, and the reader can't help but root for this hero in disguise. Adventure and suspense are served up time and again, with a hint of modest romance to humanize King Jas. and his peers.

This is the perfect novel to engage students and teach them the art of character analyzation. King Jas. walks a thin line between right and wrong, on which many of our students balance every day. If a character commits an evil act in order to right a wrong, does the end justify the means? This is a question even adults grapple with, and students can maintain lively debates throughout the story, possibly changing their minds several times as new events cause them to reconsider their former notions.

At times, I still find myself drifting away on a stolen ship to the second star on the right, dreaming of Neverland and the friends who await me there. J. V. Hart has promised a sequel on his website, although the predicted publishing date has come and gone. I wrote the agency begging for an update, and will surely post when I hear back. Until then, we must simply let King Jas., Jolly Roger, Mr. Smee and Electra live on in our hearts and minds, and keep our eyes open for another fantastic novel on how a villain came to be.

Captain Hook, by J.V. Hart, official website

Appropriate for fifth grade and up.

Perfect for boys and girls.

Contains mild violence and unusual swearing (English lingo).

Happy Reading!

The team at Sprout Classrooms sees a lot of books.

And by a lot, I mean we have over 4,000 books on our shelves at the moment, with more coming in every day.

Many of these books are classics, such as James and the Giant Peach, or The Cat in the Hat. We love classics, as we know teachers are instantly draw to them. But we also get a lot of quirky books we've never heard of before but look really, really cool. We'll pull those books, make a mug of hot chocolate, and settle down for a read.

After finding and reading these new treasures, we'll write a quick review to introduce you to our new 'classics'. Since we usually only get one copy of a book in at a time, we'll also post a link for you to purchase it on Amazon if you so choose. Only fabulous books will be reviewed, so if you see it here, you know it's gotta be good.

Have a diamond-in-the-ruff recommendation or review to share? Please let us know! Contact us at admin [at] sproutclassrooms [dot] com.

Happy reading!