Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation

For Ages: 8 - 12

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All Jack Blank knows is his bleak, dreary life at St. Barnaby’s Home for the Hopeless, Abandoned, Forgotten, and Lost, an orphanage that sinks further into the swampland of New Jersey with each passing year. His aptitude tests predict that he will spend a long, unhappy career as a toilet brush cleaner. His only chance at escape comes through the comic books donated years ago to the orphanage that he secretly reads in the dark corners of the library. Everything changes one icy gray morning when Jack receives two visitors that alter his life forever. The first is a deadly robot straight out of one of his comic books that tries its best to blow him up. The second is an emissary from a secret country called the Imagine Nation, an astonishing place where all the fantastic and unbelievable things in our world originate - including Jack. Jack soon discovers that he has an amazing ability--one that could make him the savior of the Imagine Nation and the world beyond, or the biggest threat they've ever faced.

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Aladdin |
480 pages |
ISBN 9781416995616 |
August 2010 |
Grades 3 - 7 |
Lexile 780

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Praise

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“Matt Myklusch's Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation is a great novel that feels a lot like the Harry Potter series, except instead of magic and wizards, it deals with superheroes and supervillains.”

– MTV.com

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER
1
Unreal Tales #42

“Jack Blank, I know you’re in there!”

Mrs. Theedwheck’s shrill voice pierced the air, hitting Jack’s eardrums like a siren. She stood at the library door, holding her yardstick.

Mrs. Theedwheck was a tall, spindly old lady with horn-rimmed glasses and a wound-up knot of frizzy gray hair. As usual, her face was scrunched up like she’d smelled something funny and didn’t like it one bit. Jack could not imagine a Mr. Theedwheck existing anywhere in her past, present, or future.

Mrs. Theedwheck never went anywhere without...

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Reading Group Guide

Discussion Questions for The Accidental Hero by Matt Myklusch

Jack lives at St. Barnaby’s Home for the Hopeless, Abandoned, Forgotten and Lost. What does this name signify about the types of kids who live there? What kind of boy is Jack?

Jack is surprised when Jazen tells him he is courageous. Why do you think he’s surprised? Are there different kinds of courage?

What do you believe is the connection between the word imagination and the place Imagine Nation?

How are Jack’s past and future similar? How might they be different? Are there other characters in the book who deal with this too?

Why do you think the author shows that Jack qualifies for a future as a toilet brush cleaner on the P-MAP test? What does Jack think about this test?

How could Jack not knowing who he is be beneficial to him in the Imagine Nation, in your opinion?

Why do you think the author named the characters Jonas Smart and Stendeval the Wise? Is there a difference between being wise and being smart? If so, how is this showcased in these characters?

Stendeval says, “Fear is a very effective political tool, and I know that you can be very . . . persuasive.” In what ways do you believe Jonas Smart employs fear in the book as a tool to achieve what he wants?

Which teacher at the School of Thought do you think has the most important or effective test for Jack, Skerren, and Allegra to pass?
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