Book 1: Jack Templar: Monster Hunter
Book of the Year Award Finalist – Foreword Reviews
* 2013 Parent’s Choice Recommended Book *
Jack wakes up in the morning before his 14th birthday to a number of strange things. He’s faster, stronger, and Aunt Sophie is crying a lot. On his way to school he runs into a creepy guy with vampire teeth and an ominous message, and before the day is out Mrs. Fitcher, the principal, morphs into a hideous creature with giant bat wings. After a few detours on the way home, Jack arrives to a backyard full of zombies, a houseful of harpies, and oh, but the way, Aunt Sophie has been keeping a few secrets of her own.
Luckily, accomplished monster hunter Eva shows up to clue Jack in on his true identity and teach him how to fight–something he needs to learn quickly since Ren Lucre, the most evil monster in the world, can’t wait to kill him. Little does Jack realize that his ancestors were the once-mighty Templar Knights and that he may be the very last of a heroic bloodline. He will discover whether he possesses the bravery to stand up against the monsters…and whether that alone will be enough to survive!
And that’s just the beginning of the series!
My Review of book 1: I loved these books. Jack is such a great character. In the first book, he is just discovering he is a monster hunter. He is thrown into this dangerous world of hunting monster to try and find his father. This book is a good read for anyone from age 8 - 80. Boys who really don't like to read would really like to read these books.
For ages 8-100, anyone who enjoyed the Percy Jackson Series, Harry Potter and The Goosebumps Series by R.L. Stine
MOM SAYS
My Bottom Line: This book was so much fun to read aloud to my kids! There is a great plot line, magnificent character development, and the right balance between humour and tension to keep you completely captivated as a reader. This book is just as entertaining for adults as it is for kids. With regards to age recommendations, I’ll suggest 9 years and older because it could be frightening for very sensitive children. Also, I think both boys andgirls would really enjoy Jack Templar: Monster Hunter. I really need you all to read it because, let’s face it, the world really needs more monster hunters!
Book 2: Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy
After barely surviving the onslaught of monsters that tried to kill him the day before his fourteenth birthday, Jack Templar leaves his hometown on a quest to rescue his father and discover the truth about his past. Joined by his friends Will and T-Rex, and led by Eva, the mysterious one-handed monster hunter, Jack sets out for the Monster Hunter Academy where he hopes to find answers to his questions. Little does he suspect that the Academy is filled with dangers of its own, many of them more terrifying than anything he’s faced so far.
My Review of Book 2: Jack goes to a hunters academy to learn to fight monster, but mostly to seek answers. So many mysteries surround the Academy that Jack wondered if he'd ever get to the bottom of them. Jack is trained and sent on a quest to find the Jerusalem Stones.
MOM SAYS
My Bottom Line: Jeff Gunhus has crafted another winner in the sequel toJack Templar: Monster Hunter. Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy brings back our young hero, Jack Templar in another captivating story filled with plot twists and turns as further mysteries are unravelled and as Jack seeks further information that will help him find and rescue his father from the evil clutches of his nemesis, Ren Lucre. For those of you who loved the first book, you will likely find the second just as entertaining, although I would say that the plot is slightly more sophisticated in the sequel. I think children aged 10+ who love reading suspenseful stories filled with monsters, adventure, and danger will love this book.
Book 3: Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy
After fighting a goblin army, befriending an ancient werewolf, and battling two fire breathing dragons during his adventures at the Monster Hunter Academy, Jack Templar hoped for a rest. No such luck. In this third adventure of the Jack Templar Monster Hunter series, Jack embarks on a quest to track down and acquire the first of five mythical Jerusalem Stones, an ancient power source found by his ancestors, the Templar Knights. Only the reunited Stones can stop Ren Lucre, the Dark Lord who holds Jack’s father hostage and prepares for an all-out war against an unsuspecting human world. A different Creach Lord holds each Stone, and recovering them will not be easy. Jack and his friends begin their quest by seeking out a powerful and terrifying adversary, the Lord of the Vampires. The fate of the world rests on Jack’s shoulders and he will be tested like never before. Join Jack Templar on his most dangerous journey yet, but remember that doing so makes you part of his world. Read this book only if you are prepared to battle the Creach and live by the monster hunter motto. Because to survive, you must… Do your duty, come what may!
My Review of Book 3. This is actually the first book I read of the series. So these books can be read as a series or stand alone books. Jack goes on an adventure hunting monsters and seeking the Jerusalem stones. In this adventure he learns the truth about his past. Great plot twist. He is faced with a hard decision.
MOM SAYS
My Bottom Line: Jack Templar and the Lord of the Vampires is a fast-paced, action-packed joyride that continues in the same vein as the first two books in the series. If you loved Books 1 & 2, Book 3 will keep you hooked into the adventures of Jack Templar and his friends. The cliffhanger alone has me impatiently waiting for Book 4, so get writing Jeff Gunhus! Up next for Jack and his friends? Werewolves. I highly recommend this book as well as the previous books in the series for a young adult reading level (12+).
About the Author: Jeff Gunhus
Jeff Gunhus grew up in Cyprus, Greece, and Saudi Arabia where there was a distinct lack of television. He quickly found books were the gateway to incredible adventures, fascinating characters and unbelievable discoveries. Now, with five children of his own (all who watch too much television, in his opinion), he has enjoyed revisiting his old books and reliving those adventures all over again.
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