Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves

Jack Tales, Book 3

By: Andy Jones

Narrated by: Andy Jones

Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves finds Jack, that everyman of folktales, married to his sweetheart, Mary, the best woman ever born and a mighty fine baker to boot. Their lives are as happy and successful as can be, until an underhanded sea captain and Jack’s own bragging get the better of our hero. Jack is sent at once to work on Slave Islands, and Mary is turned out of house and home. But Mary is resolute and resourceful and has plans to find Jack and restore their fortunes.

Inspired by several traditional and classic works, including Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, the medieval tale of Frederick of Jennen, and the Newfoundland story “Jack and the Slave Islands”, Andy Jones has crafted a funny, moving, and delightfully original story about love, treachery, perseverance, and cherry cake.

With a hidden key, a storm at sea, and a singing mynah bird named Baxter who carries more than his share of tunes, Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves will delight youngsters and oldsters alike.

©2011 Andy Jones (P)2020 Running the Goat

Critic reviews

“The bardic, original voice of Andy Jones in another of his word perfect Jack tales gives us a world away from now, a world that celebrates Newfoundland’s sailing history, song, and the art of storytelling itself. Mary is a strong, resilient, unforgettable character and through her cunning, teaches Jack a lesson. Jones never once allows his tale to fall into any kind of didacticism. Instead, his use of humour, sensory detail, language, and adept narrative twists in the structure of his tale makes Jack and Mary In the Land of Thieves a book that does what classics do - appeals to an audience of young and old alike. With this book, Jones defines the kind of excellence C.S. Lewis believed in when he wrote: I am almost inclined to set it up as a canon that a children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story. The good ones last.” (Jury’s statement for 2014 Bruneau Family Award, one of the Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards)

“It is a great pleasure to listen to Andy Jones tell a story, and, happily, his printed stories fill you with the same hushed anticipation from the first sentence. To read this book aloud is to become a storyteller.... A worthy follow-up to the acclaimed Jack and the Manger, which won the NL children’s literature award, and The Queen of Paradise’s Garden....” (Alison Mews, in Canadian Review of Materials)