Mighty Jack by Ben Hatke

Jack is charged with taking care of his autistic sister while he mom goes to work during the summer.  He isn't too excited about the prospect, until he buys a box of seeds at a flee market.  He and his sister enjoy working together to prepare a garden and plant the seeds.  Their crops are no ordinary vegetables.  They act like animals instead of plants and some even become threatening.  Jack is terrified by them, but his sister is really attached to them, and even speaks for the first time while in the garden.  Jack is torn between his fear the aggressive plants and his hope as he sees his sister's abilities improve.

This is an interesting modern twist on the "Jack and the Beanstalk" story.  Instead of a cow, Jack sells a car to buy the beans. The treasure Jack is after isn't gold, but his sister's welfare. There is no giant at the top of the beanstalk yet, but this is only the first book. This is a promising start to a new series with great action and characters. The second book in the series has already received starred reviews. (2016, 203 p.)