The Cardboard Kingdom

Jack lives with his mom and younger sister. During play, he prefers to adopt the role of the Sorceress and act as the main antagonist for the other children’s games throughout the summer. Initially, he treats his sister and anyone else who is “evil” as his minions or henchmen; however, over the course of the novel, he learns to treat them as equals and invites them to help him create the Army of Evil. While Jack never explicitly talks about his gender identity, from the moment he is introduced, the novel implies that he feels more comfortable as the Sorceress than as Jack; however, at the same time, he is aware that this trait makes him different from most of his friends.

Jack’s major arc involves learning that he can embrace the elements of “evil” that make him feel more like himself without alienating everyone around him with the antics of his “evil” role. At his lowest moments, his mom and the Knight both reassure him that he is loved no matter what, and this support empowers him to shift his antagonistic relationship toward the rest of the group. This growth is epitomized in the final chapter of the novel, in which Jack selflessly works with the Army of Evil to create an

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