Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles (ISBN:0763639494)

English (US)

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		Jumping Off Swings
	
				(3 reviews)			
(14 Readers)

			Jo Knowles		
	
One pregnancy. Four friends. It all adds up to a profound time of change in this poignant, sensitively written YA novel.Ellie remembers how the boys...more
 One pregnancy. Four friends. It all adds up to a profound time of change in this poignant, sensitively written YA novel.Ellie remembers how the boys kissed her. Touched her. How theybegged for more. And when she gave it to them, she felt loved. For awhile anyway. So when Josh, an eager virgin with a troubled home life, leads her from a party to the backseat of his van, Ellie follows. But their "one-time thing" is far from perfect: Ellie gets pregnant. Josh reacts with shame and heartbreak, while their confidantes, Caleb and Corinne, deal with their own complex swirl of emotions. No matter what Ellie chooses, all four teenagers will be forced to grow up a little faster as a result. Told alternately from each character’s point of view, this deeply insightful novel explores the aftershocks of the biggest decision of one fragile girl’s life — and the realities of leaving innocence behind.   less

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
While I didn't find this book to be a mind shattering piece of literature, it did give me some food for thought regarding parenting and how lack of parental involvement and physical, non-sexual love can affect one's perception of love and interaction as they grow up.  It was also interesting to read a piece that focuses some on the emotions that a male teenage parent may feel when confronted with...more
 While I didn't find this book to be a mind shattering piece of literature, it did give me some food for thought regarding parenting and how lack of parental involvement and physical, non-sexual love can affect one's perception of love and interaction as they grow up.  It was also interesting to read a piece that focuses some on the emotions that a male teenage parent may feel when confronted with abortion/adoption/birth of a child.   hide

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Hmmm, a bit too much for me.  Storyline was good.  Would like to read more books by Jo Knowles.

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							Jennifer
						
							few weeks ago						
Rather like reading an after-school special. Knowles does well enough writing (despite the annoying rotating first person POV), but one wonders why she bothered. Surely ABC has covered this material before? A bit like a Deb Caletti novel might be if you sucked all the life out of it.

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							A Reader
						
							few weeks ago						
Great Book..

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							Jennifer
						
							few weeks ago						
Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com

Ellie doesn't wonder why she keeps ending up in the same situation with so many guys. She knows that she likes the way they touch her and treat her like she's special, and each time, she hopes that she'll end up with someone who can love her.

But she only ends up heartbroken, and, after the last time with fumbling virgin, Josh, she...more
 Reviewed by Allison Fraclose for TeensReadToo.com

Ellie doesn't wonder why she keeps ending up in the same situation with so many guys. She knows that she likes the way they touch her and treat her like she's special, and each time, she hopes that she'll end up with someone who can love her.

But she only ends up heartbroken, and, after the last time with fumbling virgin, Josh, she ends up with much more than just the emotional aftereffects of a one night stand. A baby is now on the way, and Ellie can't hide the evidence of who she is any longer, since it's popping from her belly for all to see.

Josh had been promised by his friends that there'd be no strings attached with Ellie. However, he can't get over the way she looked at him when he left her there in his father's van. He knows he screwed up, and, now, he's sure of it. Even though he hasn't spoken to Ellie since, the baby that he is destined to never see will haunt him forever, no matter what Ellie decides to do.

For Caleb, Josh's best friend, Ellie's pregnancy turns his feelings for his friends upside down. He can't believe what jerks Josh and the others have been to the girl he's loved since the first grade, but, at the same time, he manages to be the confidant and provide solace to Josh, Ellie, and Ellie's best friend, Corrine.

As one used to picking up the pieces of her friend's bad decisions, Corrine does her best to push Ellie to make the right choices, but even she can only do so much while Ellie deals with her own emotions. As Corrine and Caleb grow closer despite the situation surrounding them, Corrine tries to protect Ellie as best she can from those who only see her for the mistake she made.

This emotional journey takes us right into the minds of these four characters as they all react in their own manner to the most delicate of situations. Full of heart-wrenching turmoil and tricky social balance, the author does an excellent job of showing us the most of these narrators with as few words as possible.   hide

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