Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks

      3.5 Stars - A book that needed to be written

Jamie's life has been turned upside down.  His father left his family with barely a word goodbye.  He left the home he loved to live in a run-down, singlewide trailer with an aunt whom needs constant supervision due to a head injury.  To make matters worse, he was liked and accepted at his last school.  Now he's the target of the school bully.  Jamie wants nothing more than to forget his life, his past, and even his current situation at home and school.  The last person on earth he ever expected to help him was Audrey Krouch.  Audrey - a girl who wears weird clothes and  glasses on her face with no lens.  What Audrey uncovers is a deeply hidden, dark secret- one that Jamie has kept to himself for over a year.   Only until the secret is revealed,  is Jamie finally able to move forward. I like the author of this novel - Sarah Weeks.  The novel she wrote on last year's SCJBA list, So B. It was not one of my favorites.  Jumping the Scratch is also not one of my favorite novels on this list, either.  So, what do I like about her?  Her novels often center on conflicts that are uncommon, and ones that teens deal with BUT NOONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT.    She handles it in a sensitive manner - but also does not downplay the impact these problems have on a young person's life.  Sarah Weeks makes you want to turn the pages and keep reading.  Another bonus about her writing is that it gets to the point.  The plot moves along quickly, and   she   does   not   drag   things   out.  So, if you find that long novels lose your interest, and/or you are in a place in your life that's not so great (as everyone is at times), give Jumping the Scratch a try.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks

  3.5 Stars - A book that needed to be written

Jamie's life has been turned upside down.  His father left his family with barely a word goodbye.  He left the home he loved to live in a run-down, singlewide trailer with an aunt whom needs constant supervision due to a head injury.  To make matters worse, he was liked and accepted at his last school.  Now he's the target of the school bully. 

Jamie wants nothing more than to forget his life, his past, and even his current situation at home and school.  The last person on earth he ever expected to help him was Audrey Krouch.  Audrey - a girl who wears weird clothes and  glasses on her face with no lens.  What Audrey uncovers is a deeply hidden, dark secret- one that Jamie has kept to himself for over a year.   Only until the secret is revealed,  is Jamie finally able to move forward.

I like the author of this novel - Sarah Weeks.  The novel she wrote on last year's SCJBA list, So B. It was not one of my favorites.  Jumping the Scratch is also not one of my favorite novels on this list, either.  So, what do I like about her?  Her novels often center on conflicts that are uncommon, and ones that teens deal with BUT NOONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT.    She handles it in a sensitive manner - but also does not downplay the impact these problems have on a young person's life.  Sarah Weeks makes you want to turn the pages and keep reading.  Another bonus about her writing is that it gets to the point.  The plot moves along quickly, and   she   does   not   drag   things   out.  So, if you find that long novels lose your interest, and/or you are in a place in your life that's not so great (as everyone is at times), give Jumping the Scratch a try.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

 

3.5 Stars

Lise’s world is turned upside down when her mother is seriously injured in a car accident.  Unable to afford their home or return to work, Lise’s mother decides to move the family back to her childhood home in Maine.  Living on the beach for the summer doesn’t seem so bad at first, but the reality that Lise faces is nothing like what she imagines.  Her mother used to be happy, energetic, and fun.  Now Lise feels as if she has become the parent.  Her mother is quiet and withdrawn - often daydreaming about another time and another world that Lise is not a part of.  The beach house is a worn down tiny shack that doesn’t even have a TV, and the crystal blue ocean is actually bone-piercing cold and impossible to swim in, even in the hottest weather.  Lise has left her best friends behind and finds that none of the popular, cool kids her age live anywhere close to where they’re staying. Lise has a hard time accepting her situation but does her best to take care of her little brother, Free (who does not speak) and her injured mother despite her unhappiness.  Just when she begins to feel there is no hope, a stranger enters their lives.  Michael dated her mother in high school and clearly still cares for her.  Will Lise’s mother let him back into their lives - and back into her heart?  Will Lise find the inner happiness she needs to survive her new world? Sand Dollar Summer shows that even in the face of conflict and hardships, family can pull together and emerge happier and stronger than ever before.

Monday, June 16, 2008

 

3.5 Stars

Lise's world is turned upside down when her mother is seriously injured in a car accident.  Unable to afford their home or return to work, Lise's mother decides to move the family back to her childhood home in Maine.  Living on the beach for the summer doesn't seem so bad at first, but the reality that Lise faces is nothing like what she imagines.  Her mother used to be happy, energetic, and fun.  Now Lise feels as if she has become the parent.  Her mother is quiet and withdrawn - often daydreaming about another time and another world that Lise is not a part of. 

The beach house is a worn down tiny shack that doesn't even have a TV, and the crystal blue ocean is actually bone-piercing cold and impossible to swim in, even in the hottest weather.  Lise has left her best friends behind and finds that none of the popular, cool kids her age live anywhere close to where they're staying.

Lise has a hard time accepting her situation but does her best to take care of her little brother, Free (who does not speak) and her injured mother despite her unhappiness.  Just when she begins to feel there is no hope, a stranger enters their lives.  Michael dated her mother in high school and clearly still cares for her.  Will Lise's mother let him back into their lives - and back into her heart?  Will Lise find the inner happiness she needs to survive her new world?

Sand Dollar Summer shows that even in the face of conflict and hardships, family can pull together and emerge happier and stronger than ever before.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Video was created using Animoto - very cool free tool available for educators!

Science and Technology Day Video

Teachers may register at Animoto and create their own accounts.  Educators are also given a promo code to use that will enable them to use Animoto with full access rights for a year, AND they can let their students create their own accounts for free (after one year, free accounts are still available but with limited picture uploads and video lengths).  Please see me for a generic educator's code if interested.

Can animoto videos be used for instruction?  Absolutely!  This can be utilized to promote events and highlight student achievement, but they also can be created to review key concepts or to introduce essential information in a unique, appealing visual format. 

You can create powerpoint slides, open them with Microsoft paint, and resave them as jpg files.  These can also be uploaded and created into a video. 

Imagine students creating their own videos for vocabulary review! 

The site is very user-friendly and has a music library ready for users to select the song they want.

Here are a few teachers' examples from other subject content areas:

Students Created Science Flash Cards 

Student Artwork

Space and Planets

Magnets and Magnetism

Free at Last - Civil Rights

Recycling

Bill of Rights

Simple Machines

Intro to the Roman Empire

Plants

 Plants Too!

Student created video on Hungary

Sunday, June 01, 2008