Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks

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.