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Watching Jimmy
by
Nancy Hartry
Watching Jimmy is impossible-to-put-down; full of danger, warmth, and dark humor. With shocking candor, Carolyn relates what really happened to her best friend, Jimmy, when his uncle chose the perfect time to teach him a lesson he would never forget. The truth is Jimmy didn't fall from a swing like Uncle Ted claims. Carolyn knows - she saw everything.
With the dreadful secr...more
With the dreadful secr...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
September 11th 2012
by Tundra Books
(first published April 14th 2009)
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Carolyn Jamieson has a story to tell. It's not your average everyday story that any normal almost twelve-year-old would tell. You see, Carolyn was high up in a tree one early evening when uncle Ted thought he was alone in the park with her best friend Jimmy. That particular day would change all of their lives forever. Carolyn and Jimmy have lived next door to each other. They spent a lot of time together mostly because Carolyn's mom worked the night shift. Aunt Jean, Jimmy's mom, took care of th...more
I received this book from Library Thing in exchange for an honest review.
This little book was a surprise. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t expect it to be so big for its size. By that I mean, this book may be small but it is jam-packed – in such a nice way.
Nancy Hartry grabbed my attention right away with how she began this tale. She set the scene in chapter one, then hit with a gut-wrenching punch in chapter two. Even so, this interesting – yet painful – story that’s easy to read, easy to fol...more
This little book was a surprise. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t expect it to be so big for its size. By that I mean, this book may be small but it is jam-packed – in such a nice way.
Nancy Hartry grabbed my attention right away with how she began this tale. She set the scene in chapter one, then hit with a gut-wrenching punch in chapter two. Even so, this interesting – yet painful – story that’s easy to read, easy to fol...more
Carolyn and Jimmy are the same age and pretty much related, but not really. They live side-by-side in a duplex and Jimmy's mom babysits Carolyn while her mom works. Uncle Ted, Jimmy's uncle, comes to visit every Thursday but it's not a day that Carolyn looks forward to. Uncle Ted isn't what he appears to be. Uncle Ted says that Jimmy's head got hurt when he fell off a swing, but Caroly saw it all. She saw Uncle Ted driving horribly erratically so that Jimmy was thrown from Uncle Ted's car. That'...more
This was a heartbreaking story that was ultimately hopeful. I ended up reading a lot of books about the mentally ill, and this was another one. The difference with Watching Jimmy is that Jimmy is ill because of abuse, and Carolyn witnessed the incident during which Jimmy was injured. After that, Carolyn takes on Jimmy as her responsibility, almost as a penance for witnessing his abuse at the hands of his uncle. I liked the family dynamics, although there may have been too many complex family tie...more
Historical Fiction - 2009 My librarian asked me to preview this book for her as it is new to our classroom library. It was probably perfect timing after our discussion about censorship/selection. Throughout the text, I found myself questioning having this text in our library. I'm not sure our elementary students are developmentally ready for some of the content in this book. Carolyn, the main character, takes care of her best friend Jimmy who was injured due to physical abuse by his "uncle". Thi...more
Jun 28, 2011
Elizabeth Coates
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-books
As a librarian-to-be, I try to sometimes read kids books as well as adult books. I chose this book for 2 reasons:
1) It was the CLA book of the year in 2010
2) As a Canadian I like to support Canadian authors and this book in particular is actually set in the area of Toronto in which I live!
This was a great story. It's set in the 1950s and the main character is a brave little girl who tries to protect best friend from her abusive and creepy Uncle Ted. Jimmy is brain-damaged from "falling off the s...more
1) It was the CLA book of the year in 2010
2) As a Canadian I like to support Canadian authors and this book in particular is actually set in the area of Toronto in which I live!
This was a great story. It's set in the 1950s and the main character is a brave little girl who tries to protect best friend from her abusive and creepy Uncle Ted. Jimmy is brain-damaged from "falling off the s...more
I'd never heard of this book before I spotted it on LibraryThing's Early Reviewers giveaways. I threw my name in for a shot and ended up winning a copy. Unfortunately, it took me a lot longer to actually get to reading the book than it should have. The book tells the story of what happened to Jimmy while he was under the care of his uncle. The story is told by his neighbor and best friend. I liked that this is just a small portrait of a life, or a set of lives. Nothing big and out there happens,...more
start: i've been asked to read and determine if this is more of a kids' book or a teens' book.
finish: quick read about a poor canadian girl who is strong-willed, talented and smart, an outcast at her school, and determined to keep Jimmy, her best friend, safe from his uncle after an "accident" which left him severely brain-damaged. could be for middle school or upper elementary, doesn't go into great detail about the accident, just as the girl doesn't go into great detail when she talks. short b...more
finish: quick read about a poor canadian girl who is strong-willed, talented and smart, an outcast at her school, and determined to keep Jimmy, her best friend, safe from his uncle after an "accident" which left him severely brain-damaged. could be for middle school or upper elementary, doesn't go into great detail about the accident, just as the girl doesn't go into great detail when she talks. short b...more
My 10 year-old step-daughter handed me this very strange and dark YA novella to return to the library. She said it was depressing but I might like it. She was right.
The themes are pretty complex and grown up - the storyline is tragic and the narrator is hard to shake. Ends well but you are nervous about what (else) will happen to Jimmy the whole way there.
I was 12 when I started reading darker fiction (Hello V.C. Andrews!) - maybe that's something you grow into. I think anyone teen or older (no...more
The themes are pretty complex and grown up - the storyline is tragic and the narrator is hard to shake. Ends well but you are nervous about what (else) will happen to Jimmy the whole way there.
I was 12 when I started reading darker fiction (Hello V.C. Andrews!) - maybe that's something you grow into. I think anyone teen or older (no...more
Carolyn, 11, lives next door to her best friend, Jimmy. In the past, they did everything together but not anymore. Jimmy doesn't do anything the two children liked to do because he now wears diapers after sustaining brain damage. Carolyn watches Jimmy's family and tries to be visiting Jimmy when Uncle Ted comes for his weekly visits. Because Carolyn knows the truth: that Jimmy's injuries didn't come from falling off a swing as Uncle Ted told everyone. This wonderful book combines history (set in...more
This was a very good book. It is dark and a little heavy (revolving as it does around a boy who has brain damage due to child abuse), but the writing is excellent and the story is simply great. There is some question about the age appropriateness for 4-6th grades, and I am definitely not the expert there, but my opinion is that it is. It may not be the best 4th grade read-aloud, but it is definitely worth reading for the Battle of the Books. Heck, this is worth reading for everybody.
More a YA book than a J grade 6 and up
1958- postwar
Carolyn- feisty,smart, strong character
two single mothers raising their children
CLA award winner 2010
A twelve-year-old girl,Carolyn, sees her next-door neighbour and friend, Jimmy, bullied and hurt by his uncle Ted. She keeps this a secret until she just cannot keep it a secret any more.
So many issues are dealt with in this book- intense but well done- promising ending for the two families
1958- postwar
Carolyn- feisty,smart, strong character
two single mothers raising their children
CLA award winner 2010
A twelve-year-old girl,Carolyn, sees her next-door neighbour and friend, Jimmy, bullied and hurt by his uncle Ted. She keeps this a secret until she just cannot keep it a secret any more.
So many issues are dealt with in this book- intense but well done- promising ending for the two families
For a short little book, this one was gripping. Set in post war Canada, a young girl struggles with the truth about what really happened to her best friend who has suffered a brain injury. What rang true the most for me is how differently kids related to adults during what were also MY childhood years, than they do now. Very strong female protagonist who takes the burden of protecting her friend on her own young shoulders
Jimmy "fell off a swing" and now suffers from brain damage. His friend and neighbor, Carolyn, relates what really happened and how her life is impacted by this drastic change in her best friend.
I think kids will have a hard time with the setting of the story (1950's, Canada) because it sounds too much like realistic fiction where you expect it to be contemporary, not historical.
I think kids will have a hard time with the setting of the story (1950's, Canada) because it sounds too much like realistic fiction where you expect it to be contemporary, not historical.
Watching Jimmy is a children's novel for older children. It takes place in the 1950's post World War II in Canada. And it deals with some harsh subjects including poverty; child abuse; health care. It's a very moving story and pertains to the world we live in today.
on the inside cover it says u cant put this book down. it wasn't exaggerating! i seriously COULD NOT put this book down! it was an amazing book and im glad i found it at the library!
Wow - I just clicked on this giveaway and it would seem that I also won a copy of this book as well. I think I shall go out and buy some lottery tickets - so exciting.
I found this to be one of the most disturbing children's books I have ever read. I definitely do not recommend this book for elementary school children.
I bought this book awhile back and i didn't like how the book had no plot or ending. I recommend that you don't waste your time with this book!!
This book is really sticking with me. It's a difficult topic, but handled well, and I couldn't help but cheering our hero on!
It's rare that I read historical fiction for the young, but this is a first class, evocative book.
Beautifully written. It's a tough subject, but the characters are endearing.
One of the best books I've read recently!
This book was just wonderful.
October '09 VOYA 5Q4P
Jimmy is hurt by his uncle and suffers brain damage, although nobody knows this except for the main character. Her determination to keep Jimmy safe and struggle with to tell or not.
The main character was really strong and ultruistic. I don't know how realistic the situation, but I was really drawn to the characters. The morals are utmost in this one.
What a sad story! Fast read!
May 20, 2013
Hannah
marked it as to-read
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Nancy Hartry is the author of two picture books, Hold On, McGinty! and Jocelyn and the Ballerina. Nancy finds inspiration for her stories in the antics of her children and her larger family. Watching Jimmy grew from her short story "Thunderbird Swing," which appeared in Secrets, published by Tundra Books. Watching Jimmy won the Canadian Library Association's Book of the Year for Children Award and...more
More about Nancy Hartry...
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