Jamie Reardon has always heard that bad things come in threes. So after his cat, Mister, dies, his father leaves, and his aunt Sapphy has an acc... read full description
reviews
Jul 16, 2008
Kelly
rated it: 
Definitely not as good as her 2008 award winner, So B. It, this has similar themes surrounding the main character. The young boy in this story has an Aunt that suffers from memory loss. In So B. It, the young female character has a mother struggling with memory loss, but it is more severe and has many other complications.
I cried several times at the end of So B. It, because I was really attached to the characters. I didn't feel the same about this book, although Weeks deals really More...
I cried several times at the end of So B. It, because I was really attached to the characters. I didn't feel the same about this book, although Weeks deals really More...
Aug 30, 2008
Kelly
rated it: 
I adored Heidi in her novel So B. It, so I was eager to read this one as well. I think what makes her books so good is that the characters and the way they see the world are so charming, innocent, but still wise. I listened to both of these books on audio, so I'm curious if I would feel differently if I had read them.
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Jul 21, 2008
Kate
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I am not sure I agree with this being a teen book, other than for content. The main character is in 5th grade. 11 years old. The writing is fairly simple, and except for the thing that Jamie wants to forget (which is never described in complete detail), it's an upper elementary or middle school book.
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Jun 13, 2011
Fire_Dragon_
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It was so good, i finished it in one sitting, but when i told my mom, she didn't belive me :(
I read a couple reviews for this book after I read it and was surpirised that it didn't get five stars. IT DESERVES 5 STARS! Most of the other peoplle who gave it 4 stars instead said that her other book, SO. B. IT was better. Since I loved this book, I am most definatly read that other book! Urg! This book is sooo good! I think it's gonna stay with me forever ( or atleast a very long time) ^ More...
I read a couple reviews for this book after I read it and was surpirised that it didn't get five stars. IT DESERVES 5 STARS! Most of the other peoplle who gave it 4 stars instead said that her other book, SO. B. IT was better. Since I loved this book, I am most definatly read that other book! Urg! This book is sooo good! I think it's gonna stay with me forever ( or atleast a very long time) ^ More...
Nov 21, 2008
Alexis
rated it:
Beautiful but painful. I loved So B. It so I knew I would probably love this book too. HOWEVER: As an adult, it's very hard to read. I'm not sure who I would recommend this book to in terms of my children patrons. It's got child sexual abuse at the center of it, and I would feel a little uncomfortable introducing a kid to that if they were otherwise oblivious. It is done very subtly, so that nothing is graphic or inappropriate, but it's still a major issue. This book I find myself recommending t
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Jan 18, 2011
Richelle
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I love the title of the book and how it relates to the story. I found myself thinking about the title and the ways it symbolizes things that happened in the lives of both the characters of Jamie and his aunt Sapphy. This seems like it would be a great upper elementary book, but because it has a character dealing with sexual abuse, it would probably be only be appropriate for middle school. I thought the book was very well written on lots of levels and look forward to reading more books from a
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Dec 22, 2011
Jennifer
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Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
JUMPING THE SCRATCH is best described as a story about forgetting. For eleven-year-old Jamie, it's about forgetting an event that has traumatized him. For Sapphy, his aunt, it's about forgetting anything and everything that happens to her on a daily basis. But let's back up just a little bit...
Jamie Reardon has moved to Traverse City, Michigan, from Battle Creek, where he once had a real home, a mom and dad to always fix whatever was wr More...
JUMPING THE SCRATCH is best described as a story about forgetting. For eleven-year-old Jamie, it's about forgetting an event that has traumatized him. For Sapphy, his aunt, it's about forgetting anything and everything that happens to her on a daily basis. But let's back up just a little bit...
Jamie Reardon has moved to Traverse City, Michigan, from Battle Creek, where he once had a real home, a mom and dad to always fix whatever was wr More...
May 18, 2008
Anggia
rated it: 
I like this book.
Jamie and his mother moved to live with his aunt, who had an accident in her workplace, in a cherry factory. This accident had made his aunt unable to remember anything more than 30 minutes, but she could still remember all her past until before the accident. So it's just like a CD that had a scratch on it and whenever being played it will repeat the same part again and again.
His father had left him and his mother for another woman. Since then he never me More...
Jamie and his mother moved to live with his aunt, who had an accident in her workplace, in a cherry factory. This accident had made his aunt unable to remember anything more than 30 minutes, but she could still remember all her past until before the accident. So it's just like a CD that had a scratch on it and whenever being played it will repeat the same part again and again.
His father had left him and his mother for another woman. Since then he never me More...
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Jun 13, 2008
Julie
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I really enjoyed this book. You can't help but love the protagonist. And his new friend Audrey is just as likable in her own quirky way. Not to mention, my favorite artist "Ol' Blue Eyes" gets a nod.
I have read a lot of reviews that say the book is too predictable. I, for one, was actually surprised at the end. Don't get me wrong, the author really leads you down the path with the foreshadowing, but I kept thinking, "there is no way that this book will go there. More...
I have read a lot of reviews that say the book is too predictable. I, for one, was actually surprised at the end. Don't get me wrong, the author really leads you down the path with the foreshadowing, but I kept thinking, "there is no way that this book will go there. More...
Dec 03, 2008
Sandy
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This is a great story about a young boy named Jamie and how he deals with a very traumatic experience in his life. His coping mechanism is trying to forget. It also is a good story dealing with family relationships and finding friendships in unexpected places. There is a really good part of the story where a visiting "Arthur" comes to Jamie's school and he takes an interest in Jamie. However, Jamie's teacher is depicted in a very bad light. I enjoyed the book very much.
Oct 24, 2009
Sandy
rated it:
In this realistic fiction story, you don't find out what Jamie's big secret is until the very end, though it's slightly eluded to just a couple of times throughout the story. I felt bad for Jamie from the moment he's introduced in the first page of the book because he carries around a terrible burden which affects him every minute of every day. And it's not what you think it is.
Dec 16, 2009
BRENDA
rated it:
I am always on the lookout for worthwhile books for jr. high aged kids to read and enjoy. And something about this age group seems to gravitate to "sad" books or problem books. This is a book that deals with a loner young boy who feels picked on and terribly distraught about an incident that he will not acknowledge out loud to himself.
Fortunately a young girl forces him to open up a little to her and eventually we learn his sad secret. But with his acknowledgment of his More...
Fortunately a young girl forces him to open up a little to her and eventually we learn his sad secret. But with his acknowledgment of his More...
Oct 15, 2008
Prairie
rated it:
This book deals with forgetting and remembering. Jamie's aunt Sapphy has suffered an accident that has caused her to have amnesia. She can remember the past but has no short or long term memory of the present. She cannot form new memories. Jamie and his mother have come to live with Sapphy to care for her and help her unlock her amnesia. At the same time, Jamie suffers acutely from a memory that he cannot forget and wants desperately to expunge. The story is well written and moves along wit
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Jul 12, 2008
Lisa
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This book deals with forgetting and remembering. Jamie's aunt Sapphy has suffered an accident that has caused her to have amnesia. She can remember the past but has no short or long term memory of the present. She cannot form new memories. Jamie and his mother have come to live with Sapphy to care for her and help her unlock her amnesia. At the same time, Jamie suffers acutely from a memory that he cannot forget and wants desperately to expunge. The story is well written and moves along wit
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Apr 05, 2011
I really liked this book it really caught my attention and I was happy it did. I have been trying to find a book like this one for awhile but I haven't been able to find one that is one of the sad parts for me :( ahah but anyways I would DEFINITELY recommend this book for people it is a really good book. :)
Oct 15, 2010
Erin
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I read this book because it received a request for reconsideration within my library system. As a person who has worked with children for all of my adult life, I really struggled with it, because the little boy who is the main character in the book is obviously so traumatized by an event from his past.
Jul 17, 2009
Tracy
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Dang this woman can write! I would give this 5 stars, because it is amazing, but I save those for books I want to read over and over. This book is partly about child abuse (though thankfully she makes it clear what happened without actually being graphic), and it gave me a sick pit in my stomach as if it had happened to me, so I don't want to read it again. However, the characters are unique and wonderfully alive. I expect this story will stay with me for a very long time.
Apr 21, 2010
Ragan
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This is a story about a kid dealing with the aftermath of abuse. One of the great things about it is that it focuses more on the kids feelings of fear afterwards and how he starts to get past it. The incident isn't even really described which I think is great.
Feb 23, 2011
Lia
rated it:
Excellently written. Weeks really has a gift for concise description. The relationships between the characters feel real, which makes the healing aspect of the story work even if the ending is truncated to lessen the hard impact of the book. Great reader.
Sep 22, 2008
Molly
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Jamie Reardon is hiding a terrible secret. And, rather than risk anyone finding out, he has shut down. He barely speaks to his mother or aunt; he desperately avoids the attentions of his classmates, and he absolutely never volunteers answers in class. Juxtaposed against Jamie's yearning to forget, is his aunts struggle to remember. She developed amnesia after a nasty head injury, and Jamie and his mother are trying to help. This experience coupled with a very unwilling friendship with a rather q
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Aug 12, 2009
Rshelite
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This book is about a boy who moves with his mother to help his aunt because she has had and accident at work and has lost her short term memory. He has trouble with a bully on the bus and his new teacher until he meets a friend.
Dec 10, 2009
April
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This was a very original story of a broken family and the effects it has on the main character a boy names Jamie. It illustrates the power of friendship and the strength of family. It has a happy ending which I always love!
Nov 05, 2009
Lori
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This was a really good story about friendship. It contains some sensitive issues but they are dealt with in an appropriate manner. Anyone who liked the author's other book, So B.It, would also like this one.
Oct 03, 2010
Beth/Sr. Elizabeth
rated it:
Jamie's "normal-as-cornflakes" life has been turned upside down with his parents' divorce, moving to a new home, his aunt's accident, and the one thing he can't forget...
Oct 13, 2010
Kelly
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I listened to this one-quick and enjoyable. I didn't find Jamie particularly likeable, but I felt like I got to know him and I felt protective of him.
Mar 01, 2009
Charles
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We listened to this book as a family. It was a good book for stimulating discussion that was age appropriate about about abuse and avoiding abuse.
Mar 24, 2010
Kellie
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I liked this book a lot. It's another awesome book about how someone's life has been changed for the better after so many bad things.
Apr 15, 2007
Erin
rated it:
Do bad things really happen in threes? Jamie Reardon sure thinks so...in the past year, he's watched:
1.) His father leave
2.) His cat die
3.) His aunt suffer from an accident at work.
Aunt Sapphy hasn't been the same since the accident at the cherry factory that caused her memory to skip, much like her Frank Sinatra records. Sapphy cannot make new memories, so it seems as though she goes around and around. Jamie wants to find the trigger that will More...
1.) His father leave
2.) His cat die
3.) His aunt suffer from an accident at work.
Aunt Sapphy hasn't been the same since the accident at the cherry factory that caused her memory to skip, much like her Frank Sinatra records. Sapphy cannot make new memories, so it seems as though she goes around and around. Jamie wants to find the trigger that will More...
Jun 19, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
I really like the way Sarah Weeks writes. So B. It is one of my favorite go to books to hand a reluctant teen reader. I will now add Jumping the Scratch to my list. A sensitive story that is a one-sitting-read. The character development is wonderful and thoughtful.
Nov 17, 2008
Merica
rated it:
Sarah Weeks draws heavily on her experience with writing workshop in the classroom. There are several excerpts that illustrate why it is important for teachers to provide an authentic workshop experience for children; however, Weeks falls short in that Jamie never actually writes about his life, which I believe would have provided an excellent outlet for his frustration. Overall, a good read that deals with a difficult issue without getting too graphic for youngsters. Don't forget to read the
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