Jumpstart the World

Jun 18, 2011 Schuyler Esperanza rated it 5 of 5 stars

I could say this book is an important contribution to the LGBTQ reading community, and it is--but that would be selling the book far too short. Jumpstart the World is indeed an important tale, but it's a grace to many groups: to those of us who have experienced unrequited love, to those of us who ache to belong but are not "mainstream," to we who continually make mistakes but have a strong and gentle heart. In short, this book is for everybody. It would melt the heart of the most hardened homoph...more

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May 14, 2013 Rebekah rated it 3 of 5 stars

The main character in Jumpstart the World is a 16-year-old girl named Elle. Elle has a very strange living situation: At the beginning of the book, Elle is forced to move into her own apartment so that her mother can live with her boyfriend Donald. Elle is not happy with this unconventional arrangement. She has an argument with her mother on the first day that she moves in:

"I really wish you would stop pretending this is fun. And that we’re doing it together. If you tell me one more time that it...more The main character in Jumpstart the World is a 16-year-old girl named Elle. Elle has a very strange living situation: At the beginning of the book, Elle is forced to move into her own apartment so that her mother can live with her boyfriend Donald. Elle is not happy with this unconventional arrangement. She has an argument with her mother on the first day that she moves in:

"I really wish you would stop pretending this is fun. And that we’re doing it together. If you tell me one more time that it’s just like having a wonderful new room, I’m going to scream…This is not fun…It sucks. I hate it. If you’re going to do it, fine. Do it. And if you want to pretend it’s a wonderful adventure, I guess there’s not much I can do to stop you. But I won’t pretend with you."

Some good does come out of the move; Elle’s new neighbors, Frank and Molly, are extremely nice and help her to adapt to her new surroundings. Elle definitely needs this extra care, as her experiences at the new school she’s transitioned to aren’t great. On her first day, a group of boys spray paint “QUEER” on her locker. Things do start to look up when Elle makes friends with a few other teens named Shane, Bob, Bobby, Annabel and Wilbur.

Elle has a bit of a secret: she has a crush on Frank. This presents a few problems. First of all, Frank is older and he has a girlfriend. Second, Frank is transgender, and Elle has trouble coping with what that means about her own sexuality. Elle is forced to accept Frank’s differences, however, when he is severely injured by a car.

I enjoyed Jumpstart the World; it has really good points about how people should treat others fairly. It is not very deep or intellectual, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. It makes it easier for the reader to sympathize with the characters and their various adversities. Jumpstart the World is very simply written, so if you’re looking for a fast read, this is a good choice. Book Club had a criticism that came up during discussion: It seems unlikely that a 16-year-old would be forced to live alone by a mother who is still involved in her life. Jumpstart the World wasn’t my favorite Book Club read because it was so straightforward and did not promote much discussion or debate. Overall, however, Jumpstart the World is worth reading. I end with a quote from Frank about being an active force for good in the world:

"Sometimes you have to jumpstart the world just to get it to be what even the world admits it should be."(less)

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May 11, 2013 Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reminded me somewhat of Lois Lowry's A Summer to Die, just because of the relationship between the young girl going through difficult circumstances and the older couple. Also the photography aspect.

However, I don't quite know how I feel about how many conflicts were packed into this novel and mostly never addressed - and it's quite a short book. In one way, it felt like you were just stepping into a snapshot of the crazy life of a fifteen year old, but in another way, it felt unrealistic. A goo...more

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Nov 19, 2012 Joanna Celeste rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone--no, really, I mean it.

Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde, Alfred A Knopf (2010) 186 pages, $7.99, ISBN 978037596665. (Also available in paperback and ebook format).

Elle is a girl who doesn’t belong anyplace--not even in her own home, after her mother sends her packing to accommodate her latest boyfriend. Elle finds herself thrust into a new apartment, facing the prospect of a new school, and she’s alone. But she’s used to being alone.

Then she meets Frank and Molly, and a gang of friends at school, who are Dif...more Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde, Alfred A Knopf (2010) 186 pages, $7.99, ISBN 978037596665. (Also available in paperback and ebook format).

Elle is a girl who doesn’t belong anyplace--not even in her own home, after her mother sends her packing to accommodate her latest boyfriend. Elle finds herself thrust into a new apartment, facing the prospect of a new school, and she’s alone. But she’s used to being alone.

Then she meets Frank and Molly, and a gang of friends at school, who are Different. Or are they? Elle’s friendship and interactions with them deftly changes what it means to be beautiful, what it means to be special, and what it means to be true to the person that resides inside.

Catherine Ryan Hyde’s style reads is as if we have been given someone’s diary and for just a few hours, we are allowed entrance into their secret world. We sit alongside Elle as she rides through the bumps, bruises and highs of her journey. More than that, Ms. Ryan Hyde captures silence like very few writers can. She takes the moments where everything is still, and she lets them just hold.

Because we read a diary, the exposition does not preach like it might in someone else’s hands. With Ms. Ryan Hyde, the events, feelings and conclusions simply are. The way everything plays out is the only way it ever could; the way we would expect it to if this indeed was a journal capturing a snapshot of someone else’s life.

Jumpstart the World is the story you read in a Saturday afternoon, so you can spend all day Sunday mulling over the imagery and the moments that rang true. Then the people and their lives creep into your heart and get absorbed into your lifeblood and stay with you in ways you can’t begin to imagine a few thousand words possibly can.

Catherine Ryan Hyde delivers yet another deeply honest and raw rendition of what it means to be alive in our current times; somehow she can pull this off for fourteen books straight and it is always haunting and exquisite to see how the lives intertwine, and how the characters find their own kind of happy ending. Not the fairy tale kind, but the kinds that are around us, waiting to be realized, in the world we can reach out and make our own.

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Jun 06, 2012 Lyn rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

Fifteen-year-old Elle's mother moves her out of her home and into an apartment, because her mother's boyfriend doesn't want to deal with a teenager. She tells Elle that this will be good for her and that they'll still see each other frequently.

The first person Elle meets is her next door neighbor Frank. Her mom asks Frank to look after Elle, telling him Elle recently celebrated her eighteenth birthday. Frank offers his friendship and soon Elle has a crush on him even though she knows he's too ol...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Maggie Desmond-O'Brien rated it 5 of 5 stars

If any of my readers bore witness to my Friday night Twitter frenzy, you'll know I was in the midst of frantic revisions to a short story for a contest, and that I didn't take it very well. I still think that story is a piece of crap and can't believe that I actually submitted it, like getting-nasty-adrenaline-tingles-every-time-I-think-about-someone-reading-it kind of can't believe I actually submitted it. It's the first short story I've let anybody read in three years, because writing is terri...more If any of my readers bore witness to my Friday night Twitter frenzy, you'll know I was in the midst of frantic revisions to a short story for a contest, and that I didn't take it very well. I still think that story is a piece of crap and can't believe that I actually submitted it, like getting-nasty-adrenaline-tingles-every-time-I-think-about-someone-reading-it kind of can't believe I actually submitted it. It's the first short story I've let anybody read in three years, because writing is terrifying. It's putting a piece of yourself in someone else's hands, and you never know how they'll deal with it. It's why, no matter how scathing I can get on this blog, anyone who's gone through the ordeal of getting a book in my hands has my respect; those who tackle topics as big and terrifying as Catherine Ryan Hyde does here, my hero worship for all eternity. From the second I read this blurb, I knew I was reading this book. And was I ever not disappointed.

Everything that makes this book work rests on a fundamental principle that the author seems to understand perfectly: any teen that says they haven't questioned their authority, their friends, their sexuality, their place in the world, and most importantly, themselves, is lying. Being a teen is being in flux, and Jumpstart the World captures this with the kind of authenticity that makes me cry big sloppy tears. (Multiple times.)

It's a scenario I imagine most teens would struggle to see themselves in beyond the occasional daydream: our narrator, Elle, lives by herself in an apartment in New York City because her mom's got a douchebag boyfriend who doesn't want to deal with her. She happens to have nice neighbors, and also happens to find herself accepted by the "Us" crowd at high school (a crowd united almost entirely by sexual preference, except, of course, for Elle). Yet somehow it never seems anything other than normal, because the author does such a good job of making Elle us. Not Bella-Swan-Mary-Sue sort of us, but all the real uncertainty and hurt that comes with growing up. One of my favorite passages is early in the book, when someone spray paints a slur on Elle's locker after she cuts her hair:

I'm not gay. Why would somebody paint that on my locker? I'm not gay. Must have been a case of mistaken identity.

Or the haircut.

I thought it made me look like Annie Lennox. I didn't think it made me look gay.

Which I suppose is a nice transition into my thoughts on one of the reasons this book has gotten attention on Twitter and in the book blogosphere: its frank treatment of the LGBTQ community. In a word: brilliant. In another word: brave. Basically, it never veers into "shock" territory, and simply explores gender identity in all its forms - something YA could really use more of. I know I've said in the past on this blog that I'm straight, definitely straight. This probably veers into too-personal territory, but in the past few months I've started realizing I'm closer to bi, or at the very least questioning - and also that that's okay. I wish there were more books like this one that help me remember that that's okay, and not ones that make me feel put in a gender/relationship box. It's sympathetic without being pandering or hitting you over the head with a message. It's respectful. It's realistic. Honestly, this idea, which in a sidebar has restored my belief in the Magical Author Idea Tree, and especially the author's treatment of the idea, is what elevates this book from good to great.

It's so rare that my only real complaint about a book is that it doesn't go on long enough, but that's the case here. It's easily one of the best YA books I've read this year, if not period, and the kind I want to coerce everyone I know into reading. So if you're reading this review, I'm coercing you, and no guarantees it won't be forcibly. (Just kidding. Or am I?) Five out of five stars.(less)

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Nov 23, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbtq, ya

I thoroughly enjoyed this short, simple, slice-of(-odd?)-life book, which I found in an independent bookstore in downtown St. Louis with a small, but surprisingly varied selection of books. I managed to finish the slim book before touching down on my return flight.

Jumpstart the World is a brief peek into a 16-year-old girl's experiences after moving into her own apartment across town (since her mother's current boyfriend doesn't want to have a teenager around). In addition to her problematic re...more I thoroughly enjoyed this short, simple, slice-of(-odd?)-life book, which I found in an independent bookstore in downtown St. Louis with a small, but surprisingly varied selection of books. I managed to finish the slim book before touching down on my return flight.

Jumpstart the World is a brief peek into a 16-year-old girl's experiences after moving into her own apartment across town (since her mother's current boyfriend doesn't want to have a teenager around). In addition to her problematic relationship with her mother, the main character, Elle, is, like many teenagers, self-conscious about her appearance and sorely in need of good friends. Elle becomes fast friends with her neighbor Frank, in addition to developing a crush on him. Elle, who is heterosexual, becomes confused by her feelings for Frank when she finds out that he is FMT, female-to-male transgender.

Although I enjoyed the topics touched upon in this novel, which covers those in any coming-of-age novel oriented toward teenagers such as parent-child relationships, developing meaningful friendships, personal expression, and first loves as well as those of gender identity and personal perception of beauty, the situation that allows for the exploration of these ideas feels a bit contrived. It's just a little too convenient that Elle is able to live on her own, that her first love happens to be FMT, that she develops a passion for photography as a form of self-expression and social justice when Frank's partner just happens to be a photographer as well, and that "dyke" gets spray-painted on her locker the first day of class because she shaves off all her hair. Maybe it's just because Elle lives in New York and these events are more likely there, but throw in a schizophrenic neighbor, and a plot-convenient car accident, and the reader might get quite a good sense of the man behind the curtain.

That said, however, the interactions between the characters are honest, sometimes realistic to the point that it feels awkward as it would or did when something similar was happening to you in real life. I would recommend this book to teenagers, especially those who are GLBTQ. (less)

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Sep 30, 2011 Jessica Day rated it 4 of 5 stars

Unfortunately I only managed to finish one banned book during banned books week, however I was pleased with the book I finished. Jumpstart the World is a good one! It may not be the next Hunger Games, but it definitely is a unique coming-of-age story. The characters are realistic and I especially liked how relateble they are. This is where my rant begins.

In Jumpstart the World, there was many a time where I identified with Elle. Especially when she found out Frank was transgender and started av...more Unfortunately I only managed to finish one banned book during banned books week, however I was pleased with the book I finished. Jumpstart the World is a good one! It may not be the next Hunger Games, but it definitely is a unique coming-of-age story. The characters are realistic and I especially liked how relateble they are. This is where my rant begins.

In Jumpstart the World, there was many a time where I identified with Elle. Especially when she found out Frank was transgender and started avoiding him. While I don't know anyone who is transgender, I did have an alarming moment in 8th grade where some of my friends "came-out" and told me they were gay/bi. Immediately I began to treat them different. It was weird seeing my friend, lets call her Stacy, in the gym changing with us. I feel uncomfortable around her because," hey, she's bi, therefore she must be checking all of us out in the locker room." I was stupid. Our friendships were weird for a long time, until eventually I had pushed it aside. However all it took was Freshman year of high school to resurface. The GLBST (Gay Lesbian Bi Straight Transgender) Club had a Day of Silence Event and one of my friends took part. It only took one person to say a very degrading comment to my friend for me to get very, very angry. I joined the Event that day. After all, no matter who you are attracted to, you're a living, breathing human being.

However people tend to overlook that. It just makes me so angry. Even in the YA lit world, there's a lot of hate on the GLBT community. I've heard of plenty of books where the gay character had to be removed before the book would be punished. On the other hand there are plenty YA books with GBF (Gay Best Friend) characters, who simply help the self-esteem of the main character, and help them to guy-shop. I don't know about anyone else but I know none of me GLBST friends are like that. Obviously it's well-known that GLBST books don't sell as well as others, and don't become as popular as quickly. I believe it is because plenty of people are prejudice against or aren't educated about people of that sort. People are weirded out by, or make fun of, people they think are different. I think we just need to see people for who they are and not by what color their skin is or their sexual preference. Otherwise society will never improve. People should have the right to marry who they want to or go on dates in public or go to the hospital, without being worried about what others will say or do. The same goes for the book market. It should be easier to go find a book with GLBST characters in it who aren't stereotypical. It should be easy to find these books, but schools ban them.

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Feb 11, 2011 Susan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read_and_review, ya_realistic

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Hyde flirts with didacticism, even if she doesn't outright commit to it. There are a lot of choices characters make in order to drive the story along in the right direction: Elle's mother abandons her daughter alone halfway across town; Elle is a loner with no friends and apparently no other family; even Elle's cat wants nothing to do with her; Elle cuts her hair and gets bullied at school for being gay; Elle makes friends with a group of gay students (except that Annabel has a prominent birthma...more Hyde flirts with didacticism, even if she doesn't outright commit to it. There are a lot of choices characters make in order to drive the story along in the right direction: Elle's mother abandons her daughter alone halfway across town; Elle is a loner with no friends and apparently no other family; even Elle's cat wants nothing to do with her; Elle cuts her hair and gets bullied at school for being gay; Elle makes friends with a group of gay students (except that Annabel has a prominent birthmark on her face instead of being gay to make her a school outcast--I don't even know where to go with equating her mark to being gay, plus she's randomly dropped out of the story in the middle anyway, so why bother putting her in in the first place?); Frank gets hurt (and can I just say, I was so relieved it was a random accident) so Elle can realize her feeling and make amends....Just a chain of events leading Elle to her big epiphany.

I've talked about Elle a lot, right? Well, she's the point of view character, but this is also all about Elle, another priveleged white girl learning lessons. Do we seriously need another one of these books? Why not Frank's story? Why not Wilbur's?

Elle's relationship with Wilbur is more believable than her crush on/love for Frank. This is a very short book and Hyde didn't spend enough time developing the relationship between Frank and Elle. She also has Elle telling us her feelings all the time instead of Hyde showing them through revealing prose.

Things that really made me want to slap the daylights out of Elle: she has a special iPod just for listening to Janis Joplin; she calmly informs her mother that her mother will keep paying for Elle's apartment, like or not, because "Independence has no reverse gear;" her email address is independence16 (apparently she either didn't have email before she left her mother's apartment or she is really in love with her new self-image); she adopts a cat just to upset her mother, makes no effort to properly care for him, and then feels sorry for herself when he doesn't love her right away.

Things pull together a little more at the end. I would have rated this higher until I started remembering how irritating the whole first half was.(less)

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Jan 10, 2011 Kendra rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book received lots of critical acclaim, and it has a cat on the cover, so I was excited to read it. I liked it more than I disliked it, but there were just a couple of things with the overall premise of the book that made big parts of it unbelievable to me. The story begins with almost-16-year-old Elle being dumped off in her own new apartment in NYC because her mom's new boyfriend doesn't want to live with a teenager. This means Elle will be living alone, in a new part of the city and atte...more

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Jan 07, 2011 Beth G. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, new-york-city, fiction, library-books, queer, glbt, books-for-teens, author-female, 5-star

Lately I've been noticing how people have these ways of accidentally letting you see what's important to them.

Just days before her sixteenth birthday, Elle moves into a new apartment. Alone. Except for a one-eyed cat she's just rescued from the pound. Her mother would rather pay to put her teenage daughter up in an apartment in New York City than risk losing her boyfriend, Donald. The first neighbor Elle meets is Frank, an older guy who sparks an unexpected attraction in Elle. When she learns th...more

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Jan 05, 2011 AnnaBnana rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction

I applaud Hyde for tackling the topic of transgender in a YA novel. I think she did a great job with it overall. The story is about Elle, an almost 16-year-old who has been dropped off at her own apartment across town when her mom meets a man that doesn't care for teenagers. Elle lives with an antisocial cat and almost immediately bonds with her neighbors, Frank and Molly. She also meets a group of eclectic friends at school and starts to adjust to her new situation. The problem arises when Elle...more

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Nov 29, 2010 Kristina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbt, fiction, young-adult

Read the full review @ Frazzled Book Nommer

There is so much I want to say about this novel, but I don’t want to make this too long, so I’ll try to keep it as brief as I can.

Jumpstart the World is about acceptance and learning to adapt and to trust. A huge chunk of the book revolves around the way Elle reacts to and deals with finding out her neighbor, and crush, Frank is a transgender. She does a lot of thinking and reevaluating her beliefs, because that revelation shocks her so much and she has...more Read the full review @ Frazzled Book Nommer

There is so much I want to say about this novel, but I don’t want to make this too long, so I’ll try to keep it as brief as I can.

Jumpstart the World is about acceptance and learning to adapt and to trust. A huge chunk of the book revolves around the way Elle reacts to and deals with finding out her neighbor, and crush, Frank is a transgender. She does a lot of thinking and reevaluating her beliefs, because that revelation shocks her so much and she has no idea how to handle it. The narrative is honest – as honest as a sixteen year old can get – and full of interesting and different perspectives on everyday issues.

Elle really surprised me. I started out disliking her (because she sounded too similar to me, but more harsh), but over time, I felt myself loving her for her personality. She starts out as a loner – as someone who pretends that being alone is okay and that she needs no one. In the end, she blossoms into this independent young woman who knows how to count on others and to let people in and wants to be directly involved in activism. Her transformation is visible – you can see she makes an effort to make friends and struggles with transforming the ideals she’s held from the beginning. She adapts to her situations as needed. She doesn’t always make the best decisions, but that’s what’s great about her: she’s sixteen and totally flawed.

One very prevalent aspect of this book I noticed was the similarity between Elle and her cat, Toto. It was almost as if Elle was the embodiment of Toto’s personality. Toto wasn’t beautiful, no one wanted him, and he shut everyone out/hid all the time. Elle could relate to this – she stated that she did not need people. Yet both Elle and Toto made amazing transformations – they just needed someone to love (Frank with Elle; Elle with Toto) them for them to flourish, thrive, and break out of their shells.

There was no romance in the book, per se, but Elle was always dealing with her feelings of love with Frank. Frank, of course, never returned those particular feelings – he had a girlfriend – but they shared a different kind of love, one that was comfortably settled between friendship and romance. And it worked that way – you could tell they both loved each other very much, just not in the way Elle would have liked, and it was very tender reading about their more-than-friends-but-not-lovers exchanges.

Overall, Jumpstart the World is a novel that surprised me, really. I didn’t think I’d like it as much as I did – I had initial reservations because Elle seemed so close-minded, whereas I’m more open-minded, so I wasn’t sure how that would work well. It did, though. The pacing was great and the narrative was honest; I genuinely enjoyed experiencing Elle struggle with her ideals. The issues involved with sexuality were very interesting, but I thought they could be developed a bit more. I loved the similarities between Elle and her cat, Toto, and the idea that all you need is someone to love you for who you are.(less)

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Nov 26, 2010 Melanie Goodman added it

In Jumpstart the World, Elle is left on her own in an apartment when her mom’s new boyfriend doesn’t want her around anymore. Elle quickly befriends her neighbor, Frank, as well as a group of predominantly LGBTQ friends at school. While Elle is accepting of her friend’s sexualities, things become more complicated when she finds out that Frank is transgender. Elle has feelings for Frank despite the fact that he is older and in a relationship, but his sexuality causes her to question her own. What...more In Jumpstart the World, Elle is left on her own in an apartment when her mom’s new boyfriend doesn’t want her around anymore. Elle quickly befriends her neighbor, Frank, as well as a group of predominantly LGBTQ friends at school. While Elle is accepting of her friend’s sexualities, things become more complicated when she finds out that Frank is transgender. Elle has feelings for Frank despite the fact that he is older and in a relationship, but his sexuality causes her to question her own. What does it mean that she is in love with someone who is transgender?

Frank’s sexuality is approached with great care, and while Hyde’s treatment of the character is not moralistic or preachy, it is educational for whose with little knowledge or experience with transgender people. I learned a great deal about the surgery and medical procedures involved, as well as the possible complications of staying in the hospital for someone who is transgender. Ultimately, though, I was reminded once again that the story of a person of any sexuality is above all a human story, and that all humans deserve respect.

To add to my respect for Catherine Ryan Hyde, I can tell that she is an author who loves animals as much as I do. Toto, Elle’s cat, is a character as fully developed as any human in her story. Elle picks Toto out as an act of rebellion against her mother. Toto is a snarly and unfriendly cat, not the sort her mother would ever pick out. Toto, much like Elle, simultaneously desires and fears human contact. He hides in closest while Elle hides behind her short haircut and bad attitude, sneaking out to investigate Elle only on his own terms. Ironically, it is Toto in part who helps Elle developed a friendship with Frank, who is a vet tech.

Throughout this beautiful novel, Elle, Frank, Toto, and others work through issues of identity, sexuality, and trust together. It is a short, but powerful, book that you will have trouble putting down. The book is also punctuated with brilliant and hilarious chapter titles. I dare you not to laugh when you come across titles like “The Heartbreak of Too Many Guys Named Bob” and “Mascara, and Other Things That Run.” Just skimming through the chapter headings cracks me up. I loved this book, and I’m glad that I was able to give one copy away and share it with somebody else. I’m going to be passing my own copy around to friends for a long time to come!(less)

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Nov 24, 2010 Paula Gallagher rated it 5 of 5 stars

Bravo to Catherine Ryan Hyde for tackling a topical issue in a way that doesn't feel preachy or over-the-top. 16 year-old Elle is installed in her own apartment(okay, suspend a little disbelief here)by her narcissistic, self-involved mother. A loner by nature, Elle is also about to start a new school. In defiance of her mother she does two things: adopts a surly shelter cat and gives herself a long-ish buzz cut, shearing away her lush red hair.

The new 'do causes an immediate problem, along with...more

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Nov 01, 2010 Joli rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010

Jumpstart the World begins with Elle and her mother choosing a cat from the animal shelter which sixteen year old Elle will take to her apartment where Elle will be living. Alone. Not too much back story is given about why Elle is moving out or about the dynamics of her relationship with her mother. Unfortunately this is where the story begins to fall apart for me (at the very beginning). As Elle is moving into her apartment, she meets her neighbor, Frank, and she immediately has a fondness for...more

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Nov 01, 2010 Teen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audience-h-s, lgbtiq, realistic-fiction

Elle’s mom’s new boyfriend doesn’t like teenagers, so Elle is forced to live in an apartment on her own. On the first day she moves in, she meets a kind young man, Frank, upon whom she quickly develops a serious crush. But when Elle learns Frank is transgender, she’s forced to re-evaluate many of her assumptions about the world – and her relationships with other people.

Hyde’s book is a quick read featuring well-developed characters who confront their own prejudices in an honest, messy fashion....more

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Oct 28, 2010 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: yal-with-lgbtq-content

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book begins with fifteen-year-old Elle moving into her own apartment because her mother’s boyfriend doesn’t want Elle around. When Elle moves into her new place, with some trepidation, she gets a new, ugly cat from the pound, whom she names Toto, and she meets her new neighbors, Frank and Molly. Elle feels an immediate attraction to Frank, who is gentle and who listens in a way that no one else ever has. Their relationship never moves beyond friendship, but Elle isn’t prepared when she lear...more

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Oct 21, 2010 Liza rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bfya2011, young-adult

I read Hyde's Pay It Forward when it was first published over 10 years ago. I remember enjoying it, but finding the ridiculously emotional plot twists to be about as over the top as they could get. I passed on watching the movie version.

I was curious about this book, written for teens, with such a hot-button-issue premise. I figured it would be a tome designed for dozens of ridiculously emotional plot twists.

While there were some plot twists, I felt they were completely reasonable, and the singu...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Gaby Melara rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book called "Jumpstart the World" is about a sixteen years old girl name Elle who's relationship with her mother is not the best. Her mom basically chooses her boyfriend over her,so she sent her to live in a apartment by herself where she meets this guy named Frank who is many years older than her. Since she saw Frank from the very first time she liked him and can not stop thinking about him. Since Elle moved to her new apartment Frank have offer her his friendship and helped her in many th...more This book called "Jumpstart the World" is about a sixteen years old girl name Elle who's relationship with her mother is not the best. Her mom basically chooses her boyfriend over her,so she sent her to live in a apartment by herself where she meets this guy named Frank who is many years older than her. Since she saw Frank from the very first time she liked him and can not stop thinking about him. Since Elle moved to her new apartment Frank have offer her his friendship and helped her in many things so Elle started feeling something for Frank. "Frank is the type of guy that's hard not to like" Says Elle.

Based on what I've read so far about the book i think this book is great.! I really enjoy reading it everything i start to read it. It's a very catchy book that grabs the reader's attention really fast. Also this book is a good book for a teenager like me to read because Elle's life story makes a connection with my life,so i really understand what her life is having to deal with her mother's boyfriend and the fact that she does not feel like she has a mother because her mother is never there for her.

At the beginning of the book i noticed that this book had caught my attention really fast which is rare. Every time i read a book it usually starts very slow and boring, but this book actually was not.This book is very fun and interesting at the same time. I liked that the reader used very good grammar which makes the reader read even more.Before i started reading the book i was wondering what the cover meant. I Really thought it was a scary book but as soon as i started reading it i found out the true meaning of the book cover. It really fits and describes the story.

I definitely loved this book even though i'm still reading it. I enjoy every page i read because it's just a great book. I will definitely recommend this book to a friend because i know she will enjoy it as much as i am. Its a great book and the story is interesting. Thanks to Catherine Ryan Hyde for providing such an excellent book like Jumstart the World. I really hope to read more books as interesting as this one. (less)

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May 18, 2011 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: glbtq, young-adult-literature

"'I sort of like the idea of activism,' I said. 'Except that part of me doesn't. Yeah. Real articulate. I know. Let me think what I'm trying to say here. Sometimes I feel like people who want to oppress people . . . well, they need people to feel oppressed. Like it's a dance. Like it takes two, you know? And maybe they couldn't even do it without you. I'm still not saying it right. Sometimes I think fighting against something only makes it stronger.'

I looked up briefly. Thank God he was not look...more "'I sort of like the idea of activism,' I said. 'Except that part of me doesn't. Yeah. Real articulate. I know. Let me think what I'm trying to say here. Sometimes I feel like people who want to oppress people . . . well, they need people to feel oppressed. Like it's a dance. Like it takes two, you know? And maybe they couldn't even do it without you. I'm still not saying it right. Sometimes I think fighting against something only makes it stronger.'

I looked up briefly. Thank God he was not looking at me. He was still wrapping the bandage. Watching his own work.

He nodded slightly. 'Sounds like what you're saying is that you have the luxury of opting out of prejudice. I don't.'"

Right before her sixteenth birthday, Elle's mother helps her move into her own apartment in New York City. This is not by Elle's choice; her mother's new boyfriend doesn't want a teenager around the apartment, so he insists that Elle go off to live on her own, and Elle's mother complies. Elle is furious at her mother, which is not unusual, but is now faced with having to do everything for herself, including start a new school year. When she meets her nextdoor neighbors, Frank and Molly, she knows she's not alone, and that she has help if she needs it. But she also finds herself attracted to Frank; he's older, but there's something kind and gentle about him that draws Elle. Molly and Frank welcome Elle into their home, and become near-parents to her. Elle also makes some new friends at school, but when they reveal their suspicion that Frank is a FTM (female to male) transgender, Elle is furious with them. But their suspicions are later confirmed, and Elle has to wrestle with her feelings about Frank's situation, and her own belief that she may never find someone else who truly knows her. When Frank is seriously injured in an accident, Elle must face the idea of confronting her feelings about Frank, or simply drifting out of his life forever.

This is a quick, well-paced, sweet book. I appreciated that Elle went through a range of emotions (confusion, anger, denial) when she learned the truth about Frank; quick acceptance would not have been in her character, especially when her own feelings for Frank were developing so quickly. Hyde has also drawn a strong cast of supporting characters, including Wilbur, Molly, and Frank himself. In learning to accept Frank as he is, Elle also learns that she can have an affect on her world in positive, subtle ways. This is a well-written addition to YA, which has far too few fleshed-out transgender characters. (less)

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Jan 15, 2011 Trisha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-read

The Short and Sweet of It
Elle finds herself crushing on her next door neighbor in this moving coming-of-age story. A simply told tale, Jumpstart the World lightly questions sexuality and the role gender identity plays while simultaneously looking at the role of friendship in a young girl's life.

A Bit of a Ramble
When Elle's mother kicks her out because of her boyfriend, Elle moves into her own apartment, right next door to Frank and Molly. Frank is different; he's gentle and listens to her and ma...more The Short and Sweet of It
Elle finds herself crushing on her next door neighbor in this moving coming-of-age story. A simply told tale, Jumpstart the World lightly questions sexuality and the role gender identity plays while simultaneously looking at the role of friendship in a young girl's life.

A Bit of a Ramble
When Elle's mother kicks her out because of her boyfriend, Elle moves into her own apartment, right next door to Frank and Molly. Frank is different; he's gentle and listens to her and makes her realize that maybe being a loner isn't all it's cracked up to be. Despite his girlfriend, Elle finds herself crushing on this man 15 years her senior. But then she finds out that he's trans* and her world is shaken.

I loved the delicate nature of this book. While it deals with some really deep issues, the book stays sincere and realistic in its treatment of important themes. For example, the story starts out with a significant thought told simply. Elle points out how her mother consistently uses the words beautiful and ugly without even realizing it. Elle claims that this tendency reveals a significant part of her mother's character: "Lately I've been noticing how people have these ways of accidentally letting you see what's important to them. I know it doesn't sound like any big deal. But it is to me. Because I'm not beautiful. And we both know it." I love this commentary on how the use of language, unconscious word choices, can not only reveal a person's psyche, but can also affect those who are hearing the language.

Later in the novel, Elle contemplates her feelings for Frank, after finding out he is trans*. "Why did I still feel the same way about him? How could it still be like that? But a little voice in the back of my head - well, not exactly in the back of my head, more like in a spot over my head - said "why" and "how" questions were almost never helpful. Things either aren't or they are. All the wondering in the world won't make things anything but just what they are."

While I don't necessarily agree 100% with that sentiment, I can see the simple logic of it. It's like trying to figure out why I love my husband. I could list all of his positive points, but many people are also smart and kind and fun and caring. I love my husband because I love him. In this case, I really thought Elle's understanding of the basic nature of her feelings impressive as she is so young and her situation so difficult for her.

I was also really impressed by something Amy of Amy Reads expressed quite precisely in her review of this book: "She doesn’t struggle with who HE is, but rather who SHE herself is." This sort of acceptance of difference while simultaneously addressing the issue is how things should be in literature! Another awesome blogger, Cass from Bonjour Cass expressed a similar sentiment: "Once Elle knows Frank is trans, she knows. There’s no hand ringing over whether or not he is “really” a man, and then she struggles with what her crush on him means for her own sexuality without questioning his. I found this completely refreshing." I feel like I am in the company of great minds since this fact really stood out to me as well.

There was only one problem I had with the book, really one section. As I said earlier, the book felt very sincere to me, except for one section. Every now and then a book which is going along smoothly suddenly includes a passage, a conversation, a section which is a little too preachy. Sort of like that horrific scene in Transformers where Optimus Prime (I think???) gives that little speech about how humans are so horrible and yet they are redeemed through their love for each other (the same thing happens in the movie Stardust and in War of the Worlds and in a bunch of other films). In Jumpstart the World, the overly profound section also includes the titular phrase which sort of doubled the ridiculousness.

That one section aside, however, this book was really enjoyable, and I highly recommend it.(less)

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Oct 30, 2010 Kelsey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-copies-review, own

I'm ashamed to say this is my first Catherine Ryan Hyde novel. I've heard amazing things about her previous works and have been meaning to pick up one of them for a long time. Luckily Jumpstart the World was a refreshing, emotional, and poignant read that made certain I will be buying more of Catherine's books soon.

The characters were some of the most unique and well developed. The main character Elle made me feel for her so much. Considering we were the same age I could never imagine having to...more I'm ashamed to say this is my first Catherine Ryan Hyde novel. I've heard amazing things about her previous works and have been meaning to pick up one of them for a long time. Luckily Jumpstart the World was a refreshing, emotional, and poignant read that made certain I will be buying more of Catherine's books soon.

The characters were some of the most unique and well developed. The main character Elle made me feel for her so much. Considering we were the same age I could never imagine having to go through, and stay strong during, the things she did. When the book opens, Elle is moving into her own apartment because her mom’s new boyfriend can’t deal with teenagers. My heart truly went out to Elle. She was on her own. While this may seem like the biggest dream of most teenagers, once you’re living it, you realize there’s a lot more to living on your own than meets the eye. I have a great relationship with my parents, so reading about Elle’s family turmoil was especially upsetting. I could never imagine being kicked out of my home or even being able to handle living on my own at this age (sixteen). But through it all Elle stayed strong and determined. She went to school, made meals, shopped, and basically survived.

In a fit of rebellion Elle cuts her hair, the one thing her mother really loves about her daughter. Unfortunately it also makes the students at Elle’s new school immediately label her “gay” and “queer”. Taken in by the other outcasts, Elle forms a unique and sudden friendship with Shane, the Bobs, and, surprisingly, Wilbur. I really liked all of Elle’s new friends. They may not have been the best people, but they cared for each other and respected each other’s differences. Readers got to see the most of Wilbur because he was also dealing with a lot at home and really connected with Elle.

The main plot line focused on Elle’s growing relationship with her new neighbor, Frank. Frank was sweet, caring, and understood Elle better than anyone. I loved how dedicated he was to making sure Elle was okay and caring for the orphaned (and sick) cat Elle brought home from the shelter. Soon Elle discovers something that completely changes everything she knew and believed about Frank, the man she had grown to love. Frank is transgendered. Or “FTM” as Shane and the Bobs say it. I’ve never read anything about a transgendered person before, so Catherine really made me realize how hard it is for people like Frank.

Jumpstart the World was an emotional and intense novel by a fabulous young adult author. She wrote about something I’ve never really thought about before and opened my eyes to how difficult it is for transgendered people. I definitely recommend picking this up. It’s a quick read (under 200 pages) and will leave a big impression on every reader.

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars(less)

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Oct 19, 2010 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-favorites, books-i-own, youngadult, for-review

Abandoned across town in a brand new apartment, Elle is left with a living room of boxes each full with items she could care less about, and a cat who would rather hide in the closet than come anywhere near a human being. Only when she meets her new neighbor, Frank, does she begin to feel a flicker of life return to her body. Although for Elle, the life she’s about to embark on is one she couldn’t have imagined if she tried. Forced to discover the importance of another’s individual worth Elle is...more Abandoned across town in a brand new apartment, Elle is left with a living room of boxes each full with items she could care less about, and a cat who would rather hide in the closet than come anywhere near a human being. Only when she meets her new neighbor, Frank, does she begin to feel a flicker of life return to her body. Although for Elle, the life she’s about to embark on is one she couldn’t have imagined if she tried. Forced to discover the importance of another’s individual worth Elle is about to realize that she could impact not only her own life, but all who come in contact with her.

Elle’s experiences are influenced heavily by the lack of concern and love her mother has for her. Pre-occupied with her most recent boyfriend, Elle’s mother abandons her. It effects everything about how Elle interacts with people. From the distance she keeps to which words she chooses to speak and when to say them. The only acquaintances she allows herself to have are her new neighbor Frank and then later a few friends from school. Even their interest and subsequent kindness isn’t enough to break down the walls she’s built.

In ways that I haven’t read before, Catherine Ryan Hyde captures what it means to be a teenager. Being one is such a multi-layered experience that, I think, as we get older we tend to peel away – leaving only our core-selves. We forget that to be a teenager is more than attending high school and plodding through homework; it’s painful, enlightening, joyous, heart-wrenching, arduous, and much much more. As a teen we see things for the first time as we never have before and often we make mistakes that can feel like the end of the world because we’ve never experienced them before. We often grow numb as we age, forgetting the passions and anxieties we once had. Jumpstart the World wipes away that desensitization and opens your eyes to things once forgotten.

One of my favorite scenes from the story happens just after Elle’s discovery that her cat is suddenly quite ill, leading her to seek Frank’s help in which she also learns he’s transgender. In one fell swoop she feels unsettled and unsure of how to handle the situation. Are they friends still? Is she now gay? With no instructions and the absence of love in her life up to this point she’s finds it nearly impossible to process what’s happening to her.

For me, my Frank was a boy by the name of Dirk. It was my junior year of high school and we’d just moved to a new town with a new school. I knew no one. He was the first person to say hello to me and the last to say goodbye before we moved back to our hometown a year later. Completely smitten, I ignored what was so blatantly obvious to so many others. In the end I only discovered Dirk was gay three days before we moved and in so many ways I was just like Elle in Jumpstart the World, devastated and scared. This was my first personal encounter with anyone gay and I had no idea what it meant for our future friendship. Much like Elle I discovered that it changed nearly nothing, except it did. He was still a huge part of my life and someone who had made a difference when no one else had. He made me aware of others in a way no one else could have, from how he regarded me to how he was(and had been) treated himself. It was a defining moment in my life, one in which enabled me to look on another with new eyes, an open mind and most of all…love.

Love. It’s power to move forces for good and it’s debilitating effect when it is lacking is tremendous. In Jumpstart the World love could quite possibly be considered another character, it encapsulates everything that Elle experiences, the good and the bad. Her mother, her new circle of friends, and most especially her relationship with Frank. Though Elle doesn’t realize it initially, love is something that’s a driving force in her life, and unfortunately it’s due to a lack thereof. Thankfully with the help of her friends, most importantly her relationships with Frank and Wilbur, she is able to thrive in her new life. A life that has the potential to “jumpstart the world.”

For me, Jumpstart the World is a must read. Not only will it help adults in regaining a sense of appreciation and understanding of this difficult time of life, it may also help others to become more tolerant and kind. In a day when teens often feel abandoned and completely alone they need books like Jumpstart the World that show them there is love in the world. With an eloquence I have yet to read elsewhere, Catherine Ryan Hyde illustrates precisely the impact one individual can have on another, especially when the motive is love.(less)

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May 31, 2012 Rebecca Alora rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-loved, books-i-own, books-read-in-2012, favorite-books

Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of those authors that make you inexplicably think. This book definitely had me doing that.

Elle is thrust into a world where she has complete and total freedom, but she doesn't want it. Her mother is sending her to live on her own because, once again, she is choosing her current boyfriend over Elle. The constant sting of rejection by her own mother has caused Elle to have some serious abandonment issues, making her personality lean more towards the loner side of things....more

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Nov 22, 2011 Jenna Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars

More like a 3.75

I enjoyed this book and felt the themes and issues were interesting, but they didn't go deep enough. I went into this story thinking it would be very moving or thought provoking - those things didn't happen. I found the lead character, Elle, a little flat and one dimensional. I found the situation with her mother bothersome in a distracting way.

Other aspects of the storyline were great - her friends, Frank's experience in the hospital, Crazy Harry, the situation with her mangy ca...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-book, nook, young-adult, 2010-reads

Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde is fantastic read. The book isn’t even 200 pages long but it is filled with so much emotion. You’ll feel happy, sad, grateful, encouraged, guilty, depressed but also inspired and ready the change the world. Ultimately, I think this book is about acceptance and tolerance.

Sixteen-year old Elle has just moved into her very first apartment, her only companion is the cat she just got from a shelter (she picked the least friendly cat out of the bunch). Her m...more Jumpstart the World by Catherine Ryan Hyde is fantastic read. The book isn’t even 200 pages long but it is filled with so much emotion. You’ll feel happy, sad, grateful, encouraged, guilty, depressed but also inspired and ready the change the world. Ultimately, I think this book is about acceptance and tolerance.

Sixteen-year old Elle has just moved into her very first apartment, her only companion is the cat she just got from a shelter (she picked the least friendly cat out of the bunch). Her mother’s new boyfriend doesn’t like teenagers so instead of kicking him to the curb Elle gets kicked out. Her mother pays for the apartment (which is on the other side of town) and checks in every so often.

The only neighbors Elle gets to know are Frank and his girlfriend, Molly. They live in the apartment next to Elle and even share a fire escape. Elle takes an instant liking to Frank. She develops a crush on him and is devastated when she unexpectedly finds out that Frank is transgender. He’s currently in the process of going from a female to a male. Needless to say it came as quite a shock to Elle. The last half of the book is about Elle dealing with the aftermath of finding out about Frank. She's not really sure what to think about it or how to react to it.

*One random fact about Elle: Do not steal a cab from her, especially if she is upset about something.

Lately I've been trying to write down my favorite quotes from books. These are my four favorite quotes from Jumpstart the World:

"Words are important...words are the tools we use for making peace with the world" - Chapter 3

“You’re supposed to make mistakes. You’re just starting out. Mistakes are a good thing. They mean you were brave enough to try something hard” – Chapter 6

“Sometimes you have to jumpstart the world just to get it to be what even the world admits it should be” – Chapter 12

“I decided that not talking is like a litmus test for a real friend. You can just sit there and be. Not always be filling up the air with words” – Chapter 14

I loved this book. I definitely think it is a must read for everyone. It’s a great story about learning to accept others even if they're different. Plus there are funny chapter titles like, “The Heartbreak of Too Many Guys Named Bob” and “Mascara, and Other Things That Run”. Also, how is it that I have not read any of Catherine Ryan Hyde’s other books before?

On Hyde's website she has Five Ways To Jumpstart The World listed. Please go take a look at them. She has some great ideas listed.(less)

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Dec 15, 2011 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-books

I have had a number of Ryan Hyde's YA books on my shelves and was intrigued to read one based on the fact that she is the author of Pay It Forward (even though I never read that book or saw that movie!) So I picked up this book knowing nothing about it. If you buy the initial premise -- a mother moves her sixteen year old daughter into her own apartment so she can go off and lead her life, the book unfolds quietly as the girl discovers her neighbor and friend is a transgendered man. The main cha...more

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Jan 25, 2011 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: girl-main-character, multicultural, realistic-fiction, t2-2010, teen, tough-topics

The story seems to start in the middle of things, but that wasn't necessarily bad. It just took a few minutes to figure out what was going on. Elle is dropped at her new apartment to live on her own (she's sixteen), and fortunately she has some very nice neighbors and some good friends at her new school. Her mom seems extremely immature (she has Elle living on her own so she can live with her boyfriend).

Some great themes: friendship, transgender, families, independence.

The tone of the book woul...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Okay so really 3.5 stars.

Jumpstart the World told the story of a sixteen year old girl, Elle, who is sent to live in an apartment on her own after her mother moves in with her boyfriend (who doesn't want Elle around). Elle's next door neighbor, Frank, watches out for her and she develops feelings for him that surpass friendship. The story focuses on Elle's discovery that Frank is transgender and how she deals with that discovery.

Jumpstart the World was well-written and thought-provoking. The sto...more

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