Elle is a loner. She doesn’t need people. Which is a good thing, because she’s on her own: she had to move into her own apartment so he...
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Jun 18, 2011
Schuyler
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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 harde
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Apr 30, 2011
Brent
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It’s Catherine Ryan Hyde, dawg! I don’t even have to say anything. Her name on a book is enough for me to say “Oh, I’m for sure gonna read that.” Because she’s developed into one of my favorite writers—and she’s quite an awesome person, too! I was super excited to read JUMPSTART THE WORLD, Catherine’s latest LGBT novel.
JUMPSTART opens with a fifteen-year-old girl, Elle, moving into a new apartment. Paid for by her mother. Left to start a new year at a brand new school, Elle More...
JUMPSTART opens with a fifteen-year-old girl, Elle, moving into a new apartment. Paid for by her mother. Left to start a new year at a brand new school, Elle More...
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Feb 19, 2012
Maggie
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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
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Nov 23, 2011
Jennifer
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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 p More...
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 p More...
Sep 30, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
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 a More...
In Jumpstart the World, there was many a time where I identified with Elle. Especially when she found out Frank was transgender a More...
Feb 11, 2011
Susan
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 10, 2011
Kendra
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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
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Jan 07, 2011
Beth
rated it:
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 s More...
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 s More...
Jan 05, 2011
AnnaBnana
rated it:
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
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Nov 29, 2010
Kristina
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
Nov 26, 2010
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
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Nov 24, 2010
Paula
rated it:
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, More...
The new 'do causes an immediate problem, More...
Nov 01, 2010
Joli
rated it:
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
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Nov 01, 2010
Teen
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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, mes More...
Hyde’s book is a quick read featuring well-developed characters who confront their own prejudices in an honest, mes More...
Oct 28, 2010
Katie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 21, 2010
Liza
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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 re More...
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 re More...
May 18, 2011
Mark
rated it:
"'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 More...
I looked up briefly. Thank God More...
Jan 15, 2011
Trisha
rated it:
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 l More...
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 l More...
Oct 30, 2010
Kelsey
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
Oct 30, 2010
Danielle
rated it:
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
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Nov 22, 2011
Jenna
rated it:
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 sit More...
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 sit More...
Nov 26, 2010
Jen
rated it:
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 More...
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 More...
Dec 15, 2011
Michael
rated it:
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
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Jan 25, 2011
Erin
rated it:
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.
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Some great themes: friendship, transgender, families, independence.
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Sep 27, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
Here are some of my reactions to Jumpstart the World, in no particular order:
*Elle's mother was a piece of work. I wanted to knock some sense into that lady!
*If I liked cats at all, I probably would've picked Toto, too.
*I wish I had a friend like Frank. I really do.
*It was cool how the "Us" group accepted one another unconditionally. And it was believeable to me how Elle had to learn to accept them on her own terms in her own time.
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*Elle's mother was a piece of work. I wanted to knock some sense into that lady!
*If I liked cats at all, I probably would've picked Toto, too.
*I wish I had a friend like Frank. I really do.
*It was cool how the "Us" group accepted one another unconditionally. And it was believeable to me how Elle had to learn to accept them on her own terms in her own time.
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Nov 18, 2010
April
rated it:
Originally reviewed here: http://www.goodbooksandgoodwine.com/2010...
Are you looking for a brief book with a high impact? Look no further than Jumpstart The World by Catherine Ryan Hyde. The book opens with main character Elle moving into her own apartment at 15 because her mother’s boyfriend doesn’t want teenagers around. Kind of a strange situation, but it really does work for this story. While moving in, she meets next door neighbor Frank, a veteranarian who becomes a friend of sor More...
Are you looking for a brief book with a high impact? Look no further than Jumpstart The World by Catherine Ryan Hyde. The book opens with main character Elle moving into her own apartment at 15 because her mother’s boyfriend doesn’t want teenagers around. Kind of a strange situation, but it really does work for this story. While moving in, she meets next door neighbor Frank, a veteranarian who becomes a friend of sor More...
Jan 08, 2011
Misha
rated it:
My first thought after seeing the book was - "This book is too short!". I don't read short books and I didn't know what to expect. But within the 192 pages of this book lies one of the best YA contemporary fiction I have read. It's eye-opening, heart-warming and just plain enjoyable.
Elle is 15 years old and doesn't get along with her mother , who is obsessed with beauty and seems to love a man more than her own daughter. She is forced to move into a apartment because the man More...
Elle is 15 years old and doesn't get along with her mother , who is obsessed with beauty and seems to love a man more than her own daughter. She is forced to move into a apartment because the man More...
Nov 21, 2010
Amanda
rated it:
I liked the concept of this book, but I felt it was missing a lot. The author did a good job of expressing the main character, but the rest of the characters and the plot fell flat. It is a short story about a girl whose mother chooses her boyfriend over her and she has to move out at the age of fifteen, granted her mother pays her rent, she is alone. There is a lot of talk about homosexuality and quite frankly it got a little old. I felt like I lost the meaning of the story a few times, but I
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Feb 21, 2012
Jenni
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Elle has just moved into her own apartment. At 16, she's hardly old enough to be on her own, but her mother's boyfriend forced her mom to choose between him and Elle, so Elle is given her own apartment on the other side of town. Elle's mom pays the rent and utilities, and provides Elle with money for groceries, but to say that this arrangement has put a strain on their relationship would be an understatement. Elle is in a new neighborhood, at a new school, and completely alone, so she is glad
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May 04, 2011
Ricki
rated it:
Elle lives alone in an apartment while her mother lives separately with a boyfriend. She is not very social, but she finds solace in the conversations she has with her neighbor, Frank, and his wife, Molly. After Elle cuts her hair short (to defy her mother), she becomes friends with several homosexual students at school. She finds out that her neighbor is transgender, and wonders if that means she is a lesbian because she is attracted to him. I liked the topic of this book, but I found there to
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