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Living with Jackie Chan
(Jumping Off Swings #2)
by
After fathering a baby, a teenager moves in with his karate-loving uncle and tries to come to terms with his guilt — and find a way to forgive.
This isn’t how Josh expected to spend senior year. He thought he’d be hanging out with his best friends, Dave and Caleb, driving around, partying, just like always. But here he is, miles from home — new school, new life, living with ...more
This isn’t how Josh expected to spend senior year. He thought he’d be hanging out with his best friends, Dave and Caleb, driving around, partying, just like always. But here he is, miles from home — new school, new life, living with ...more
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Start your review of Living with Jackie Chan (Jumping Off Swings, #2)
Oct 11, 2013
Trisha
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
contemporary,
secrets,
friendship,
family,
ya-literature,
humour,
romance,
geeky,
2013,
male-mc
Read this in one night. It was beautifully written, with a very authentic portrayal of a teenage boy coming to grips with the harsh reality of his thoughtless actions.
Josh cannot stand to stay in his home town after his irredeemable (in his eyes) behaviour, so he moves to his uncle's apartment, (about 4 hours drive away) to finish his senior year in an attempt to get into College.
There was a book previous to this one which deals with the actions, but I hadn't read it, and didn't feel like I miss ...more
Josh cannot stand to stay in his home town after his irredeemable (in his eyes) behaviour, so he moves to his uncle's apartment, (about 4 hours drive away) to finish his senior year in an attempt to get into College.
There was a book previous to this one which deals with the actions, but I hadn't read it, and didn't feel like I miss ...more
“Then you have to claim it, Josh. You have to take ownership of whatever happened and learn how to live with it. And you can start by saying –“
Living with Jackie Chan is another excellent novel from Jo Knowles that begins by drawing readers in with an engaging premise and complex, likeable characters, and ends by presenting those characters with challenges that lead us to question whether we also have the courage to “take ownership of whatever happened and learn how to live with it.”
Josh, the ma ...more
Living with Jackie Chan is another excellent novel from Jo Knowles that begins by drawing readers in with an engaging premise and complex, likeable characters, and ends by presenting those characters with challenges that lead us to question whether we also have the courage to “take ownership of whatever happened and learn how to live with it.”
Josh, the ma ...more
I loved JUMPING OFF SWINGS and had been looking forward to this companion novel for a long time. You might think that build-up would be tough for a book to live up to, but nope - I loved LIVING WITH JACKIE CHAN just as much if not a little more. On the surface, this is a story about a teenaged boy running away from a mistake - after a one night stand that resulted in a pregnancy, Josh goes off to live with his martial arts loving uncle where he won't have to face his classmates - or her - and be
...more
Oh, I really loved this book. The writing itself is beautiful, and the story is incredibly compelling - I started reading my e-ARC last night and ended up staying up far too late and finishing the book this morning, because I just couldn't stop reading! This is a followup to an earlier novel (Jumping Off Swings, which I also loved), but it stands alone perfectly. It had been so many years since I'd read Jumping Off Swings, I really didn't remember any of the characters or details from that book,
...more
I have rarely enjoyed an author's work as much as I enjoy Jo Knowles's writing. It seems that every book she writes is so full of emotion and, more importantly, humanity. Her characters are always so well-defined and she is a master at getting the reader invested in the plot's outcome.
Living with Jackie Chan is no exception to this rule. Not having read Jumping Off Swings since it first came out, I was a bit hesitant to dive right into this book. However, I just had to read it and the library di ...more
Living with Jackie Chan is no exception to this rule. Not having read Jumping Off Swings since it first came out, I was a bit hesitant to dive right into this book. However, I just had to read it and the library di ...more
I loved Jumping Off Swings and was grateful to have an excuse to reread it and revisit the characters before I read Living With Jackie Chan.
I knew I wanted to know what happened to Josh after everything that happened in the first book, but I anticipated that I would hear more about everyone else.
As I started reading, I realized that this really was Josh's book.
Once I started reading and fell in love with these characters, I realized I was grateful for this.
Josh gets his chance to try to stay o ...more
I knew I wanted to know what happened to Josh after everything that happened in the first book, but I anticipated that I would hear more about everyone else.
As I started reading, I realized that this really was Josh's book.
Once I started reading and fell in love with these characters, I realized I was grateful for this.
Josh gets his chance to try to stay o ...more
Jo Knowles had me at hello. Seriously. This is the 3rd book I've read by Knowles, and I have a tough time walking away from the characters.
In this companion to Jumping Off Swings, Knowles tells the story of Josh and the year after the events of the first book. I say it's a companion rather than a sequel because Josh does not share the narration with anyone, which allowed me to be in Josh's head as he went on his own journey living with his uncle to escape his family life and the aftermath his ju ...more
In this companion to Jumping Off Swings, Knowles tells the story of Josh and the year after the events of the first book. I say it's a companion rather than a sequel because Josh does not share the narration with anyone, which allowed me to be in Josh's head as he went on his own journey living with his uncle to escape his family life and the aftermath his ju ...more
Easily the best 5☆ book I've ever rated. I've cried and laughed at every page.
Josh's journey is heartbreaking. Jo Knowles is so amazing that she could turn a lost, assholish, cocky boy into a lovable, vulnerable, perfect and true karate man.
Josh and and his uncle Larry are the best main characters here. Sadly, Stella was a bit far behind these guys. Stella felt so contradictory to me, like I was reading two different girls than one. She felt so thin, and fake. But thank goodness, Josh alone, or ...more
Josh's journey is heartbreaking. Jo Knowles is so amazing that she could turn a lost, assholish, cocky boy into a lovable, vulnerable, perfect and true karate man.
Josh and and his uncle Larry are the best main characters here. Sadly, Stella was a bit far behind these guys. Stella felt so contradictory to me, like I was reading two different girls than one. She felt so thin, and fake. But thank goodness, Josh alone, or ...more
Josh’s senior year is far from what he would’ve imagined. Instead of living up with his best friends, he’s living with his Uncle Larry at a new high school, where he know no one, leaving behind his estranged parents and the girl who just had his baby. His unknown child haunts him for the entirety of his stay with his uncle, but he refuses to open up about it to anyone, not even his cute neighbor, Stella. While Stella, his uncle, and karate classes he’s been taking seem to keep him busy, his mind
...more
How to get your life back together again during your senior year of high school... go live with your uncle in a different town so you can have a fresh start. While you're there, take karate lessons from your uncle so you stay occupied and out of trouble.
Even though I haven't read the book that comes before this where Josh gets into the trouble that causes him to leave home his senior year, I really enjoyed this story. I am interested to know, though, if high school boys would relate well to the ...more
Even though I haven't read the book that comes before this where Josh gets into the trouble that causes him to leave home his senior year, I really enjoyed this story. I am interested to know, though, if high school boys would relate well to the ...more
4.5.
This is a phenomenal look into the life and redemption of a wounded teenager. Your heart will ache for Josh as he deals with his trauma as a teenager does...avoidance, denial, then crash and burn.
He's such a sweet kid, and Knowles, a master at tone and character development, doesn't disappoint. This is a companion book that doesn't waste time retelling...it just goes.
So well done. Perfect for junior high and up.
This is a phenomenal look into the life and redemption of a wounded teenager. Your heart will ache for Josh as he deals with his trauma as a teenager does...avoidance, denial, then crash and burn.
He's such a sweet kid, and Knowles, a master at tone and character development, doesn't disappoint. This is a companion book that doesn't waste time retelling...it just goes.
So well done. Perfect for junior high and up.
I'm really glad I got to see how Josh's life turned out after Ellie. He was so deeply torn over everything and I wondered how everybody turned out. Knowles stories really depict real life events with perspectives that made me look at life differently.
I cannot adequately express how much I loved this book. Jo Knowles is a true artist.
Wow. Don't miss this one. Review will follow shortly.
Really good book, glad we got to see Josh's year after the baby I just wish there would be a 3 books in the series from Ellie's point of year of senior year!
Another YA book that was new to our library before the holidays. I started this one then stopped so I could read Turtles All The Way Down and Alex Wood Vs The Universe, but got straight back into it again. It is the second part of the story but it can stand alone - I didn't read the first book, but I will read it now because I enjoyed this one. Basically boy makes a mistake, boy moves and tries to start a new life, boy changes, boy tries to fix mistake. Some romance, lots about relationships, gu
...more
Living with Jackie Chan is a book that I surprisingly enjoyed. It was a book that I couldn't put down and never stopped reading. It was about a teenager named Josh who spends his senior year at a different school because he cant face what he has done at his old school. He lives with his karate-obsessed uncle who ends up teaching him the values of becoming a man by owning up to what you have done. You get to follow his journey as he tries to get his life on the right path while balancing the hard
...more
I enjoyed this novel by Jo Knowles. The plot was easy to follow, and the characters had a strong background. I really enjoyed the ending, and I wanted to read more even after this cliff-hanger ending that leave the readers desperate to find out what happens next. Knowles develops Josh as a good protagonist that many people can relate to as far as daily struggles, but most not as far as his current situation throughout the novel. Thus, I rated "Living with Jackie Chan" by Jo Knowles a 5 out of 5
...more
I really enjoyed this book, like really enjoyed it. There was so much raw emotion of what it is like to have a baby that you didn’t know you wanted to be taken away from you. The characters were so well built upon and I like ‘Sammy’s’ heartache towards loosing his child. Would recommend and would read again.
I have just started this book and so far it has been very interesting. Sam, whose real name is Jake, moved because of a bad situation that had happened. He lives with Larry and he made Sam take a karate class with himself.
I loved it , I would like that in the end Ellie and josh talk more but it still a great end.
This 2nd book in the Jumping Off Swings series is better than the 1st.
A beautiful story of real life. Haven't read Jumping off Swings but I didn't feel like I had missed anything by not reading it.
I didn’t know what to except but I really enjoyed this book! It made me laugh and cry, I also liked the way it was written!
Unable to deal with his past mistakes, Josh decides to leave the town where he grew up and move in with his uncle to finish his senior year. Uncle Larry is obsessed with karate and all things Jackie Chan and wants to help Josh deal with his demons. Josh thought that starting a new school in a new place would cure him of the pain that he's been feeling since Ellie gave birth to his baby and gave him up for adoption. Running away hasn't changed anything. It doesn't help that there is a baby living
...more
I would have to actually BE a guy to know if this reads true to the male first person point of view, but it certainly seems a good job by Jo Knowles to get inside the head of Josh, a guy with the role of knocking a girl up in the prior companion novel Jumping Off Swings.
What happens to that guy, the one-night stand who finds out he’s fathered a child? In this case, his trip to the hospital nursery didn’t bring him closure. Instead, it leads to so much guilt and self-loathing that he packs i
...more
What happens to that guy, the one-night stand who finds out he’s fathered a child? In this case, his trip to the hospital nursery didn’t bring him closure. Instead, it leads to so much guilt and self-loathing that he packs i
...more
The book I read was called Living with Jackie Chan by Joe Knowles. This is the sequel to the book Jumping off swings which has the back story of this book. It starts with a boy named Josh who is going to live with his uncle who loves karate and who has a big impact with him in this story. He moves there to start a new life and try to forget everything from his past life. During this whole book, his past has kept bothering him to where he punches a wall when he hears a baby crying. While living
...more
Sep 09, 2013
Wandering Librarians
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
fiction,
realistic-fiction,
ya,
serious-issues,
family,
realationships,
boy-appeal,
friendship,
middle-grade
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Jo Knowles is one of my all-time favorite authors, and she's proven why with Living with Jackie Chan. Jumping Off Swings was my favorite of Knowles's books, so I was ecstatic when I heard that we would get to revisit one of Jumping Off Swings's main characters in this companion novel. And while I didn't love it quite as much as Jumping Off Swings, Living with Jackie Chan is another great one from Jo Knowles!
The writing is always what's best about Jo Knowles's novels, and Living with Jackie Chan ...more
The writing is always what's best about Jo Knowles's novels, and Living with Jackie Chan ...more
I would have loved to see how the other characters are dealing but Josh's perspective was interesting, too.
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Hi! I'm the author of Still A Work In Progress, Read Between The Lines, Living With Jackie Chan, See You At Harry's, Pearl, Jumping Off Swings, and Lessons From A Dead Girl. My newest book, Where The Heart Is, comes out on April 2! I'm available for school, library and book club visits either in person or via skype. For more info, please visit www.joknowles.com Thanks! :-)
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“Saying good-bye to them was like saying good-bye to some people who used to know me when I was a little kid. Like saying good-bye to zombies. Good-bye to a memory. Good-bye to dust. The real good-bye happened a long, long time ago.”
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“I stand here, looking at it. At my new life. No more people staring at me when I walk down the hall. No more whispers behind my back. No one knows me here. No one knows what happened. What I did. I just have to get through the year, get into college someplace far away, and leave for good.”
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