Jip: His Story (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) [School & Library Binding]

Katherine Paterson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998 | Age Level: 10 and up

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. While living on a poor Vermont farm during 1855 and 1856, Jip learns his identity and that of his mother and comes to understand how he arrived at this place.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

When an aged lunatic named Putnam arrives at a poorhouse farm in rural Vermont in 1855, he is treated as little more than a beast by everyone except the orphan Jip, who himself arrived at the charity orphanage/asylum after being found abandoned by the roadside. Jip and Putnam become friends, then allies of a sort, as Jip struggles to improve his own lot and that of his friend Lucy, the unfortunate daughter of the late town drunk. This historical tale by Katherine Paterson involves its young protagonist in the great 19th century struggle between slave owners and abolitionists while sending him into a test of his own loyalty and courage. Paterson handles weighty issues with grace and verve, and does not shrink from terrible truths in this challenging novel for young readers. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

This historical novel about a maltreated orphan "is full of revelations and surprises," said PW's starred review; "first-rate entertainment." Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 208 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613104242
• ISBN-13: 978-0613104241
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,834,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katherine Paterson has twice won both the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award. She received the 1998 Hans Christian Andersen Medal as well as the 2006 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for the body of her work. An active promoter of reading and literacy, she lives with her husband, John, in Barre, Vermont. They have four children and seven grandchildren. Visit Katherine Paterson on her web site at www.terabithia.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jip His Story, October 15, 2003

By 

Jordan Sawyers (Usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jip: His Story Pb (Paperback)

Jip His Story Penguin Group, 1996, 180 pp., $5.99
Katherine Paterson ISBN 0-H0386712

How would you feel if everybody told you that when you were a baby, you fell off the back of a wagon and nobody came back for you and the only person who knows the truth is a complete stranger who has been following your every move? That's what happened to Jip, the protagonist of Katherine Paterson's Jip His Story. When he tries to find out answers, his whole world is turned upside down.
Jip is a thirteen year-old boy who lives on a barn with Mr. and Ms. Lyman, neither of which are his real parents. Supposedly, Jip fell off the back off of a wagon and no one came back for him or even cared. Mr. Lyman found Jip on the side of the road and took him back to his barn. As soon as Jip was old enough to work, Mr. Lyman put him to work in the barn; they made hi feed the animals clean the house. Jip had to do all the dirty work. Jip hates working in the barn.
One day a truck pulled up to the barn and in the back was a guy who everyone thought was a lunatic. At first Jip was frightened to talk to him, but when he got to know him, this lunatic became his best friend Put. Jip eventually decides that he wants to find his real parents and get as far away from the Lyman's and the barn as possible. Jip doesn't know exactly where he needs to go, but he knows he needs to get away. Jip and Put are on a quest to leave the town, but bad things start to happen when a mysterious stranger starts following Jip, telling him he knows his real dad.
This is a really excellent book about friendship and trust. I recommend this book to anyone who likes books in the genre of realistic fiction. This book has a lot of adventure in it too. I really got into this book and I couldn't put it down. This is not the first Katherine Paterson book I have read and enjoyed, but it is one of my favorites. Katherine Paterson is a fabulous writer children's author who hooks you into her writing. She makes you feel like you're the story.
This book is a lot like the book Stuart Little, in Stuart Little, a little boy didn't think he could be friends with a mouse, just like Jip didn't think he would be able to be friends with a lunatic. If you are looking for a good book to read, I suggest that you go get Jip His Story right now. It's a great book to read for enjoyment and I think that everybody should read it. There is not a certain age group who should read this book. It's a book that almost anybody can read and enjoy.

~Jordan Sawyers, Grade 8, Patrick Lyndon Pilot School, Boston, Massachusetts
~Teacher: Lisa Portadin

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not what it seems..., November 19, 2005

By 

Avid (NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jip, His Story (Paperback)

Jip: His Story is far from a typical story. This historical fiction provides great insight into the Underground Railroad simply through understatement! Jip, receiving his name from the belief that he fell off the back of a gypsy wagon that didn't care to stop for him, grows up on the local poor farm. Even in the most dier circumstances, Jip finds a friend in the newest poor farm resident - the lunatic. When a stranger shows up with a suspicious interest in Jip, Jip begins his baffling search for identity. I love the perspective of this book and Patterson's subtle story. I wish I could say more, but don't want to ruin the unfolding of the true conflict.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, May 2, 2002

By 

Lindsey (Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jip, His Story (Paperback)

Katherine Paterson does a great job in her book, Jip: His Story. Jip is a young boy who does not know how old he is. He has grown up thinking he fell off a gypsy wagon and that the town he lives in took him in. A mysterious man starts hanging around and trying to get information on him for his supposed father. Jip befriends the town lunatic and takes him on as a father figure. The lunatic, Put, helped Jip with his schooling. It is not until the close of the story that Jip finds out he is the son of an African slave and a white owner. His mother intentionally put him out of the wagon in hope that he would have a better life. He goes through a transformation of working on a farm and going to school to a young man running for his life.

The value of Jip: His Story is wonderfully accurate. Jip was homeless and needed to work for a room over his head and food on his plate. The town lunatic, Put, had to be kept in a cage instead of sent elsewhere because of the cost. Our society has evolved from back in the 1800's. In America, there is no more slavery and the mentally troubled get help in hospitals. Katherine Paterson stays true to the speech of the past. A reader can tell the difference between the "normal" person living in Vermont and a Quaker. The two have been differentiated very well. The transition between speakers is done very smoothly. The reader can find himself imagining the past very well. The imagery in Jip: His Story helps bring the story together.

It is very apparent that Katherine Patterson took some time in writing her book. The historical value could only come from someone who knew about what she was speaking. It is a good thing to have the historical point of view of those that were considered disadvantaged, so everyone can see that the past was not all easy. Katherine Patterson is a great writer and young adults and adults alike can enjoy this book.