Jumping Off Swings [Hardcover]

Jo Knowles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 2009

One pregnancy. Four friends. It all adds up to a profound time of change in this poignant, sensitively written YA novel.

Ellie remembers how the boys kissed her. Touched her. How they
begged for more. And when she gave it to them, she felt loved. For a
while anyway. So when Josh, an eager virgin with a troubled home life, leads her from a party to the backseat of his van, Ellie follows. But their "one-time thing" is far from perfect: Ellie gets pregnant. Josh reacts with shame and heartbreak, while their confidantes, Caleb and Corinne, deal with their own complex swirl of emotions. No matter what Ellie chooses, all four teenagers will be forced to grow up a little faster as a result. Told alternately from each character’s point of view, this deeply insightful novel explores the aftershocks of the biggest decision of one fragile girl’s life — and the realities of leaving innocence behind.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—Ellie has sex with boys who make her feel wanted and beautiful and then never call again. Even seemingly decent Josh, a virgin, leaves right after their tryst and never speaks to her again. It turns out the condom "slipped off" (?) and she gets pregnant. The next nine months are narrated by four charaters—Ellie, Josh, and their best friends, Corinne and Caleb. Ellie's and Josh's families are filled with stock dysfunction—from Ellie's shrill, uptight mother and perfect-on-the-outside home to Josh's washed-up, hard-drinking father and hapless mother. The plot of this novel is tired, but Corinne and Caleb, at least, are mercifully convincing and thoughtful. Each, of course, comes from a stable family. Caleb's single mother is the novel's moral center. The blaring contrast between stable kids from loving families versus lost kids from dysfunctional families oversimplifies a complex subject. Knowles writes fluidly, and though Caleb's and Corinne's scenes shine, Ellie and Josh never engage enough to set Jumping Off Swings apart in the genre.—Johanna Lewis, New York Public Library
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Review

Absorbing from first page to last, this sensitively written novel explores how a teenager's crisis rocks her life as well as the lives of others. (starred review) --Publishers Weekly, August 10, 2009

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (August 11, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763639494
• ISBN-13: 978-0763639495
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #240,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic Look at the Life of a Teenager, September 13, 2009

By 

Shalonda - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Jumping Off Swings (Hardcover)

I am typically a slow reader because it takes a LOT to capture my attention. I read this book in one sitting!

Jo Knowles is absolutely brilliant! By alternating this story from four characters' perspectives, this book moved at a quick pace. Often, we only see how one or two characters' actions affect themselves. In Jumping Off Swings, we see how the decision made by two characters affects the lives of many people.

In this novel, the characters are truly brought to life. I was very emotionally involved while reading Swings. I could sympathize with each of the characters and their personal battles. It was almost as though I was placed in their shoes. As one would assume, the character I felt most connected with was Ellie, the teenager who becomes pregnant. She faces many interpersonal conflicts, and while I was reading I actually cried (with real tears) for her.

In Swings, Jo Knowles tackles not only teen pregnancy, but she brings to surface issues of peer pressure, family issues, friendship, romantic relationships, and the importance of confidence in one's self. She has articulately written a book that should be discussed. Not only is it captivating, but it causes you to think at a deeper level.

In my opinion, Jumping Off Swings is one of the best books of 2009, and I highly recommend it to anyone.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jo Knowles writes the truth, October 5, 2009

By 

April Henry "mr_e_ryter" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jumping Off Swings (Hardcover)

I picked up this book on a Friday night. I only intended to read for 20 minutes. An hour and a half later, I had to force myself to put the book down. I finished the rest in one gulp on Saturday.

I write entertainment. Jo Knowles writes the truth.

Jumping Off Swings is about what happens when a high school girl gets pregnant after a one-night stand (more like a five-minute stand). The choices she made and makes affect her, the father of the child, and their friends. The book is told from their alternating first-person points of view. It made me cry. I think many girls and women can relate to Ellie, who is looking for love but finds sex instead. And I think guys could relate to Josh, who isn't a jerk, but instead trying to figure out what it means to be a man.

I understand there have been some challenges to the book. I am unhesitatingly giving this to my 14 year old.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Read: Not Your Average Teen Pregnancy Novel, August 29, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Jumping Off Swings (Hardcover)

Excellent book; I read it in one sitting! Knowles weaves the story through different view points, creating lots of depth. Her characters are realistic and complex unlike many one-sided teenage characters in other novels. It's a quick read, but nonetheless a good one. I would highly recommend it along with her debut novel Lessons from a Dead Girl.