Customer Reviews

Jumping the Scratch

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When you think of books in which mysteries take place, your mind instantly falls back onto Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, or maybe one of those charming Hardy Boy types. The full-range of mysteries in children's literature, by and large, is not particularly impressive. And the exception to this may lie in a single author of children's books; one Sarah Weeks. Beginning with her debut novel and impressive beginning, "So B It" and continuing with, "Jumping the Scratch", Weeks gives kids mysteries that go beyond secrets in old clocks or messages in lemon juice. Her mysteries are the day to day unexplained occurrences that make life so doggone interesting. In "So B It", a girl unravels the story behind her mother's past. In "Jumping the Scratch", however, the person holding the key to the mystery is the narrator himself. And he's not going to give up his secrets without a fight.

Jamie is miserable with a capital M. When he lived in Battle Creek, everything was "normal as cornflakes". He went to school with lots of friends. He adopted a stray cat who liked him and only him. Things were great! Then everything went wrong. His cat got run over in the street. Then his dad ran away with a cashier. Then his favorite aunt was involved in a freak accident at the cherry factory where she worked. And NOW he and his mom have gone to live with Aunt Sapphy up in Traverse City in a trailer park far from his friends and school. Oh. And there was one more bad thing that happened to Jaime, but he doesn't like to talk about it. All the reader knows for certain is that it involves butterscotch in some way and a button pressed firmly into a cheek. Now Jamie is going to try to erase the memory of that occurrence entirely from his brain, which at the same time trying to cure his Aunt Sapphy's own short-term memory loss. To do it, he'll have to befriend oddball Audrey, a girl who wears men's plastic glasses frames, and attempt to excise everything bad that he doesn't want to recall from his brain. Either that, or tell someone what happened.

Any children's book with even an oblique reference to child abuse is going to have to handle their material with infinite care. For example, Lois Lowry's recent, "Gossamer", is a lovely little title, but many people have had serious issues with how it deals with a boy's abusive situation. In the case of "Jumping the Scratch", adult readers instantly understand what it is that Jaime is trying to forget (though perhaps not the details). Children, on the other hand, won't know until Jaime finally flashes back to the horrible moment in question and they see first hand the incident. What adult readers will not instantly understand are some of Jaime's quirks. They won't immediately comprehend why he collects empty cherry cans or walks through snake-infested grass every day after school. Weeks takes infinite care in slowly revealing what her hero has suffered and in describing his elaborate coping mechanisms. At the same time, you feels he's a real kid. This is the kid that impatient adults (his teacher being the best example) have no time to understand and care for.

I was a little reluctant to believe some of Weeks' points, however. That after suffering at the hands of an adult male, Jaime would trust an adult male (albeit an author) so soon seemed a bit of a stretch. Then again, Weeks doesn't make Jaime out to be the kind of guy who instantly trusts anyone. I was reminded of a similar children's book, Jane Gardam's, "Long Way From Verona" (right down to the overly enthusiastic teacher) in which a kid's life is changed by an adult author who visits her class. It's an interesting trope. More problematic is the miracle deus ex machina that allows Sapphy to retain her memory at the end of the book. I'm no doctor but the sheer convenience of it all may ring a little false, even to young 'uns ears.

When an author writes a book and it's a hit, people immediately sniff around that author's second with the sole hope of determining whether or not that book is better or worse than it predecessor. They're hoping it'll be worse. With Weeks, it isn't like that. "Jumping the Scratch" is, to my mind, almost as good as "So B It", but an entirely different novel. It has a compelling and easily understood protagonist and has the added benefit of taking place in Traverse City (much like this year's other Traverse City tale for kids, "The One Left Behind" by Willo Davis Roberts). A title well worth checking out from a unique and powerful voice.

JUMPING THE SCRATCH is best described as a story about forgetting. For eleven-year-old Jamie, it's about forgetting an event that has traumatized him. For Sapphy, his aunt, it's about forgetting anything and everything that happens to her on a daily basis. But let's back up just a little bit...

Jamie Reardon has moved to Traverse City, Michigan, from Battle Creek, where he once had a real home, a mom and dad to always fix whatever was wrong, a cat named Mister who knew how to listen, and a normal-as-cornflakes life. But then Mister died, and his dad ran off with a cashier from the MicroMart, and his Aunt Sapphy was injured in a work-related accident. So that year, during fifth grade, Jamie and his mom moved in with Aunt Sapphy in her trailer at Wondrous Acres, and there was no big Thanksgiving dinner or sparkling Christmas tree. There was only Aunt Sapphy, who got hit on the head by a falling pipe during her shift at the Cheery Cherry canning factory, and now can't form any short-term memories. There's Jamie's mother, who took a third-shift job at the same cherry factory because it was the only place hiring. There's Marge, the home nursing aide, who doesn't like anyone, especially Aunt Sapphy. And then there's Jamie, who changed sometime around Christmas, and yet no one seems to notice.

While Jamie is busy dodging the verbal bullets of his teacher, Miss Miller, and the crazy questions of Audrey Krouch, a fellow student who also lives in Wondrous Acres, he's also trying to forget. Forget what happened on Christmas Eve, with Old Gray, the guy who sits in the office at the trailer park. It's funny how memories work. While Jamie works hard to find the magic trigger to give Sapphy back her memories, he wants nothing more than to erase his own.

It's easy to sympathize with Jamie, especially with the careless adults that surround him in JUMPING THE SCRATCH. Although I would have liked the story to be longer and more filled out, this is a quick, emotional read. It's definitely interesting to watch Jamie's transformation, to read about the intriguing Aunt Sapphy, and to see into the heart and mind of the wonderfully odd Audrey.

Sarah Weeks did a wonderful job writing this novel. In this novel there is a boy named Jamie Reardon. At the beginning of this book his dad leaves him and his mom at home alone. After that Jamie's aunt has an accident at her work which causes her to loose her memory. So now they have to move to Aunt Sapphy's trailer to be with her. While they live there Jamie makes a friend and her name is Audrey. Audrey claims that she can hypnotize people. Through this story Jamie and his mom try to find the 'magic trigger' to make her remember. They want to help her 'jump the scratch.' Like on a record player, the needle needs to 'jump the scratch.' I really liked this book. Even thought the end it a little bit predictable, it is still surprising. I recommend this book for all young readers because I liked it a lot.

Karen Weeks is an engaging author for the unmotivated reader. She hooks kids in and they truly want to read more. Her characters are likable and most students can connect to them. A good book for reluctant readers.

When i first started this book i couldn't stop, and i am not the greatest reader and i'm pretty slow on reading, but i finished this is 2 days. It is one of my favorite books. I am a girl so when i read the inside flap i tohugh "Jamie" was a girl but it turns out differently so i read anyways and loved it. This is a book for girls and boys no different. I would totally recommend this to anyone! Have fun and read it!

Jamie Reardon is a our young narrator telling us about a painful chapter in his young life...and how his aunt Sapphy who has her own issues...help him 'jump the scratch' and move on in his life. You see, his aunt had an on-the-job injury at the local cherry plant. The head injury caused her to lose her short-term memory. She can remember things from before the accident, but very little if anything from after the accident. He feels that he can help her through this if he can find a way to 'jump the scratch' like he can do when he's playing a record. But the truth is, they both need help but don't know how to get it.

Jamie has a big, mysterious secret...that is only slowly revealed. His classmate, Audrey, is the closest thing he has to a friend. He relunctantly agrees to be hypnotized because he wants to forget his secret. The problem, it brings it clearly to the surface, and he can't help wanting to finally share it with someone. The solution. If you wanted to tell a deep secret but not have any consequences, you'd tell it to a person who would forget she ever heard it in half an hour or less. So he finds himself confiding in his aunt.

Enter the happy ending. Unburdening this weight from his soul helps Sapphy 'jump the scratch' in her own life. Both are able to live happily ever after.

I loved the book. I thought it was very well done.

Eleven-year-old Jamie Reardon has had a string of bad luck. First, his beloved cat Mister dies. Next, his father runs off with a cashier from MicroMart. Then, aunt Sapphy has an accident at her job at the cherry factory, and Jamie and his mother have to move and take care of her. Just when Jamie thinks his luck will improve, another bad thing happens --- and it's so bad that all he can do is try his hardest to forget.

JUMPING THE SCRATCH begins after all this bad luck. In addition to missing his cat and feeling abandoned by his father, Jamie has to deal with being the new kid at school. He's harassed daily on the bus by Larry Baywood, who calls him "Rear-End," and his teacher doesn't even know his name. She calls him James instead of Jamie, but he never bothers to correct her. Plus, he no longer lives in a house. Now, he and his mother live with Sapphy at the Wondrous Acres trailer park. Sapphy can't live on her own anymore after the accident because she has no short-term memory. "The blow to her head caused Sapphy's memory to develop a skip, like an old phonograph record with a scratch." Every morning Jamie and his mother have to explain to Sapphy why they are there because she can't remember anything that happened after the accident. The doctors tell them that the only way to solve Sapphy's memory problem is to find a "magic trigger" --- something that will snap Sapphy out of it and make her memory "jump the scratch."

As Jamie attempts to help his aunt remember, all he can do is try to forget the last bad thing that happened to him. It's the one that makes him taste butterscotch in his mouth every time he gets upset. It's also the one that makes him avoid, at all costs, running into Old Gray, the creepy manager of the trailer park. One of Jamie's classmates, Audrey Krouch, notices that Jamie is unhappy and that something is bothering him. She offers to help hypnotize him to solve his problems. Little does Jamie know that the solution to his own problems will help aunt Sapphy as well.

JUMPING THE SCRATCH is a novel that resonates. The characters are so real, and Jamie's story is simply told yet strikes an emotional chord that sticks with the reader. Sarah Weeks, award-winning author of SO B. IT, is a master at creating a powerful story using just the right words and descriptions to make her readers care deeply for her characters.

--- Reviewed by Kristi Olson

Sarah Weeks did a great job writing this novel. One of the main characters is Jamie Reardon. He moves to a trailer park, soon after his dad leaves him and his mom alone, because his Aunt Sapphie has had an accident at her work. She got hit by a pipe and can't remember current events. Through this book Jamie tries to find the "trigger" to make her remember again. They want to try to make her "jump the scratch," like on a record player. They want the needle to 'JUMP THE SCRATCH.' All along this time he has a friend named Audrey. She hypnotizes Jamie and he starts to remember something that had happened in the past. This story's ending is really surprising, but it is still a good book. I really liked this book, and recomend it for other young readers.

Jumping the Scratch is a beautiful story about family, relationships, growing up and a secret. Sarah Weeks tells Jaime's story with humor, sensitivity, and love. Her strong voice and powerful story-telling make this a book that you don't want to put down. I strongly recommend this book to young readers - they will certainly be inspired by knowing Jaime, Aunt Sapphy and Audrey Krouch.

I thought that this book was pretty good because it had many different obstacles that Jamie had to overcome through out the book, not just one problem.