Megan McCafferty’s Bumped series of books are must-read teen dystopian fiction, along with Ally Condie’s Matched series and Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy.
Thumped, the sequel to Bumped, manages to be satiric, scary, and romantic at the same time. It continues the story of separated-at-birth twins, Melody and Harmony, girls as engaging as McCafferty’s Jessica Darling. These sisters are the most popular teen girls on the planet. To their fans, they seem to be living ideal lives. Harmony is married to Ram and living in Goodside, the religious community that once meant everything to her. Melody has the genetically flawless Jondoe as her coupling partner, which means money and status—and a bright future.
But both girls are hiding secrets. And they are each pining for the only guys they can’t have…. The biggest risk of all could be to finally tell the truth.
Thumped (Bumped)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
More to Explore
Download a discussion guide for Thumped [PDF]. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
“A sparkling, imaginative romp that is nevertheless plenty provocative.” (Kirkus Reviews )
“The well-paced plot and the twins’ alternating narratives will keep readers engaged …. A worthwhile read.” (School Library Journal )
Praise for BUMPED: “McCafferty proves that dystopias don’t have to be dreary to be provocative.” (Publishers Weekly )
Praise for BUMPED: “Sure to keep [readers] thinking.” (Kirkus Reviews )
Praise for BUMPED: “BUMPED is brilliant, innovative, and slightly terrifying. Megan McCafferty delivers!” (Carolyn Mackler, author of TANGLED and the Printz-Honor-book, THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS )
Praise for BUMPED: “Megan McCafferty has conceived a hilarious, touching, truly original novel, told in her trademark, spot-on voice. Readers of every age will delight in this new arrival.” (Rachel Cohn, bestselling author of NICK & NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST )
Praise for BUMPED: “Bumped has it all: a fascinating yet frighteningly believable world, seamless world-building, great humor, and sophisticated word play. The book will start many a discussion and, alas, raise more than a few eyebrows. I suspect the mothers will like it just as much as the daughters. Bumped is the ‘breediest’ novel of the year.” (Gabrielle Zevin, author of ELSEWHERE )
“The well-paced plot and the twins’ alternating narratives will keep readers engaged …. A worthwhile read.” (School Library Journal )
Praise for BUMPED: “McCafferty proves that dystopias don’t have to be dreary to be provocative.” (Publishers Weekly )
Praise for BUMPED: “Sure to keep [readers] thinking.” (Kirkus Reviews )
Praise for BUMPED: “BUMPED is brilliant, innovative, and slightly terrifying. Megan McCafferty delivers!” (Carolyn Mackler, author of TANGLED and the Printz-Honor-book, THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS )
Praise for BUMPED: “Megan McCafferty has conceived a hilarious, touching, truly original novel, told in her trademark, spot-on voice. Readers of every age will delight in this new arrival.” (Rachel Cohn, bestselling author of NICK & NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST )
Praise for BUMPED: “Bumped has it all: a fascinating yet frighteningly believable world, seamless world-building, great humor, and sophisticated word play. The book will start many a discussion and, alas, raise more than a few eyebrows. I suspect the mothers will like it just as much as the daughters. Bumped is the ‘breediest’ novel of the year.” (Gabrielle Zevin, author of ELSEWHERE )
From the Back Cover
It's been thirty-five weeks since twin sisters Harmony and Melody went their separate ways. Since then, their story has become irresistible to legions of girls: twins separated at birth and living different lives, each due to deliver sets of twins . . . on the same day! In a future where only teens can "bump," or give birth, babies mean money, status, and freedom.
Married to Ram and living in religious Goodside, Harmony spends her time trying to fit back into the community she once loved and believed in. But she can't seem to forget about Jondoe, the guy she fell in love with under the strangest of circumstances.
To her adoring fans, Melody has achieved everything she always wanted: a big, fat contract and a coupling with Jondoe, the hottest bump prospect around. But this image is costing her the one guy she really wants.
Cursed by their own popularity, the girls are obsessively tracked by their millions of fans, who have been eagerly counting down the days to their "Double Double Due Date." Without a doubt, they are two of the most powerful teen girls on the planet, and there's only one thing they could do that would make them more famous than they already are:
Tell the truth.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I was always a little iffy about Bumped. Something about the hyper-sexualization of teen girls in that book and the "glamorous" portrayal of teen pregnancy almost made a little uncomfortable. But that was the point of the book anyway -all about satirizing the seeming modern fascination with teen pregnancy. By the time I got to Thumped, I was a little more comfortable reading about such a world (Bumped broke me in), so this time around I was able to enjoy the message behind the book more this time around.
Thumped picks up about eight months after Bumped left off. Though Harmony is now heavily pregnant, married and living in the highly religious Goodside community, she's had trouble assimilating back into the community. Meanwhile her twin Melody is enjoying her newfound popularity as a "high profile" bump, all the time trying to hide the fact that her pregnancy is fake. As the clock counts down to the birth of Harmony's baby (and Melody's fake baby), the truth starts to come out.
In many ways, I thought that Thumped was much better than Bumped. The characters were clearer, stronger and much more enjoyable to read. The plot seemed to move more quickly, and I just felt like much more was at stake than in the first book. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the more repressive, traditional society compared with a more modern and sexually "open" society -and most importantly, the overall message that neither approach is really "right."
The more I got into Thumped, the more I felt like it, combined with Bumped, should have just been one book. And they would have been better together. The plot would have been more coherent and comprehensive and Bumped wouldn't have felt like it was only half of a book (which it kind of was).
Better than Bumped, Thumped offers a unique message that goes beyond much of what is offered in the modern teen dystopian genre.
Thumped picks up about eight months after Bumped left off. Though Harmony is now heavily pregnant, married and living in the highly religious Goodside community, she's had trouble assimilating back into the community. Meanwhile her twin Melody is enjoying her newfound popularity as a "high profile" bump, all the time trying to hide the fact that her pregnancy is fake. As the clock counts down to the birth of Harmony's baby (and Melody's fake baby), the truth starts to come out.
In many ways, I thought that Thumped was much better than Bumped. The characters were clearer, stronger and much more enjoyable to read. The plot seemed to move more quickly, and I just felt like much more was at stake than in the first book. I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the more repressive, traditional society compared with a more modern and sexually "open" society -and most importantly, the overall message that neither approach is really "right."
The more I got into Thumped, the more I felt like it, combined with Bumped, should have just been one book. And they would have been better together. The plot would have been more coherent and comprehensive and Bumped wouldn't have felt like it was only half of a book (which it kind of was).
Better than Bumped, Thumped offers a unique message that goes beyond much of what is offered in the modern teen dystopian genre.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Thumped by Megan McCafferty is the sequel to Bumped a dystopian satire about a society where teenagers are encouraged to get pregnant. The story alternates between the voices of twins Harmony and Melody who have told the world that they are both pregnant with twins and born on the same day. Harmony has gone back to Goodside with her husband although she is pregnant with Jondoe's babies. She is unhappy in this religious community and unwilling to conform. Melody is part of a huge fraud, faking the most public pregnancy in the world. The two have to come to terms with their decisions before the untruths blowup in their faces.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice sequel to Bumped and it was a sequel, not a second book in a series so it had a nice and fulfilling ending at the end (something that's lacking in a lot of YA lit) that even packs a nice message at the end. The book is satire and filled with a lot of tongue and cheek moments that had me giggling. This series is unlike anything else on the market and one I would recommend to teens.
Appropriateness: This dystopian tale much like others that have been on the market recently was built around a premise of the government controlling or encouraging teenage sexuality. In this case teenagers are encouraged to become pregnant, to "bump" (have sex) and to give their babies away. Even though sex and sexuality is the main premise of this book the content is still fairly tame. There is one heavy makeout scene that is not descriptive. The ultimate message of the book is a liberal sex ed philosophy, that sex should be meaningful and not done because of pressure from outside forces, that controlling sexual behavior (either way) isn't positive. I did not find the content to be inappropriate for a middle school audience (although some may find the topic icky) and would recommend the book for ages 13+ I would take this book as an opportunity to have some frank discussions with your kid on teen pregnancy and the media's pressure to live in a sexualised society as the book really encourages those sorts of discussions.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice sequel to Bumped and it was a sequel, not a second book in a series so it had a nice and fulfilling ending at the end (something that's lacking in a lot of YA lit) that even packs a nice message at the end. The book is satire and filled with a lot of tongue and cheek moments that had me giggling. This series is unlike anything else on the market and one I would recommend to teens.
Appropriateness: This dystopian tale much like others that have been on the market recently was built around a premise of the government controlling or encouraging teenage sexuality. In this case teenagers are encouraged to become pregnant, to "bump" (have sex) and to give their babies away. Even though sex and sexuality is the main premise of this book the content is still fairly tame. There is one heavy makeout scene that is not descriptive. The ultimate message of the book is a liberal sex ed philosophy, that sex should be meaningful and not done because of pressure from outside forces, that controlling sexual behavior (either way) isn't positive. I did not find the content to be inappropriate for a middle school audience (although some may find the topic icky) and would recommend the book for ages 13+ I would take this book as an opportunity to have some frank discussions with your kid on teen pregnancy and the media's pressure to live in a sexualised society as the book really encourages those sorts of discussions.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I read Bumped after purchasing it during the awesome $0.99 e-book sale HarperTeen did over the holiday season, and I was so excited to get a review copy of Thumped so I could see how this story ends! I found myself racing through this book because I needed to know what was going to happen next. The chapters are short, so this book is a fast read. I also loved seeing how the relationships between Harmony/Jondoe and Melody/Zen were developed in this book.
I love the world Megan McCafferty created in these books; it's so unique and original. The thing that stands out to me the most is that while these are dystopian books, the whole story has a light, fun feel to it -- it never gets too heavy, but still evokes emotion during the intense moments. I love the characters she created with Harmony and Melody. Even though they're identical twins, they are so different from each other, and their separate voices come across on the page.
While this book is light and fun, I like how it also talks about a serious subject (teen pregnancy) and doesn't make light of it. Teens in these books have to deal with a lot, and the weight of the decisions they have to make is discussed in a thorough matter. The book also never gets preachy, which I love! It's about teens making their own decisions about intense situations, and I enjoyed seeing how Melody and Harmony's views were formed in both Bumped and Thumped.
Thumped was a great sequel that you should definitely make sure to read if you're a fan of Bumped. If you haven't read Bumped, I advise checking it out, so you're ready for Thumped when it comes out!
I love the world Megan McCafferty created in these books; it's so unique and original. The thing that stands out to me the most is that while these are dystopian books, the whole story has a light, fun feel to it -- it never gets too heavy, but still evokes emotion during the intense moments. I love the characters she created with Harmony and Melody. Even though they're identical twins, they are so different from each other, and their separate voices come across on the page.
While this book is light and fun, I like how it also talks about a serious subject (teen pregnancy) and doesn't make light of it. Teens in these books have to deal with a lot, and the weight of the decisions they have to make is discussed in a thorough matter. The book also never gets preachy, which I love! It's about teens making their own decisions about intense situations, and I enjoyed seeing how Melody and Harmony's views were formed in both Bumped and Thumped.
Thumped was a great sequel that you should definitely make sure to read if you're a fan of Bumped. If you haven't read Bumped, I advise checking it out, so you're ready for Thumped when it comes out!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Better that the first
Interesting idea just the wrong author however better than her first book. Would not suggest for teenagers to read this book!
Published 17 days ago by Shane Reidhead
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ehhh
It was very difficult to get into this book. I was only able to get halfway through it, I was so bored.
Published 1 month ago by KC Gruber
1.0 out of 5 stars
Ehhh
Jessica Darling series so much better than this one. It feels forced, overly predictable, and lacking in the laugh out loud humor of her former series.
Published 2 months ago by Laura
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect sequel to Bumped
Despite being in a horrible mood when I picked this book up last night to finish it, this book left me smiling. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Tabitha Williams
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Sexual Revolution of the Future
It’s 2036 and the world’s population is in crisis. The Human Progressive Sterility Virus has shortened men’s and women’s reproductive years dramatically; starting around the age of... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kelly Garbato
4.0 out of 5 stars
I liked it better than bumped.
This book is the sequel to bumped and both are slightly unnerving in their look at teenagers having all the babies...but it all comes together in thumped. Read more
Published 3 months ago by She who must not be named
4.0 out of 5 stars
Better than the first one
This is the sequel to Bumped. There is a virus that stops women from reproducing sometime between 18 and 20 years old. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kamilah S. Bryant
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thumped
I would definitely recommend this book. It is a fast and interesting read. Definitely a great way to pass the time.
Published 4 months ago by Meg
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Sequel
I was very happy with the sequel to "Bumped". Sometimes book 2 can't live up to book 1 but Megan McCafferty delivers.
Published 5 months ago by Megan
3.0 out of 5 stars
Thumped focuses more on Harmony as the girls fight their own...
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: Thumped focuses more on Harmony as the girls fight their own popularity to save the future they really want. Read more
Quick & Dirty: Thumped focuses more on Harmony as the girls fight their own popularity to save the future they really want. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Dark Faerie Tales
