Jump by Elisa Carbone [book]

Jump by Elisa Carbone [book]

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Speak; Reprint edition, 2010
Language: English
ISBN: 0142419133

Plot Summary:
P.K.'s parents don't understand her, and she is not doing well in school or in their eyes; so they decide to send her to boarding school, but P.K. is not on board with this idea. Critter's parents also don't understand him and the different way that he views life; he escapes a mental ward and is in the right place at the right time when P.K. decides to make a plan and leave. They meet at the rock climbing gym and as virtual strangers decide to pool their money and leave in the middle of the night on an adventure that will lead them west to Yosemite on a rock climbing adventure. The hitchhike and takes buses to each stop and rock climb sometimes dangerous surfaces all the while forming an attraction. They meet interesting characters, face life threatening climbs and are on the run from the cops because of their break away trip. P.K. is very strong minded and willed and thinks that she knows better for herself in life; she wants adventure and she is in love with rock climbing. Critter is an interesting character in that he says he can see people's auras and is very in touch with living a free life to its fullest. The novel it is fast paced with adventure and romance as they run from the cops and fall for each other's similar viewpoints on climbing and living a fun life.

Critical Evaluation:
I think that this book was an easy read, and I enjoyed all of the rock climbing lingo that was interspersed all throughout the novel. I have rock climbed so I am aware of the feelings that they have about it, but I wonder if people from an outside perspective will be able to grasp the sport as much through this novel. It is a good parallel story of both P.K. and Critter escaping from their societies to run away and do something that they love. I thought that the plot line of runaway romance was fairly typical for a young adult novel but liked that it was punctuated with philosophy, rock climbing, and adventure.

Reader's Annotation:
When P.K. finds out that she is going to be sent to boarding school she decides to run away to Yosemite to climb, and she brings a guy from the climbing gym with her thinking the idea is great until the past catches up with them.

Websites to look Into:
www.elisacarbone.com/

The Author:
Carbone actually reenacts some of the plots in the books that she writes, she researches the area, and completes interviews with the surrounding people when writing her books.

Awards:
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2011
Cybils Award nominee 2010
Maryland Black Eyed Susan Book Award Nominee 2011-2012
Keystone State Reading Association Young Adult Book Award Nominee 2011
Georgia Peach Book Award 2012-2013
Richie's Picks Best of 2010
Starred review Publisher's Weekly

Similar Books:
"The Half-Life of Planets" by Emily Franklin
"Somebody Everybody Listens To" by Suzanne Supplee
Booktalking Ideas:
Discussing running away from home
Actually going climbing while discussing the book to understand it more

Genre:
Adventure, Fiction

Interest Age:
13+

Challenge Issues:
Running away from home
I think that this could very well be a challenge because many teens do run away from home and it is important to talk about it and make it known that it is not as glamorous as it may seem, and that it may not be the solution.

Why this Book?
This book is a fun action book, and I chose it because I love rock climbing and I thought that it was a book that would appeal to people that think running away from home will take away your problems- because it won't.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher [book]

Stolen by Lucy Christopher [book]

New York : Chicken House, 2010
299 p. ; 22 cm
ISBN: 9780545170932

Plot Summary:
While going on a vacation to Bangkok sixteen year old Gemma is drugged and abducted- to be taken to Australia by her captor Ty. He is twenty five years old and has been stalking Gemma for a long time looking for the right time to take her away and live in the outback with her. She is taken out of her element (she is from the UK) and put into a land that she does not know with a man that wants to tame her and keep her with him forever. The one friend that Gemma does make is a female camel that Ty takes, tames and then escapes- much like the Gemma's storyline.
During her captivity Gemma learns that Ty has had a difficult life, he never abuses her sexually, and she sees Ty's love for the land that they are living in and his obsession with her. One night in particular, she convinces herself that Ty is not all that crazy and that she might be falling in love with him. She is confused, but after being bit by a snake Ty rushes her back to civilization to save her life, and upon their return Ty is arrested and Gemma saved. The emotions about her kidnap, feelings for Ty, and her overall despair of the situation come through in her narrative; her letter to her captor is the book in a nutshell.

Critical Evaluation:
I had mixed feelings about this book because in my point of view Gemma's letter is detached. The book was slow moving, and at times hard to decipher- I did not feel a connection to the main character or sometimes understand the motivations behind their actions. I enjoyed that it was written in the form of a letter to her captor, but it is interesting if anyone has read a non- fiction book about this subject, like Elizabeth Smart's book. Gemma is articulate in the book and the reader does feel her confusion and unknowing attraction to the main character, but the story is such a common fear in our society that I could not get past the idea that she had been taken from her life, and the worse things that do indeed happen to these victims in everyday life.

Reader's Annotation:
Sixteen year old Gemma is stolen from her life and her family while on vacation and taken to a desolate land by Ty. At first she is miserable and alone, but over time she starts to develop a connection to her captor, but she has trouble deciphering her true feelings.

Websites to Look Into:
http://www.lucychristopher.com/stolen

Similar Books:
"Flyaway" by Lucy Christopher

Awards:
Barnford Boase Award
Printz Honor Award
Southern Schools Book Award
Gold Inky
Hull Children's Book Award
Booktalking Ideas:
Discussing Stolkholm Syndrome
Discussing romance novels in comparison

Genre:
Adventure, Fiction

Interest Age:
14+

Challenge Issues:
Kidnapping
The main challenge in this book comes from the main character being abducted and her establishing a connection with him. I would combat this with the idea of Stockholm Syndrome and that it is not an unfamiliar topic and should be discussed with young woman, especially a discussion that enables woman to know how to protect themselves from being abducted.

Why this Book?
This book won many awards and really struck me as an interesting, twisted love story. I think that it is an important read to discuss kidnapping and not talking to strangers- as well as monitoring your drinks when you are in foreign areas.