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    Jumping the Scratch
    Jumping the Scratch
    Jumping the Scratch
    Audiobook2 hours

    Jumping the Scratch

    Written by Sarah Weeks

    Narrated by Stephen Spinella

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Jamie Reardon has always heard that bad things come in threes. So after his cat, Mister, dies, his father leaves, and his aunt Sapphy has an accident that causes her memory to develop a skip, Jamie hopes his life will go back to being as normal as cornflakes. But unfortunately there's one more bad thing in store for Jamie -- something he'd give anything to be able to forget -- and this one leaves him feeling like a stranger to himself. Jamie tries in vain to find the magic trigger that will help Sapphy's memory jump the scratch, like the needle on her favorite Frank Sinatra record, but in the end it's Aunt Sapphy who, along with a curious girl named Audrey Krouch, helps Jamie unravel the mysteries of memory and jump the scratch in his own life.

    Sarah Weeks's poignant characters and powerful prose come together in a story that is both heart wrenching and inspiring -- another gem from the award-winning author of So B. It.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMay 23, 2006
    ISBN9780061190629
    Jumping the Scratch
    Author

    Sarah Weeks

    Sarah Weeks has written more than fifty books for young readers. Some of her picture books include Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash, Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth!, and Glamourpuss. Her bestselling novel, So B. It, is a feature-length film starring Alfre Woodard and Talitha Bateman. Ms. Weeks visits thousands of students in elementary and middle schools across the country every year. She is also an adjunct professor in the prestigious MFA Writing for Children and Young Adults program at the New School. Sarah lives in Nyack, New York, with her husband, Jim Fyfe, and their dog, Mia. You can visit her online at sarahweeks.com.

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    Reviews for Jumping the Scratch

    4/5

    66 ratings8 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This middle grade novel, set in northern Michigan, draws out some of the most complicated emotions and serious challenges of childhood. It takes divorce, memory, death and abuse as its subjects and handles them deftly, creating a narrative that is not at all comfortable yet is beautiful in its own way. Weeks is adept at inhabiting the perspective of a child with a secret. Here, that child is Jamie, who feels responsible for the bad things happening around him -- his parents splitting, his cat dying, his aunt's health issues and even more terrible secrets -- and is struggling to function in his shifting world. Although this is a quick read, it is not an easy one, especially for anyone who has ever been in a similar situation. Jamie's challenges are familiar, relatable, wrenching and -- as a result -- important for the reader. I think, in fact, that this might be one of those important books... one that you can hand to kids or even adults who are struggling in order to reassure them that they are not alone. It will unsettle you -- it should unsettle you -- but it is very much worth the discomfort. Recommended for older children who can handle serious themes and beyond.
    • 5/5
      So B. It was a five star read for me in 2012, and thus I'm compelled to read other books by Sarah Weeks.This one did not disappoint and Weeks is an author I'll follow.When Jamie and his mother move to northern Michigan to live with and assist his Aunt Sapphy, the transition is difficult.Abandoned by his father who left for another woman, Jamie and his mother moved and now live in a tiny trailer; his mother works long hours, and his Aunt is different.Suffering from an accident at a cherry factory, Aunt Sapphy now has amnesia. Like a needle stuck in a record, Aunt Sapphy repeats herself over and over and over and over.While Aunt Sapphy cannot remember, Jamie has a terrible secret and he longs to be more like his Aunt. While she cannot remember; he cannot forget.Persecuted on the bus and in school, Jamie simply tries to zone out. When Audrey Krouch, a gangly, curious girl who lives in the same trailer park, begins to notice and tries to interact with Jamie, he realizes just how much his secret impacts on his ability to relate to others.Before he moved, Jaime had a lovely cat named Mister. A stray, Mister was taken in and cared for by Jaime. When Mister has an accident and dies, it coincides with the loss of his father. Losing two things he loved is terribly painful.Losing the wonderful relationship he previously had with Aunt Sapphy before her accident, simply represents yet another tragedy and loss.When Mr. Gray, the manager of the trailer park befriends Jamie, he thinks he can trust and share his loss and pain. Sadly, he is used and abused by Mr. Gray. Mr. Gray's betrayal leads to shame for Jamie and represents yet another loss of innocence.Desperately trying to hide his secret from everyone, Audrey notices that Jamie takes the long way from the bus to his home, avoiding the area where Mr. Gray lives, and she continues to question Jamie.As Jamie's secret unravels, the relationship with Audrey and with Aunt Sapphy helps both Jamie and Aunt Sapphy to "jump the scratch" and to sing a new song.Highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      I just stated this book. I am dying to find out Jamie's bad incident that he wants to erase from his memory.
    • 4/5
      Jamie and his mom move to northern Michigan to live with, and care for, his aunt. Suffering from a head injury, Aunt Saphy can't remember anything day to day. Jamie has a dark secret (abuse) that he'd love to forget, but he can't. With the help of a new friend, Audrey, Jamie sets out to help his aunt, but ends up finding answers of his own. This book starts w/a great opening line in the intro and cont to reel in the reader in Ch 1. I would use this book to teach Pathways-Feelings, divorce, abandonment, complex families, extended family, similes, and great opening lines "bold beginnings". Grades 5+ for strong emotion and complex issues.
    • 5/5
      Jamie and his mom move to northern Michigan to live with, and care for, his aunt. Suffering from a head injury, Aunt Saphy can't remember anything day to day. Jamie has a dark secret that he'd love to forget, but he can't. With the help of a new friend, Audrey, Jamie sets out to help his aunt, but ends up finding answers of his own.This book was phenomenal. Weeks has woven together Jamie's and his aunt Saphy's stories in a way that reminds me of Gary Schmidt's books.While not as rich in historical detail as Schmidt, Weeks develops her characters and reveals the plot at just the right pace. I also love how she strikes the perfect balance of Jamie being alone with his secret, without making all of the adults in his life completely incompetent. Highly recommended for readers of all ages.
    • 4/5
      After his father takes off with a mini-mart clerk and his Aunt Sapphy suffers a head injury in a cherry factory accident, 5th-grader Jamie Reardon finds himself living in a trailer at the not-so-wondrous Wondrous Acres. As the new kid at school, Jamie only wishes to be invisible, but a bully, his teacher Miss Miller who doesn't even realize his name isn't short for James, and the odd and prying Audrey Krouch simply won't let him disappear. Even as he tries to help his aunt regain her short-term memory, Jamie only wishes to forget his own terrible secret. As it happens, his disabled aunt and Audrey are the ones that can ultimately help Jamie face his fears.Jumping the Scratch is a charming and quick read for younger readers. Jamie is a lovable character who I'm sure most kids, and humans in general, could relate to as he struggles with how to respond to a bully's taunts, how to fit in at a new school, and how to deal with a teacher who always seems to be picking on him. This a great story about kindness that isn't always so common and learning to open up and trust others to know and help us with our problems.
    • 5/5
      Jamie is trying to help his aunt, who has suffered a head injury, regain her memories of the present while Jamie is struggling to forget his. While living in the trailer park with his aunt and his mother, Jamie has an unfortunate encouter when the park's caretaker makes sexual advances to Jamie.
    • 2/5
      After moving with his mother to a trailer park to care for an injured aunt, eleven-year-old Jamie Reardon struggles to cope with a deeply buried secret.