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hikool101's review against another edition
4.0
This book is proof you don't need a grand-scale story to be amazing. I absolutely loved the theme of "don't judge a book by its cover", and I was a sucker for the relationship between the MC and Luis, the boy he has to work with. Great story of friendship and expectations, and the slam poetry was pretty cool, too. 9/10
kelleemoye's review against another edition
5.0
Full review at: http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=3798
This book is about depression, friendship, poetry, music, loyalty, teachers, and family.. It is amazing that through Sam’s interactions with Luis and introduction to poetry, he goes from trying to be invisible on purpose to having a whole different view of his surroundings. Luis changes how he sees the world because Luis ends up being everything he thought he wasn’t.
This book surprised me. I didn’t know what it was about when I started, so I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. At first Sam seems to just be a slacker that is hard to connect with, and I thought it was going to be similar to many other books with a bully that I’ve read. But it ended up being like Luis was to Sam–everything I thought it wasn’t going to be, and it was so unpredictable. From page 1, the author had me. The images just jumped out at me. And that was just the beginning of me being thoroughly impressed with the book. Both of the voices in this book resonated with me for a long time after (As much as I end up liking Sam in this book, I think Luis may be one of my favorite characters ever. He has a beautiful voice, and I felt privileged to meet him.). It was one of those books that I had to let marinate before I could pick up another one because it was still banging around inside of my head (and I couldn’t stop hearing Sam and Luis’s voices).
This book is about depression, friendship, poetry, music, loyalty, teachers, and family.. It is amazing that through Sam’s interactions with Luis and introduction to poetry, he goes from trying to be invisible on purpose to having a whole different view of his surroundings. Luis changes how he sees the world because Luis ends up being everything he thought he wasn’t.
This book surprised me. I didn’t know what it was about when I started, so I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. At first Sam seems to just be a slacker that is hard to connect with, and I thought it was going to be similar to many other books with a bully that I’ve read. But it ended up being like Luis was to Sam–everything I thought it wasn’t going to be, and it was so unpredictable. From page 1, the author had me. The images just jumped out at me. And that was just the beginning of me being thoroughly impressed with the book. Both of the voices in this book resonated with me for a long time after (As much as I end up liking Sam in this book, I think Luis may be one of my favorite characters ever. He has a beautiful voice, and I felt privileged to meet him.). It was one of those books that I had to let marinate before I could pick up another one because it was still banging around inside of my head (and I couldn’t stop hearing Sam and Luis’s voices).
nagam's review
4.0
Review originally posted on Rather Be Reading...
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Jumped In is a fast, quick-moving story that was extremely touching and heart-warming. Two boys, both disinterested in school for very different reasons, are pushed by their English teacher, Miss Cassidy, to engage and participate in her class. She intentionally pinpoints Sam and Luis each class, waiting for them to answer and making sure they know the material. Sam’s just trying to get by, unnoticed, because he feels worthless and abandoned after his mother left him several years before. He has no friends and tries to be a wallflower. Luis is an exceptionally bright student, but his father and brother have set a pattern in motion he’s expected to follow: join a gang. How can he uphold his bad-boy reputation if he shows how much he really cares about school?
As they begin a poetry unit, Miss Cassidy announces that their final project will be to read their poetry aloud in a poetry slam. Sam and Luis pair up and begin working on something they hope will unexpectedly blow the class away. While the majority of the story is told from Sam’s perspective, we see bits of Luis blended in via the poetry he writes (but doesn’t share it with anyone). As the boys prepare for the poetry slam, they decide to allow more of themselves to filter into the piece they’re writing together.
But one day, Luis disappears. Sam goes on a hunt for him — searching everywhere he can think of to find out what happened to Luis. Is he okay? Was he pulled into some kind of gang-related activity? Is he alive?
Ultimately, Jumped In is one of those kinds of books that makes you feel warm and fuzzy when you’ve read the final pages. (Which seems like such a contradiction to the subject matter and stories the boys tell throughout the book.) It reminds me of the many, many movies I would watch with my mom, a former teacher, about how the teacher completely turned a group of ill-fated students around. (Sister Act 2, anyone?)
Jumped In hasn’t received nearly the recognition it should in the blogosphere. If you’re looking for something quick to read, but with a more serious undertone, definitely check it out.
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Jumped In is a fast, quick-moving story that was extremely touching and heart-warming. Two boys, both disinterested in school for very different reasons, are pushed by their English teacher, Miss Cassidy, to engage and participate in her class. She intentionally pinpoints Sam and Luis each class, waiting for them to answer and making sure they know the material. Sam’s just trying to get by, unnoticed, because he feels worthless and abandoned after his mother left him several years before. He has no friends and tries to be a wallflower. Luis is an exceptionally bright student, but his father and brother have set a pattern in motion he’s expected to follow: join a gang. How can he uphold his bad-boy reputation if he shows how much he really cares about school?
As they begin a poetry unit, Miss Cassidy announces that their final project will be to read their poetry aloud in a poetry slam. Sam and Luis pair up and begin working on something they hope will unexpectedly blow the class away. While the majority of the story is told from Sam’s perspective, we see bits of Luis blended in via the poetry he writes (but doesn’t share it with anyone). As the boys prepare for the poetry slam, they decide to allow more of themselves to filter into the piece they’re writing together.
But one day, Luis disappears. Sam goes on a hunt for him — searching everywhere he can think of to find out what happened to Luis. Is he okay? Was he pulled into some kind of gang-related activity? Is he alive?
Ultimately, Jumped In is one of those kinds of books that makes you feel warm and fuzzy when you’ve read the final pages. (Which seems like such a contradiction to the subject matter and stories the boys tell throughout the book.) It reminds me of the many, many movies I would watch with my mom, a former teacher, about how the teacher completely turned a group of ill-fated students around. (Sister Act 2, anyone?)
Jumped In hasn’t received nearly the recognition it should in the blogosphere. If you’re looking for something quick to read, but with a more serious undertone, definitely check it out.
beths0103's review against another edition
5.0
Oh the tears. Thank goodness I wasn't out in public when I was reading this. The last 40 pages of the book had me weeping incessantly.
I would love to make this a read aloud in my classroom, but I fear I won't be able to get through the ending. Plus there's a fair bit of language, which could get awkward with middle schoolers. Would be a good high school read aloud though.
I would love to make this a read aloud in my classroom, but I fear I won't be able to get through the ending. Plus there's a fair bit of language, which could get awkward with middle schoolers. Would be a good high school read aloud though.
mengler87's review against another edition
5.0
love, love, love! All School Read or One Book, One School potential
dawn_dickerson's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't expect to enjoy it. In fact, I had anticipated not liking it. but I was wrong. I very much became emotionally engaged with the two main characters.
there were tears.
there were tears.
ellanapton's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
electricvaps's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death
msnikkiwilks's review against another edition
4.0
I appreciated the fact that this book showed that masculinity is as diverse as people are.