Jump

August 30, 2010
Callous and ruthless Brinkley Harper has almost everything a girl could want: rich parents, beauty, popularity, and a boyfriend who makes “nice arm candy.” But her mean-girl antics have caused four girls to transfer schools, and Brinkley is forced to get therapy or be expelled; she doesn’t count on being assigned a therapist who gives Brinkley a supernatural dose of her own medicine. In a whimsical tale of transformation, Rue (Brand New Emily) explores what happens when Brink­ley’s spirit enters the bodies of some less pampered peers, like a goth with an abusive stepfather, or a mercilessly teased overweight girl, or a Korean exchange student. It doesn’t take long for Brinkley to understand the error of her ways, and Rue tends to hit readers over the head (“Brinkley had never before realized that she attached her allure to something beyond her long thin legs, tiny waist, and pretty face.... It was like she’d been fed a steady diet of lies since she was old enough to read princess stories”) as Brink­ley’s inevitable and too tidy change of heart unfolds. Ages 12–up.

August 15, 2010

Brinkley Harper is the ruling It girl at her high school, combining wealth, beauty and popularity. However, the mandated counseling sessions Brinkley must attend in order to avoid being expelled for bullying reveal a crack in her perfect façade. This intriguing tale explores the adage that to really know someone you must walk a mile in their shoes. In Brinkley's case, she briefly inhabits other student's bodies in order to better understand them. Rue keeps things plausible by delving into the logistics of "jumping," or teleporting, using a blend of quantum physics and mysticism to explain the scenario. Although high-school stereotypes prevail as Brinkley alternately explores life as a goth girl, an overweight, lovelorn band groupie and the quintessential nice girl, the author manages to imbue the story with refreshing twists. Brinkley's other-body experiences neatly overlap with the topics her counselor discusses during therapy, allowing Brinkley and readers to make the connections between concepts such as compassion, empathy and trust and real life. While the outcome is never in doubt, Brinkley's journey of personal transformation will linger with readers endeavoring to define themselves. (Fiction. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

August 1, 2010

Gr 8-11-Moneyed, beautiful, and shallow Brinkley Harper reigns as the queen of Story High School. She is alternately dismissive and cruel as she navigates the daily social scene. Having caused the exit of four students due to her bullying, she must now meet regularly with a therapist or risk expulsion. In a twist on the Freaky Friday theme of switched identities, Brinkley inhabits the bodies of her victims, which allows her to develop empathy, a trait that her therapist deems missing after diagnosing her as a narcissist. The cast of characters is painfully stereotypical; the overweight girl, the goth girl, the science nerd, the catty BFF, and the dumb gorgeous boyfriend. Brinkley's acceptance of former nonentities is, unfortunately, still tied to her skewed sense of worth. The overweight girl is not totally lost because she has a keen fashion sense! The science nerd has hot abs! Miranda, the goth girl, comes closest to being a fully realized character. Ongoing therapy reveals to Brinkley that her hateful behavior stems from trust issues caused by her negligent, absentee parents. It's probably wishful thinking that a few hours spent in someone else's skin could heal such a deep wound, but Rue has Brinkley handing off her crown to her old BFF and happily signing up for membership in the "loser's club." The territory covered in Jump is too familiar to be truly compelling and the suspension of disbelief required doesn't quite jibe with the seriousness of the protagonist's emotional pain.-Karen Elliott, Grafton High School, WI

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2010
Grades 7-10 High-school mean girl Brinkley is beautiful, wealthyand required to attend therapy because of her bullying. Brinkley does not understand what the problem is until she wakes up in the body of Miranda, someone on the opposite end of the social spectrum. Brinkleys jump into Mirandas body and life is not an isolated one. Over the course of several weeks, Brinkley is transported into the bodies of other losers to see what it is like to walk in their shoes. Unable to understand what is happening, Brinkley is forced to befriend Miranda. What develops between the two girls is an actual friendship that allows Brinkley to eventually see the error of her ways. There is nothing new about this story, the ending is largely predictable, and it takes several chapters to warm up to Brinkley and her entitled attitude. However, the writing is humorous and engaging, and captures the high-school scene. Readers will want to keep reading to be assured that Brinkley does come around in the end.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

August 15, 2010

Brinkley Harper is the ruling It girl at her high school, combining wealth, beauty and popularity. However, the mandated counseling sessions Brinkley must attend in order to avoid being expelled for bullying reveal a crack in her perfect fa�ade. This intriguing tale explores the adage that to really know someone you must walk a mile in their shoes. In Brinkley's case, she briefly inhabits other student's bodies in order to better understand them. Rue keeps things plausible by delving into the logistics of "jumping," or teleporting, using a blend of quantum physics and mysticism to explain the scenario. Although high-school stereotypes prevail as Brinkley alternately explores life as a goth girl, an overweight, lovelorn band groupie and the quintessential nice girl, the author manages to imbue the story with refreshing twists. Brinkley's other-body experiences neatly overlap with the topics her counselor discusses during therapy, allowing Brinkley and readers to make the connections between concepts such as compassion, empathy and trust and real life. While the outcome is never in doubt, Brinkley's journey of personal transformation will linger with readers endeavoring to define themselves. (Fiction. 12 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)