Jumping the Scratch

Name: Jumping the Scratch
Brand: Harper Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Sarah Weeks
ISBN: 9780061190629

Author: Sarah Weeks

Narrator: Stephen Spinella

Unabridged: 2 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 05/23/2006

Categories: Children's Fiction, Children's Social Themes

Synopsis

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.

About 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.

About Stephen Spinella

Two-time Tony® Award winner Stephen spinella has starred in such Broadway productions as Our Town, Angels in America, and Love! Valour! Compassion! Regionally and Off-Broadway, he has appeared in works by Shaw, Beckett, Shakespeare, Moliere, and Chekhov.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Isabella on March 25, 2025

well, Jamie was was traumatized, in a context of poverty, an aunt with amnesia, an absent mother, an indifferent teacher... real, controversial, leaves the reader to imagine a traumatic episode, interesting.........more

Goodreads review by Kelly on July 16, 2008

Definitely not as good as her 2008 award winner, So B. It, this has similar themes surrounding the main character. The young boy in this story has an Aunt that suffers from memory loss. In So B. It, the young female character has a mother struggling with memory loss, but it is more severe and has ma......more

Goodreads review by Kelly on August 30, 2008

I adored Heidi in her novel So B. It, so I was eager to read this one as well. I think what makes her books so good is that the characters and the way they see the world are so charming, innocent, but still wise. I listened to both of these books on audio, so I'm curious if I would feel differently......more

Goodreads review by Linda on January 02, 2013

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......more

Goodreads review by Jeff on December 15, 2017

Jumping the Scratch is a good, quick read that smacks you right in the feels. It is full of interesting characters that pop in and out of the main storyline, which keeps it interesting to read. The main character, Jamie, has kind of a troubled life at the moment that is fixed in a very powerful, em......more