Stepping Off, Jordan Sonnenblick
Stepping Off, Jordan Sonnenblick
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Stepping Off

Author: Jordan Sonnenblick

Narrator: Kirby Heyborne

Unabridged: 9 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/04/2024


Synopsis

Jesse Dienstag's favorite sweatshirt says, "The real world isn't real." That's the slogan of the vacation-home community in Pennsylvania where his family has always spent every vacation and weekend for as long as he can remember. In the summer of 2019, as Jesse is about to enter his junior year of high school in New York City, he desperately wants to believe the slogan is true. For one thing, the two girls he loves -- equally and desperately -- are in Pennsylvania, and all the stresses and pressures of his daily life and school are in New York.But when his parents stop talking to each other, it gets harder and harder for Jesse to maintain his dream life in Pennsylvania. And when Covid shuts New York City down in March 2020 just days after Jesse's mother leaves his father, Jesse's worlds collide.

About Jordan Sonnenblick

Jordan Sonnenblick is the author of the acclaimed Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, After Ever After, Notes from the Midnight Driver, Zen and the Art of Faking It, Falling Over Sideways, and The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade. He lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Melanie on February 23, 2024

Another winner by Jordan Sonnenblick for junior high readers! Jess, Chloe and Ava have been vacation/weekend best friends for years but things are getting more and more difficult as Jess tries to sort out his changing feelings towards the two girls. As he does in so many of his books, Sonnenblick dr......more

Goodreads review by Jordyn on June 07, 2024

This book started off really strong with characters I felt an immediate connection to. The tone of the book makes it clear that they're going to go through a lot and the book would address several serious topics. While this is true... after a while I really started to struggle to get through this bo......more

Goodreads review by Alyssa on May 11, 2024

Jesse is living his best summer life with his two best friends Ava and Chloe in Pennsylvania. He's just not too eager to go back to school in New York and face real life. But it seems like his happiness might stop in the Summer of 2019 when he notices his parents are not talking anymore, his best fr......more

Goodreads review by Adelle on March 08, 2024

This book was wonderful, as was expected from this author!It was really interesting to see how the main character and his relationships were able to grow and develop, even through a really tough situation. I thought the miscommunication between the main character and one of the girls was especially......more

Goodreads review by Jade on March 30, 2024

I love a good coming to age story and teenage angst. It's been a long time since I've been in my teens and reading about Jesse and the things he experiences day to day was another loud reminder about how old and out of touch I am. But the author perfectly captured the emotions a young persons goes t......more


Quotes

Praise for The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell:"Sonnenblick's trademark blend of wit and sensitivity mines even the darker elements for humor and imbues this memoir with a sense of hope and optimism." -- The Horn Book"A solid purchase for upper elementary school and middle school collections." -- School Library Journal"The pursuit of self-preservation of a fourth-grade boy is perfectly portrayed, and Jordan emerges victorious with his year ending on a most satisfying and hopeful note." -- Association of Jewish LibrariesPraise for The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade:* "A rewarding novel, lit with flashes of irrepressible humor." -- Booklist, starred review"Sonnenblick creates in Maverick an endearing protagonist to root for. Despite daunting obstacles, this terrific boy retains a strong sense of self, a sense of humor, and a big heart that impels him to do what's right." -- Kirkus Reviews"[A] winning formula... a child in crisis, lots of humorous situations and one-liners, and moments of genuine warmth and emotion." -- The Horn BookPraise for Falling Over Sideways:* "Sonnenblick has a knack for smart, droll, first-person narration... The book's beginning sounds so much like other, sunnier novels that readers, like Claire, will feel a jolt when the first crisis comes. But they'll stay with her every step of the way." -- Booklist, starred review* "With humor, grace, and an ear for middle school nuance, Sonnenblick navigates the tricky waters of eighth grade and manages to convey the heartbreak of a major tragedy alongside the more mundane, but no less horrifying, problems... Authentic, funny, dramatic, fantastic." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review* "It's a powerful and profound look at a family coping with unexpected change." -- Publishers Weekly, starred reviewPraise for Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie:"A brave book... Jordan Sonnenblick carries it off with such charm and elan, you forget for a moment your heart is breaking." -- Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes* "Sonnenblick shows that even in the midst of tragedy, life goes on, love can flower, and the one thing you can always change is yourself." -- Booklist, starred review"The reader falls in love with the brothers, laughing and crying by turns and rooting for both of them until it almost hurts." -- Kirkus ReviewsPraise for After Ever After:* "As hilarious as it is tragic, and as honest as it is hopeful, don't confuse this book with inspirational reading. It's irresistible reading." -- Booklist, starred review* "Sonnenblick's intimate first-person tale of survival is a solid stand-alone novel that will leave an emotional, uplifting imprint on readers." -- School Library Journal, starred review"Told with Sonnenblick's trademark self-deprecating humor, this stand-alone tween narrative slots neatly into the space between the author's YA and J titles, sensitively dealing with issues of family, friendship and death in a way that will appeal to middle-grade students. Recommended for fans and new readers alike." -- Kirkus Reviews