Overview
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, 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.
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, 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.
Publishers Weekly
It has been a rough year for 11-year-old Jamie Reardon. In short order, his cat, Mister, died, his father ran off with another woman, and the boy and his mother moved to a trailer park to live with his aunt Sapphy who, because of an accident at the cherry factory where she used to work, has lost her short-term memory and needs them to take care of her. Jamie is also suffering from being the new kid in school and bearing the brunt of a bully's attention. But worst of all is the dark secret that sits deep in Jamie's heart, a secret that he can't share with anyone, and that he would give anything to forget. Spinella brings a lovely sensitive quality to his narration of Weeks's novel, which is reminiscent of the old 1980s television series The Wonder Years, as an older, wiser Jamie looks back at an important, troubling and powerful earlier time in his life. Spinella's insightful performance brings notes of pre-teen innocence and angst to his characterization of Jamie, and is sure to connect with young listeners. Ages 10-up.(May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
It has been a rough year for 11-year-old Jamie Reardon. In short order, his cat, Mister, died, his father ran off with another woman, and the boy and his mother moved to a trailer park to live with his aunt Sapphy who, because of an accident at the cherry factory where she used to work, has lost her short-term memory and needs them to take care of her. Jamie is also suffering from being the new kid in school and bearing the brunt of a bully's attention. But worst of all is the dark secret that sits deep in Jamie's heart, a secret that he can't share with anyone, and that he would give anything to forget. Spinella brings a lovely sensitive quality to his narration of Weeks's novel, which is reminiscent of the old 1980s television series The Wonder Years, as an older, wiser Jamie looks back at an important, troubling and powerful earlier time in his life. Spinella's insightful performance brings notes of pre-teen innocence and angst to his characterization of Jamie, and is sure to connect with young listeners. Ages 10-up.(May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature
After being hit on the head with a big metal pipe at the Cheery Cherry canning factory, Aunt Sapphy does not have a short-term memory. Her nephew, eleven-year-old Jamie Reardon, is trying to find the trigger that will help her to "jump the scratch" in the record of her mind so that she can move forward and stop playing the same line over and over. Unfortunately, helping Aunt Sapphy is not Jamie's only concern. His father recently abandoned the family and a car hit Jamie's cat. As if that were not enough, Jamie possesses a big secret that he is too scared and ashamed to talk to anyone about. This story barely skims the surface of the many emotional and life-impacting events that Jamie experiences; still, it is told with sensitivity and warmth. Jamie is a believable character who reacts to these major events just as many other typical young adults would. He is an intelligent and caring boy who manages to maintain a sense of humor despite his "bad luck." This book is well written and enjoyable to read, in spite of the dark secret that is revealed in the end. 2006, Laura Geringer Books/HarperCollins Publishers., and Ages 10 up.—Denise Daley