Rate this book

Living With Jackie Chan (2013)

by Jo Knowles(Favorite Author)

3.99 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0763662801 (ISBN13: 9780763662806)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Candlewick Press

review 1: I've read many young adult novels about teen pregnancy from the point of view of the female teen. Here, Josh is struggling with the guilt of getting a girl pregnant after a one night stand. He moves away to live with his uncle to put some space between himself and the girl involved. He meets Stella, a neighbor and one of his uncle's karate students. Although they hit it off, Stella's boyfriend is extremely jealous.
review 2: As does the equally elegantly written title, The First Part Last by Angela Johnson, this book looks at the after-effects of a pregnancy from the point of view of the male. Josh is essentially a good person who made a bad decision. After a casual one-night stand with Ellie results in an unwanted pregnancy, he is haunted by what happened to t... moreheir child. Josh moves in with his uncle Larry who idolizes Jackie Chan and teaches karate to him. Naturally, he isn't merely teaching him karate but a way to live life and treat others, something Josh recognizes even while hiding his own pain from everyone around him. The more Josh tries to forget his actions, the more they haunt him, leaving him unable to hear a baby crying without second-guessing himself. As Larry, his cat Clover, and Stella, an attractive teen in his karate class, try to help him find his way back to himself while forgiving himself for his mistakes, Josh flounders through his final year of high school, keeping his distance and observing the changes in his own parents who have inextricably found a way to hold onto their own relationship against all the odds. Fans of this book's predecessor, Jumping Off Swings, will be delighted to find out what happens to Josh. The author raises plenty of tough questions while setting her characters in challenging situations from which they must rise or fall. The outcome for some might be predictable but not for all of the characters. For instance, Stella's loss of her self and need to be available to her boyfriend Britt and his whims mirrors her mother's compliance to her own boyfriend's needs, something she is unable to see throughout most of the book. I was pleased that the author did not simply give in to the easy path and start a late-blooming romance between Josh and Stella. The possibility is there, but so is the possibility that they will become even better friends, an outcome that seems all too rare in much of today's literature for teens. This thoughtful, provocative book is sure to prompt much introspection and examination of one's deeds as well as the consequence of careless actions. less

Download links for: Living with Jackie Chan

Advertising