Jumped
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The wrong angle
Trina: "Hey," I say, though I don't really know them. The boyed-up basketball girl barely moves. The others, her girls, step aside. It's okay if they don't speak. I know how it is. They can't all be Trina.
Dominique: Some stupid little flit cuts right in between us and is like, "Hey." Like she don't see I'm here and all the space around me is mines. I slam my fist into my other hand because she's good as jumped.
Leticia: Why would I get involved in Trina's life when I don't know for sure if I saw what I thought I saw? Who is to say I wasn't seeing it from the wrong angle?
Acclaimed author Rita Williams-Garcia intertwines the lives of three very different teens in this fast-paced, gritty narrative about choices and the impact that even the most seemingly insignificant ones can have. Weaving in and out of the girls' perspectives, readers will find themselves not with one intimate portrayal but three.
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Author Extras
Teen Features:
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Critical Praise for
Jumped
“So well-observed that the characters seem to leap off the page, the novel leaves a strong and lingering impact.”
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Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Williams-Garcia makes the drama feel not only immediate but suffocatingly tense, as each tick of the clock speeds the three girls toward collision. Most impressive is how the use of voice allows readers to fully experience the complicated politics of high school; you can sense the thousand mini–dramas percolating within each crowded classroom.”
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ALA Booklist (starred review)
“Williams-Garcia deftly creates portraits of each of the girls as the narration moves from one to another, with the triangulation of view resulting in some fascinatingly complex characterization.”
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Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Williams-Garcia has given her characters strong, individual voices that ring true to teenage speech. The ethical decision will get readers thinking about the larger issues surrounding community, personal responsibility, and the concept of ‘snitching.’”
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School Library Journal
“With a realistic look at girl–on–girl violence and gripping characterization, Williams-Garcia masterfully builds tension to the momentous ending.”
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Kirkus Reviews
“The latest novel from Williams-Garcia offers a piercing snapshot of three girls in an urban high school, their daily struggle to realize their hopes and dreams, and the threat of school violence to shatter them all.”
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Horn Book Magazine
“This nail–biter of a tale, told from the girls’ three viewpoints, has great insight into the lives of teenage girls and how they interpret and perpetrate bullying.”
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Chicago Tribune
“Teens who live the reality of girl fights and getting jumped every day will surely see themselves and their friends in these girls.”
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Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
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