Jumping Off Swings
by Jo Knowles

    JUMPING OFF SWINGS by Jo Knowles
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  8/11/09
    Publisher:  Candlewick
    Reviewed by:  Allison Fraclose
    Rating:  5 Stars


    Ellie doesn’t wonder why she keeps ending up in the same situation with so many guys. She knows that she likes the
    way they touch her and treat her like she’s special, and each time, she hopes that she’ll end up with someone who
    can love her.

    But she only ends up heartbroken, and, after the last time with fumbling virgin, Josh, she ends up with much more than
    just the emotional aftereffects of a one night stand. A baby is now on the way, and Ellie can’t hide the evidence of
    who she is any longer, since it’s popping from her belly for all to see.

    Josh had been promised by his friends that there’d be no strings attached with Ellie. However, he can’t get over the
    way she looked at him when he left her there in his father’s van. He knows he screwed up, and, now, he’s sure of it.
    Even though he hasn’t spoken to Ellie since, the baby that he is destined to never see will haunt him forever, no matter
    what Ellie decides to do.

    For Caleb, Josh’s best friend, Ellie’s pregnancy turns his feelings for his friends upside down. He can’t believe what
    jerks Josh and the others have been to the girl he’s loved since the first grade, but, at the same time, he manages to
    be the confidant and provide solace to Josh, Ellie, and Ellie’s best friend, Corrine.

    As one used to picking up the pieces of her friend’s bad decisions, Corrine does her best to push Ellie to make the
    right choices, but even she can only do so much while Ellie deals with her own emotions. As Corrine and Caleb grow
    closer despite the situation surrounding them, Corrine tries to protect Ellie as best she can from those who only see
    her for the mistake she made.

    This emotional journey takes us right into the minds of these four characters as they all react in their own manner to
    the most delicate of situations. Full of heart-wrenching turmoil and tricky social balance, the author does an excellent
    job of showing us the most of these narrators with as few words as possible.