Leap
by Jane Breskin Zalben
by Jane Breskin Zalben
LEAP by Jane Breskin Zalben
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+
Release Date: 1/9/07
Publisher: Knopf
Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman
Rating: 5 Stars
Krista and Daniel were inseparable from the first day of kindergarten on. Swimming lessons, play dates, they did
everything together. Until Valentine's Day in third grade. Krista got a box of chocolates and an unsigned love note.
There's no way of knowing for sure who it came from, but Krista is convinced it was Bobby. It almost doesn't really
even matter anymore because since that day, Krista has had the crush of her life on Bobby. Two-and-a-half years, and it
hasn't gone away, and she's no closer to dating him than she was at the beginning. She should have asked Daniel about it
back then, when should have equaled could have, when they were still best friends. But around the beginning of fourth
grade it somehow became not cool to be best friends with someone of the opposite sex. So Krista found Sandy and
Gina, and Daniel became best friends with Bobby. Krista still has the box and the note, though!
The day after the end of fifth grade changes everything for Daniel, and eventually for Krista, too. Daniel goes to have
dental work done, and a freak accident happens. Now he'll need a lot of physical therapy to even get back to being
functional. Who knows if he'll ever be able to be a competitive swimmer again? To make matters worse, his dentist was
Bobby's dad. Which causes all sorts of problems. Add in his mom's inability to deal with the whole thing, and Daniel's
not sure what his future looks like. It's a pretty tough thing to contemplate when you're only in sixth grade.
Krista vows to help her once best friend. But intending to and wanting to help are easier things to say than do. Does
helping Daniel mean she's picking him over Bobby? What does helping, or not helping, say about her as a person? Why
is it so hard to be around Daniel? How can she talk to him?
This story is a snapshot of a time in life that's hard enough without major obstacles. Figuring out how to relate to the
opposite sex is a constant battle that starts around third grade and for some people it doesn't end for the next twenty
years! It's made even harder because previous to that it was completely normal to be friends with the people that you
don't even know how to talk to now. I still don't know exactly what it is that changes everything. With the accident as an
obstacle, it also becomes a story about defining yourself at any age. A person's actions and reactions say a lot about
who they are, but they can also easily be misinterpreted.
This book deals with a confusing time in life, but it does so very openly and honestly. It could very easily have gotten
depressing, or melodramatic, or lost in a message. Thankfully it never does. Instead you walk away from it feeling like
you got a glimpse into life from a full perspective. Like for the first time you got to see the full picture of a piece of time.
It's a good thing.
Category: Contemporary
Age Recommendation: Grades 6+
Release Date: 1/9/07
Publisher: Knopf
Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman
Rating: 5 Stars
Krista and Daniel were inseparable from the first day of kindergarten on. Swimming lessons, play dates, they did
everything together. Until Valentine's Day in third grade. Krista got a box of chocolates and an unsigned love note.
There's no way of knowing for sure who it came from, but Krista is convinced it was Bobby. It almost doesn't really
even matter anymore because since that day, Krista has had the crush of her life on Bobby. Two-and-a-half years, and it
hasn't gone away, and she's no closer to dating him than she was at the beginning. She should have asked Daniel about it
back then, when should have equaled could have, when they were still best friends. But around the beginning of fourth
grade it somehow became not cool to be best friends with someone of the opposite sex. So Krista found Sandy and
Gina, and Daniel became best friends with Bobby. Krista still has the box and the note, though!
The day after the end of fifth grade changes everything for Daniel, and eventually for Krista, too. Daniel goes to have
dental work done, and a freak accident happens. Now he'll need a lot of physical therapy to even get back to being
functional. Who knows if he'll ever be able to be a competitive swimmer again? To make matters worse, his dentist was
Bobby's dad. Which causes all sorts of problems. Add in his mom's inability to deal with the whole thing, and Daniel's
not sure what his future looks like. It's a pretty tough thing to contemplate when you're only in sixth grade.
Krista vows to help her once best friend. But intending to and wanting to help are easier things to say than do. Does
helping Daniel mean she's picking him over Bobby? What does helping, or not helping, say about her as a person? Why
is it so hard to be around Daniel? How can she talk to him?
This story is a snapshot of a time in life that's hard enough without major obstacles. Figuring out how to relate to the
opposite sex is a constant battle that starts around third grade and for some people it doesn't end for the next twenty
years! It's made even harder because previous to that it was completely normal to be friends with the people that you
don't even know how to talk to now. I still don't know exactly what it is that changes everything. With the accident as an
obstacle, it also becomes a story about defining yourself at any age. A person's actions and reactions say a lot about
who they are, but they can also easily be misinterpreted.
This book deals with a confusing time in life, but it does so very openly and honestly. It could very easily have gotten
depressing, or melodramatic, or lost in a message. Thankfully it never does. Instead you walk away from it feeling like
you got a glimpse into life from a full perspective. Like for the first time you got to see the full picture of a piece of time.
It's a good thing.