Stacy DeKeyserBesprekingen

This is a cute story with a sports theme. Nick is an affable, gee-whiz kind of protagonist. I liked the charming nostalgia of the time setting, the family and school pal dynamics. It also has a gentle humor that both boys and girls should enjoy.

Somewhat of a retelling of the Pied Piper, in the same way that Neil Gaiman's "Odd and the Frost Giants" feels like a retelling of a traditional tale. There are all the hallmarks of the familiar, and yet it's not some tired and worn-out story -- it's a new thing, in a new world and the details give it life and spark and a certain beguiling power. Rudi finds a coin on the mountainside and learns, in the end, that all debts must eventually be paid.

Loosely based on the fairytale “Jack and the Beanstalk”, the trouble begins when 13 year old Rudi is sent to market with Susanna to trade dairy products for meat and grain and possibly sell a cow. Susanna, in an effort to help him, sells one of his cows for some allegedly magic beans. It turns out that the beans were stolen from a witch in the neighboring village of Petz and must be returned quickly, so they set out on an adventure to return them. Of course there’s a beanstalk, a giant, a hen that lays golden eggs, witches and all kinds of twists and turns. This tween book is a quick, humorous read with just enough fun and enchantment to keep the pages turning.

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

Disclaimer: Won a free copy of the book.

I'd say 4 stars for kids, 3.5 for adults.

I try not to read ahead about a book (to minimize spoilers or influence), so it wasn't until about half way through that I realized this was a retelling of the Pied Piper. I may be in the minority, but I am generally not a fan of retelling a story unless you have some amazing new perspective, so I think I judged it more harshly because of this. I appreciate the addition of the backstory of the Pied Piper, but not sure that it was enough to warrant redoing the story. Perhaps I'd feel differently if I had realized I was reading a variation before I started, instead I felt a little disappointed to figure it out part way through.

What did I like?
The characters of Oma and the witch.
Though a bit of a trope, the wise grandmother was handled well.
Without revealing any spoilers, I very much enjoyed her perspective on the witch and found the portrayal at the end to be a nice twist on the usual witches in fairy tales.
I also liked the portrayal of the rat-catcher.
The blacksmith who railed against everything was also fairly amusing.

What did I not like?
I know it was written from the perspective of a young boy, but the fact that the girls in the book are constantly (at least 3 times) dismisses as "silly little girls" who squealed at rats annoyed me. The main character matures through the book, why not at least Susanna? Again, this is probably unfair, but when it's a female writer and a book from the last ten years, I do have higher expectations that we not reinforce old gender stereotypes. I'm sure this was in no way intentional, but it still lessened my excitement at giving it to two young girls to read after I had finished it - but since it did have positive older female portrayals, I figured it would balance out.

There’s trouble in Brixen, and Rudi knows he better get a handle on it. A stranger has come to town, offering to trade magic beans. Pretty soon, Rudi finds himself climbing up a beanstalk in a desperate attempt to return the beans to the giant who owns them.

There are witches along with giants and magic beans and gifted chickens in this lovely spin on the classic Jack and the Beanstalk. A fun read.

Really fun re-telling of the pied piper story. Loved it even as an adult, but the kids couldn't get enough of it either. Well written and keeps momentum until the very end. I recommend this to anyone that's enjoys some light fantasy.

Really good book but so much of it didn't meet up with reality. While I admire what the character was trying to do I don't approve of giving teen readers the idea that doing what she did is the right way to handle the situation she found herself in or that all would come out okay as this story did. Still I was eagerly turning the pages to get to the end. Not sure I would recommend it though.

From July 2012 SLJ:
Gr 4-6:—When 12-year-old Rudi finds a golden guilder while hunting, he can't wait to share the news at home. But unearthly noises haunt him, even safely in his village, and his grandmother tells him that if he has taken something from the Brixen witch, she will not rest until it is returned. The next day, he sets out to return the coin, but an avalanche buries it before he can do so. For months, he is tormented by nightmares and feels at ease only when they finally fade. When a severe infestation of rats strikes the village and the witch's servant arrives offering a solution, Rudi knows that his relief was premature: the payment required to get rid of the rats is the golden guilder. The desperate villagers agree, certain that they can reason with the man, but when they cannot pay, he uses the same fiddle that lured the rats away to lead all of the village children deep into the mountains. As Rudi learns more about the village witch and the servant who has stolen some of her powers, he realizes that he must battle the evil that is threatening to destroy the witch's magic. The final confrontation requires Rudi to rely on his wits and on the other villagers, and leads to a satisfying conclusion. The folksy language and silhouette spot art give this Pied Piper-inspired story an old-fashioned quality that fans of fairy tales will appreciate.

Great retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamlin.

It just figures that Victoria's dad fails once again to be at the train station like he's promised. Fuming, Victoria watches as a teen mom statshes her bruised little boy in the train's bathroom. When the mom gets off the train alone, Victoria decides she's had it with all the poor excuses who call themselves parents. Making a split-second decision, Victoria boards the next train out of town-taking the little boy with her.½

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

What would you do if you saw a child with someone you deemed as an unreliable and uncaring mother?

Victoria is faced with this problem, as while she is at the train station she witnesses a mother verbally abusing her son, and later getting into an argument with a man.

Usually, most people would see such a situation and shake their heads. With Victoria, not only does she notice the trouble that the boy's life could possibly be in, but she takes action by taking the boy, Willis, from his mother.

Together they go on an adventure, not toward New York where she had originally planned to go to be with her father, but to Georgia.

As their journey continues, Victoria and Willis faces numerous obstacles, from threats to calls from those wondering about her actions, to the fact that she just kidnapped a child, even though she had good intentions. The longer they are on the road together, the larger the impact they have on each others lives and the more dangerous their adventure grows. The right actions just turn out to be wrong in other people's eyes.

Stacy DeKeyser takes us on a journey of someone who sees themselves as weak but whose actions are powerful. Just from the fact that Victoria's family life isn't perfect we understand that she does not want the same fate for Willis. And yet we still must question whether it was the best idea. Two unlikely characters come together and create a bond that is heartwarming and incredible.

JUMP THE CRACKS is an amazing novel and readers need to jump on the bandwagon and experience an adventure that will make us wonder: "What would we do in this situation?"

Victoria has HAD IT with adults lying to her and breaking promises. Her dad's been letting her down ever since he moved to New York, ever since he left their family. And he wasn't there to meet Victoria's train from Connecticut. And she needed him to be there. If he had been there, maybe she wouldn't have been in such a mess. Maybe she wouldn't have taken the toddler whose mother left him in the bathroom on the train. Maybe he could have helped her figure out what to do. But he wasn't there and now Victoria is on her own with a two-year-old to take care of and a man threatening her because he thinks she stole his money. But whatever happens, Victoria's made a promise to this kid. She won't let him fall through the cracks.

I picked up this novel and didn't want to put it down. Although the premise is somewhat outlandish, Victoria felt really real to me. She's idealistic and passionate and stubborn, but she knows that she can't take care of a two-year-old forever. She reaches out for help and keeps reaching out, even when the adults around her disappoint, until she finds someone she can finally trust.

Read more on my blog:
http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/10/book-review-jump-cracks.html

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