The Nature of Jade - Softcover

Caletti, Deb

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1416910069 ISBN 13: 9781416910060

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2008

Synopsis

A girl grappling with Panic Disorder finds comfort—and love—with a boy who is hiding a terrible secret in this poignant and romantic novel from Printz Honor medal winner and National Book Award finalist Deb Caletti.

Jade DeLuna is too young to die. She knows this, and yet she can’t quite believe it, especially when the terrifying thoughts, loss of breath, and dizzy feelings come. Since being diagnosed with Panic Disorder, she’s trying her best to stay calm, and visiting the elephants at the nearby zoo seems to help. That’s why Jade keeps the live zoo webcam on in her room, and that’s where she first sees the boy in the red jacket. A boy who stops to watch the elephants. A boy carrying a baby.

His name is Sebastian, and he is raising his son alone. Jade is drawn into Sebastian’s cozy life with his son and his activist grandmother on their Seattle houseboat, and before she knows it, she’s in love.

Jade knows the situation is beyond complicated, but she hasn’t felt this safe in a long time. And she owes it to Sebastian, her boy with the great heart. Her boy who is hiding a terrible secret. A secret that will force Jade to decide between what is right, and what feels right...

About this title

About the Author:

Deb Caletti is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of over sixteen books for adults and young adults, including Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, a finalist for the National Book Award; A Heart in a Body in the World, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book; and Girl, Unframed. Her books have also won the Josette Frank Award for Fiction, the Washington State Book Award, and numerous other state awards and honors, and she was a finalist for the PEN USA Award. She lives with her family in Seattle.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 9 Up–Seventeen-year-old Jade is a hard-working, over-achieving AP student with a secret—she suffers from panic attacks. She finds a source of comfort in watching the online webcam of the elephant house at the local zoo. Her family is somewhat dysfunctional. Her parents' marriage is falling apart. Her father escapes by building mini train villages, her brother retreats into the world of fantasy fiction, and her mother seeks acceptance in the arms of another man, who is Jade's school librarian. After a few months of watching the webcam, Jade decides to volunteer at the elephant house where she meets Sebastian, a 19-year-old single dad with a secret of his own. Jade finds herself falling in love with him and her panic attacks become less frequent. She discovers an inner strength that allows her to take chances and make decisions not based on fear, but on love. Deb Caletti's novel (S & S, 2007) about a flawed family trying to smooth its edges, teenage angst, and the healing power of young love is nicely narrated by Julia Whelan. A great choice for Caletti fans.–Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OHα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1416910069
• ISBN 13: 9781416910060
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288