Jinx - Softcover

Wild, Margaret

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0689865414 ISBN 13: 9780689865411

Publisher: S&S Books for Young Readers, 2004

Synopsis

Do not get to know me. Do not ask me out. Do not love me. Be warned!
I am Jinx.
Jinx doesn't start out as Jinx -- at first she's dull, safe, boring Jen. Jen who always hands her homework in on time, Jen who never stays out late, Jen who can always be counted on.
When Jen's first boyfriend dies, she thinks she's unlucky...until her second boyfriend dies too. Jen is Jinx now -- a curse, a promise of bad luck, a girl who's angry and alone, who can't get close to people anymore.
Can Jinx find her way back to being Jen again?

About this title

About the Author:

Margaret Wild has published over thirty books, including The Very Best of Friends, Fox, and Our Granny. This is her first novel for teens. Margaret lives in Sydney, Australia.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 9 Up-When Jen's boyfriend commits suicide, she is lonely, sad, bewildered, and rebellious. During this bleak period, she starts drinking and having casual sex, but then meets Ben and begins the long journey back to normalcy. After he dies, a classmate calls her "Jinx," and Jen decides the name fits her. Seeking to strike out at Hal, the person responsible for Ben's accident, and not realizing or caring where her angry words fall, Jinx conducts a secret, malicious assault. It is not until she actually meets and becomes friends with Hal that she is able to begin putting aside the hurt and anger that have plagued her since childhood. In confronting and dealing with the family issues that have been a lingering shadow all her life, the teen learns that love and forgiveness are a first step to maturity. This newfound acceptance and understanding of herself, her family, and her friends enables Jinx to want to be Jen again. In a style reminiscent of Mel Glenn's Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? (Dutton, 1996), the story is told in verse form. This technique allows the author to acquaint readers with each character and to weave a powerful story of teen angst. The voices are distinct, and all ring true, giving insight into the parents' lives and concerns as well as those of the teens. While the setting is in Australia, the central theme of family dynamics is so universal that it could be anywhere.
Sharon Morrison, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Durant, OK
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: S&S Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0689865414
• ISBN 13: 9780689865411
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224