Jip: His Story

Rating:
Summary: Jip History
Review: I think Jip: His Story was an ok book. These are some pros. It has a great plot line that keeps you guessing and interesting characters but for me wouldn't be my first choice book. This book is about a boy named Jip who was abandoned when he was a baby. Now a mysterious stranger comes and things just start getting weirder as he discovers his past. This book shows examples of friendship and slavery. It shows how friends will do anything for each other, even doing dramatic things. It also shows how it was like back then doing all the farming and trying to escape "shady" characters. I definitely would not like to have lived back then, because a weird person could be put in a cage like a crazed animal and a boy put on trail.
This book also has some cons. One of the many cons is how the story starts. It's very slow and nothing very interesting happens which caused me to take forever to get through the first chapter. Another con is that it's a very sad story. A boy that is being chased by slavers, a friend that dies out of stupidity, and finally a good friend that doesn't deserve to die dies helping another.
This books deal with how hard it is with losing a friend and how hard it is to make new ones. This book is great book for a person that loves an adventure after the Civil War. It is also a wonderful book for anyone who likes a mysterious and also is trying to discover his or her past.

Rating:
Summary: Jip: His Story
Review: In the book Jip: His Story by Katherine Paterson, a boy named Jip, who is living on a poor farm, sets out to get away from a slave catcher. After starting a life-long friendship with the local maniac, Put, Jip is suddenly found by a stranger who claims to know about his real father. Jip is not sure what to do, but when the stranger tries to catch him along with a slave catcher, Jip takes Put and goes to the Stevens' house for help. The Stevens' are people who told Jip about his past and offered to help out of danger.
This was an amazing book that I really enjoyed reading. The plot line was incredible and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good adventure story. One of the best parts of the plot is when Jip was trying to find his schoolteacher who promised to help him if anything bad happened. When he was almost there, he saw the slave catcher and some dogs that he had gotten to know started barking so the slave catcher knew someone was there. The only flaw with this book is that it took a while to get to the good part, so for the first few chapters, I didn't really care for the story. When I finished the book though, it was worth it. Throughout the story, I had feeling when I was actually in the book actually seeing what was happening first hand even though I was only reading a book. The one time I could feel myself not actually reading the book and like I was part of the book, was at the very end of the story, which I don't wish to give away at this time. The text gave me a very detailed picture in my mind allowing me to feel like I was in the story.
The plotline shown above only gives you the story at a glance. You will have to read through the entire book to get the good details. The book also comes complete with one heck of a good ending.
This book is great. With an interesting plot line and good storytelling suspense, I couldn't stop reading it. Anyone who doesn't read this book will miss a story of amazing proportions. I hope this review helps anyone who wants to know what this book is about.

Rating:
Summary: Jip: His Story
Review: Jip His Story Penguin Group, 1996, 180 pp., $5.99
Katherine Paterson ISBN 0-H0386712

How would you feel if everybody told you that when you were a baby, you fell off the back of a wagon and nobody came back for you and the only person who knows the truth is a complete stranger who has been following your every move? That's what happened to Jip, the protagonist of Katherine Paterson's Jip His Story. When he tries to find out answers, his whole world is turned upside down.
Jip is a thirteen year-old boy who lives on a barn with Mr. and Ms. Lyman, neither of which are his real parents. Supposedly, Jip fell off the back off of a wagon and no one came back for him or even cared. Mr. Lyman found Jip on the side of the road and took him back to his barn. As soon as Jip was old enough to work, Mr. Lyman put him to work in the barn; they made hi feed the animals clean the house. Jip had to do all the dirty work. Jip hates working in the barn.
One day a truck pulled up to the barn and in the back was a guy who everyone thought was a lunatic. At first Jip was frightened to talk to him, but when he got to know him, this lunatic became his best friend Put. Jip eventually decides that he wants to find his real parents and get as far away from the Lyman's and the barn as possible. Jip doesn't know exactly where he needs to go, but he knows he needs to get away. Jip and Put are on a quest to leave the town, but bad things start to happen when a mysterious stranger starts following Jip, telling him he knows his real dad.
This is a really excellent book about friendship and trust. I recommend this book to anyone who likes books in the genre of realistic fiction. This book has a lot of adventure in it too. I really got into this book and I couldn't put it down. This is not the first Katherine Paterson book I have read and enjoyed, but it is one of my favorites. Katherine Paterson is a fabulous writer children's author who hooks you into her writing. She makes you feel like you're the story.
This book is a lot like the book Stuart Little, in Stuart Little, a little boy didn't think he could be friends with a mouse, just like Jip didn't think he would be able to be friends with a lunatic. If you are looking for a good book to read, I suggest that you go get Jip His Story right now. It's a great book to read for enjoyment and I think that everybody should read it. There is not a certain age group who should read this book. It's a book that almost anybody can read and enjoy.

~Jordan Sawyers, Grade 8, Patrick Lyndon Pilot School, Boston, Massachusetts
~Teacher: Lisa Portadin

Rating:
Summary: Mature subject matter, but highly recommended
Review: Katherine Paterson does a great job in her book, Jip: His Story. Jip is a young boy who does not know how old he is. He has grown up thinking he fell off a gypsy wagon and that the town he lives in took him in. A mysterious man starts hanging around and trying to get information on him for his supposed father. Jip befriends the town lunatic and takes him on as a father figure. The lunatic, Put, helped Jip with his schooling. It is not until the close of the story that Jip finds out he is the son of an African slave and a white owner. His mother intentionally put him out of the wagon in hope that he would have a better life. He goes through a transformation of working on a farm and going to school to a young man running for his life.

The value of Jip: His Story is wonderfully accurate. Jip was homeless and needed to work for a room over his head and food on his plate. The town lunatic, Put, had to be kept in a cage instead of sent elsewhere because of the cost. Our society has evolved from back in the 1800's. In America, there is no more slavery and the mentally troubled get help in hospitals. Katherine Paterson stays true to the speech of the past. A reader can tell the difference between the "normal" person living in Vermont and a Quaker. The two have been differentiated very well. The transition between speakers is done very smoothly. The reader can find himself imagining the past very well. The imagery in Jip: His Story helps bring the story together.

It is very apparent that Katherine Patterson took some time in writing her book. The historical value could only come from someone who knew about what she was speaking. It is a good thing to have the historical point of view of those that were considered disadvantaged, so everyone can see that the past was not all easy. Katherine Patterson is a great writer and young adults and adults alike can enjoy this book.

Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: Simply put, I loved this book. To the adults reading this, I say read this book, enjoy it, and pass it on to the young people you love. Katherine Paterson has crafted an engaging story that keeps one turning the pages, but the true value of the book lies in the character of Jip. He is a true role model for young people today, exhibiting a blend of courage and kindness, innocence and insight. Actually, Jip is a pretty good role model for us all. I am a grown-up and learned a few lessons from him.

Rating:
Summary: The Best Book I was forced To read. ...
Review: This is an excellent historical fiction novel. It takes place in 1855-1856 in Vermont. It is great for teaching about the Underground Railroad and how it worked. It really gives readers a sense of how it must have felt for any young people who traveled by foot afraid of being caught by slavers. This book is very action packed, especially toward the end of the book when he begins his journey to freedom. The book addresses so many conflicts, such as when he finds out he is part African. He also faces a struggle in society, since he is to be sold as a slave now that his identity is discovered. The book is told using Jip's point of view, and this really gives the reader of sense of how he feels. This is truly an educational and exciting book and I reccommend it to many teachers and students.