Kindle Book: Jasper Jones

Jasper Jones

by Craig Silvey

Length: 313

Format: eBook
Price: Free via the Overdrive app

How I heard about it: It's on my list.

Basic Premise: Charlie Butkin is just a regular guy...until the town outcast, Jasper Jones, shows up at his window one night. Jasper urgently needs Charlie's help to help clear his name. A murder has been committed, and Jasper swears it wasn't him.

My Take: 8.5 out of 10 (scale here)
This book was GRIPPING. From the moment Jasper shows Charlie what he shows Charlie, it was hard to put down. Jasper Jones was very "Huck Finn"-like; indeed it was obvious the author was highly influenced by Mark Twain. About halfway through, I felt like I had it all figured out, but I was wrong (not shocking...I do not have good crime-solving instincts). I loved the pace and the easy grace of the writing. The content was dark, but it was well-handled and intriguing. In parts there was a little too much boy dialogue (talk about superheroes and sports), and being someone who reads every word on the page, this got a bit tedious. But near the end, I started skimming, even though it felt wrong. I observed no consequence, so I may employ this method in the future. I wish the ending had given me more, but I always wish the ends of books had given me more.

Unfortunately, there was too much profanity for me to comfortably have this on my shelf. :( But it was still a GREAT read.

List Progress:

1. I Am Malala by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai review here
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky review here
   
3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood review here
4. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher review here
5. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
6. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving review here
7. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver review here
8.  Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah review here
9. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon review here
10. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (read before I started blogging)
11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
12. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie review here
13. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (read before I started blogging)
14. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
15. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer review here
16. Bossypants by Tina Fey review here
    
17. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
18. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (read before I started blogging)
19. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (read before I started blogging)
20. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen *abandoned*
21. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell review here
22. She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
23. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling - can we have a moment for whoever created this list? "Harry Potter" is not a book. It's a series of books. Sheesh.
24. Looking for Alaska by John Green review here
25. The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak review here
26. The Kite Runner by Khaled Housseini review here