Jacob Have I Loved (original 1980; edition 1981)

I love this. This is and will remain one of my favorite stories of all time.

I know my feelings about this particular story are influenced by my great uncle having been a waterman on the Chesapeake and my family having spent so much of our time there. It brought back a wealth of childhood memories. I spent a great deal of my childhood on and in the water and was raised on steamed blue crabs and oysters.

However, having read three of Katherine Paterson's books in the last 10 days I think she's a great story teller and at this moment my favorite author. I put this on my best-great shelf after I read it but I waited almost three days while reading a couple other books to let the emotion subside before writing this. It hasn't subsided. ( )

In “Jacob Have I Loved”, Louise and Caroline are twins who live in Rass. Everyone has always favored Caroline and this leaves Louise to the wayside. Call is Louise’s friend and they do everything together. Captain moves back to town and Call and Louise help him repair his house and property. The book is set in a time of war and a lot of big storms. The storms destroy many homes and parts of lands. Caroline moves away to go to school and Louise is left at home. For many years, Louise works on the island as a waterman until the war is over. When the war ends, she moves and attends college to become a midwife. I think children will like this book because some children are overshadowed by their siblings and this tells them that they can still have a good life too, especially if they work hard.
Extension
1. Go around telling each other what odd jobs we think would be fun
2. Talk about our siblings and family

I wanted to like this book, but I did not! The characters were self-absorbed, and I did not care about anything that was happening until page 150 - the book is just over 200 pages. I can't figure out why it ever won the Newbery. Don't waste your time! ( )

Island life in the Chesapeake Bay during WWII. Crabs and oysters, family issues, twin girls growing up in isolation. Louise grows up in the shadow of her beautiful, talented twin sister, Caroline. She must decide what she actually wants from life, rather than letting life happen to her. ( )

Summary: This story takes place in the 1940’s, the main character is Sara Louise. Sara Louise feels like she lives in her sister’s shadow. Everyone seems to love and favor her sister. Part of the book talks about a bible verse “Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated…” Which is why the book is called “Jacob Have I Loved”

Personal Reaction: The book is good because a lot of children go through this when they have siblings, feeling as if they are in their sibling’s shadow. It was kind of hard for me to get into this book but it was a good book, if that makes sense.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. Pick out vocabulary from the book and have the write sentences using the vocab.
2. Have the class compare the two characters. ( )