Jip: His Story
by Katherine Paterson
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While living on a Vermont poor farm during 1855 and 1856, Jip learns his identity and that of his mother and comes to understand how he arrived at this place.Tags
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So this ended up being my last book for the USA by the book challenge started by Moonlight Reader. She can't give me any guff since I did finsih all of the books I signed up for...who cares that it took me til December to finish this up :-)
JIP His Story ended up being my last book but only because I accidentally left it at the office and started on Devilish. I wish that I had not ended the book challenge with this book because it really was a downer. That does not mean it's not a great book. It is. But man was I depressed at certain times reading it and definitely at the end.
I don't want to get into too many details since this would spoil the book for other readers.
From the book snyposis:
After tumbling off the back of a wagon, Jip show more was brought to the town poor farm. He has lived there ever since, content to do chores and tend animals--until the day the lunatic comes. caged like an animal, Put seems terrifying and less than human. But as weeks pass, Jip sees Put as the wise man he truly is. And, when a menancing stranger comes to town, claiming to have been sent by Jip's grieving father, Jip turns to his new friend to make sense of it all. with Put's help, can Jip solve the riddle of his past?
Jip takes place in 1855 in Vermont. The main character Jip is kind and all he wants is to keep working at the poor farm with his friend Sheldon and to take care of Put. At times it does seem if the character of Jip is simple minded and simply too good. However, there are layers there that Ms. Paterson weaves into the story with Jip and others.
The stranger who comes to uproot it all with a surprising revelation was a surprise to me. I honestly didn't see the surprise backstory and thought that Katherine Paterson did a very good job of leaving clues for the reader, but I honestly didn't catch it until my second read through.
The ending was and is sad to me especially when you know what comes next. And all Jip wants is to be on a farm in Vermont with animals and those to take care of, which seems a simple and easy enough dream. show less
JIP His Story ended up being my last book but only because I accidentally left it at the office and started on Devilish. I wish that I had not ended the book challenge with this book because it really was a downer. That does not mean it's not a great book. It is. But man was I depressed at certain times reading it and definitely at the end.
I don't want to get into too many details since this would spoil the book for other readers.
From the book snyposis:
After tumbling off the back of a wagon, Jip show more was brought to the town poor farm. He has lived there ever since, content to do chores and tend animals--until the day the lunatic comes. caged like an animal, Put seems terrifying and less than human. But as weeks pass, Jip sees Put as the wise man he truly is. And, when a menancing stranger comes to town, claiming to have been sent by Jip's grieving father, Jip turns to his new friend to make sense of it all. with Put's help, can Jip solve the riddle of his past?
Jip takes place in 1855 in Vermont. The main character Jip is kind and all he wants is to keep working at the poor farm with his friend Sheldon and to take care of Put. At times it does seem if the character of Jip is simple minded and simply too good. However, there are layers there that Ms. Paterson weaves into the story with Jip and others.
The stranger who comes to uproot it all with a surprising revelation was a surprise to me. I honestly didn't see the surprise backstory and thought that Katherine Paterson did a very good job of leaving clues for the reader, but I honestly didn't catch it until my second read through.
The ending was and is sad to me especially when you know what comes next. And all Jip wants is to be on a farm in Vermont with animals and those to take care of, which seems a simple and easy enough dream. show less
After tumbling off the back of a wagon, Jip was brought to live at the town poor farm. He has been content to do chores and tend animals -- until the day the lunatic arrives. Put seems terrifying and less than human, but as the weeks pass, Jip sees the man he truly is. So, when a menacing stranger comes to town, claiming to have been sent by Jip's grieving father, Jip turns to his new friend to make sense of his past.
Jip is a story of the evilness of slavery, of poverty, of classism, and of hope. Jip (so named because allegedly as a baby, he fell off a wagon while traveling with gypsies), lives and workds on a poor farm, uneducated and mistreated, still his love of others shines through.
When an older man deemed a lunatic is sent to live on the farm, Jip soon befriends him and looks upon him as a father he never had. When an untrustworthy man comes to the farm, Jip's intuition tells him all is not well.
When Jip learns the reason why he was abandoned as a child, he also understands why, with the help of loving Quakers, he needs to flee to Canada.
Time and time again in my readings, I find Quakers are portrayed in a positive, social conscious way. I vow show more to learn more about them.
If anyone has suggestions, please point me in the right direction. Thanks. show less
When an older man deemed a lunatic is sent to live on the farm, Jip soon befriends him and looks upon him as a father he never had. When an untrustworthy man comes to the farm, Jip's intuition tells him all is not well.
When Jip learns the reason why he was abandoned as a child, he also understands why, with the help of loving Quakers, he needs to flee to Canada.
Time and time again in my readings, I find Quakers are portrayed in a positive, social conscious way. I vow show more to learn more about them.
If anyone has suggestions, please point me in the right direction. Thanks. show less
This book is about a boy named Jip, who is living on a poor farm, he sets out to get away from a slave catcher. After starting a friendship with the local lunitic, 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.
I would use this story to introduce The Underground Railroad. The children can get an idea of what is was like for a child.
I really enjoyed this book.
I would use this story to introduce The Underground Railroad. The children can get an idea of what is was like for a child.
I really enjoyed this book.
A good story, and a tie-in to "Lyddie" to let the reader know what happened to her. An introduction to people with mental disabilities and to the prejudice and neglect of society towards those without.
Jip by Katherine Paterson was about a young boy raised in poverty in 1800's Vermont. Jip was abondaned at a young age and was taken to a poverty village where he spent the majority of his boyhood. Untill, the day he met the Steven's. The Steven's take Jip under their wing and help cope with his misfortunes.
This book was really good. I've read other works of Katherine Paterson's and like the others, she had a talent at writing.
Classroom extension: This novel could be used when discussing to students aobut poverty. Also, it could also be used when teaching about different groups of people, the quakers. Students could visulize how quakers are by analyzing Luke Stevens.
This book was really good. I've read other works of Katherine Paterson's and like the others, she had a talent at writing.
Classroom extension: This novel could be used when discussing to students aobut poverty. Also, it could also be used when teaching about different groups of people, the quakers. Students could visulize how quakers are by analyzing Luke Stevens.
A touching book about a boy that is about 12 years old named Jip. Not a lot goes well for him. When he is told about his family he must decide how his life will go. Life or death situation. Is this book tragic? Or is it a win situation for him? Heart-touching book written by Katherine Paterson.
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Diana Mitchell (The ALAN Review, Spring 1997 (Vol. 24, No. 3))
Jip, a young boy who lives on the town poor farm in Vermont in the 1850s, works hard, loves to take care of the animals, and expects little from life. After all, what can a child expect who fell from a moving wagon and never was claimed? As Jip and the lunatic, Put, become fast friends, a stranger begins to lurk around the town show more asking questions about Jip's background. In a rush of events, Jip finds himself pursued and in danger, finds out about his background, and finds out how many people really care about him. In this moving story about outcasts and acceptance, readers come face to face with the realities of the fugitive slave law and the treatment of the poor and insane. Readers of Paterson's Lyddie will be happy to know that Lyddie is one of the characters in this thoughful, compelling book. 1996, Lodestar Books, 180 pp., $15.99. Ages 12 up. show less
Jip, a young boy who lives on the town poor farm in Vermont in the 1850s, works hard, loves to take care of the animals, and expects little from life. After all, what can a child expect who fell from a moving wagon and never was claimed? As Jip and the lunatic, Put, become fast friends, a stranger begins to lurk around the town show more asking questions about Jip's background. In a rush of events, Jip finds himself pursued and in danger, finds out about his background, and finds out how many people really care about him. In this moving story about outcasts and acceptance, readers come face to face with the realities of the fugitive slave law and the treatment of the poor and insane. Readers of Paterson's Lyddie will be happy to know that Lyddie is one of the characters in this thoughful, compelling book. 1996, Lodestar Books, 180 pp., $15.99. Ages 12 up. show less
added by kthomp25
Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)
Jip received his name from having fallen off a gypsy wagon as a toddler and has grown up at the town poor farm. Despite the cruelty and the bareness of his life, Jip is happy with his lot, though he wonders often about those who deserted him. Once Jip begins to attend school, a string of mysteries begins to unfold and he discovers he is the son of an escaping show more slave woman and a white master. Suddenly, he is a victim of prejudice and must escape the slave catchers. Paterson's lyricism and imagery give dramatic expression to Jip and his mid-19th century world. Her fans will be pleased when Jip's resourceful teacher, whom he describes as "like a queen-no fancy dress or crown, but surely in command," turns out to be Lyddie, the heroine of a previous Paterson novel. 1996, Lodestar, $15.99. Ages 9 up. show less
Jip received his name from having fallen off a gypsy wagon as a toddler and has grown up at the town poor farm. Despite the cruelty and the bareness of his life, Jip is happy with his lot, though he wonders often about those who deserted him. Once Jip begins to attend school, a string of mysteries begins to unfold and he discovers he is the son of an escaping show more slave woman and a white master. Suddenly, he is a victim of prejudice and must escape the slave catchers. Paterson's lyricism and imagery give dramatic expression to Jip and his mid-19th century world. Her fans will be pleased when Jip's resourceful teacher, whom he describes as "like a queen-no fancy dress or crown, but surely in command," turns out to be Lyddie, the heroine of a previous Paterson novel. 1996, Lodestar, $15.99. Ages 9 up. show less
added by kthomp25
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Honey For a Child's Heart
1,152 works; 25 members
Author Information
77+ Works 56,412 Members
Katherine Paterson was born in Qing Jiang, Jiangsu, China in 1932. She attended King College in Bristol, Tennessee and then graduate school in Virginia where she studied Bible and Christian education. Before going to graduate school, she was a teacher for one year and after graduate school, she moved to Japan to be a missionary. Her first book, show more Sign of the Chrysanthemum was published in 1991. Other titles to follow included The Bridge to Terabithia and Jacod Have I Loved which both won her a Newbery Award, The Great Gilly Hopkins, Lyddie and The Master Puppeteer. In addition to the Newbery Award, she is the recipient of numerous others including the Scott O'Dell Award, the National Book Award for Children's Literature, the American Book Award, the American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults Award and the New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year Award. She was also honored with the Hans Christian Anderson Award. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1996
- People/Characters
- Jip; Sheldon; Putnam Nelson; Lucy; Teacher (Lyddie Worthen); Luke Stevens
- Important places
- Vermont, USA
- Dedication
- For those who made this gypsy feel at home in Vermont, especially Nancy Graff and Grace Greene
- First words
- Old Berthie was the one who told Jip. "A lunatic, boy,"
she said leaning so close Jip could count the hairs in her nostrils. - Quotations
- All he could remember later was her kindness and his own fear - all the more sharp because it made so little sense to him. If you can put a name to fear you have some control over it. He learned that in time, but that day h... (show all)e was too green to have such wisdom.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)He came out into a clear August night. Follow the North Star. Put had showed him the way. Jip looked up at the heavens to get his bearings from the Big Dipper and then began to run.
Classifications
- Genres
- Kids, Fiction and Literature, Children's Books
- DDC/MDS
- 813.54 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1945-1999
- LCC
- PZ7 .P273 .J — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
Statistics
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- 1,533
- Popularity
- 14,879
- Reviews
- 16
- Rating
- (3.62)
- Languages
- English, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 30
- ASINs
- 7