For its February meeting Book Club read “Jumpstart the World” by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

The main character in “Jumpstart the World” is a 16-year-old girl named Elle. Elle has a very strange living situation: At the beginning of the book, Elle is forced to move into her own apartment so that her mother can live with her boyfriend Donald. Elle is not happy with this unconventional arrangement. She has an argument with her mother on the first day that she moves in:

I really wish you would stop pretending this is fun. And that we’re doing it together. If you tell me one more time that it’s just like having a wonderful new room, I’m going to scream…This is not fun…It sucks. I hate it. If you’re going to do it, fine. Do it. And if you want to pretend it’s a wonderful adventure, I guess there’s not much I can do to stop you. But I won’t pretend with you.

Some good does come out of the move; Elle’s new neighbors, Frank and Molly, are extremely nice and help her to adapt to her new surroundings. Elle definitely needs this extra care, as her experiences at the new school she’s transitioned to aren’t great. On her first day, a group of boys spray paint “QUEER” on her locker. Things do start to look up when Elle makes friends with a few other teens named Shane, Bob, Bobby, Annabel and Wilbur.

Elle has a bit of a secret: she has a crush on Frank. This presents a few problems. First of all, Frank is older and he has a girlfriend. Second, Frank is transgender, and Elle has trouble coping with what that means about her own sexuality. Elle is forced to accept Frank’s differences, however, when he is severely injured by a car.

I enjoyed “Jumpstart the World;” it has really good points about how people should treat others fairly. It is not very deep or intellectual, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. It makes it easier for the reader to sympathize with the characters and their various adversities. “Jumpstart the World” is very simply written, so if you’re looking for a fast read, this is a good choice. Book Club had a criticism that came up during discussion: It seems unlikely that a 16-year-old would be forced to live alone by a mother who is still involved in her life. “Jumpstart the World” wasn’t my favorite Book Club read because it was so straightforward and did not promote much discussion or debate. Overall, however, “Jumpstart the World” is worth reading. I end with a quote from Frank about being an active force for good in the world:

Sometimes you have to jumpstart the world just to get it to be what even the world admits it should be.

Just a note: There are ballots available for voting for the Sequoyah Book Award in the library. Three Book Club titles are included in the list: “Bruiser” by Neal Shusterman, “Jumpstart the World” by Catherine Ryan Hyde, and “Will Grayson, Will Grayson” by John Green and David Levithan. If you’ve read more than three on the list, please vote! Voting is open through March.