What do you think?
Rate this book
Jamie Keller Mystery #2
Over the Edge
Fifteen year old Jamie Keller goes down the wrong road making bad choices at every turn. One final blunder lands Jamie in unspeakable trouble. Return to Promise, Oregon and enjoy the next Jamie Keller Mystery. Sometimes humorous, often insightful, Over the Edge, will make you laugh and cringe.
110 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 3, 2012
1 person is currently reading
4 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 15, 2014
This is the second in a series of four books (so far) about the Keller family. I liked the first book so much I went straight on to the second and finished them both in a couple of days. It was a pleasant, easy read, with likeable characters and a heartwarming story about the struggles of a young family. The Keller children -- three girls and a boy, reeling from the shock of losing their father in the Iraq war, set off with their mother to the farm in Oregon that she inherited from her father. On the way there, she vanishes. It's a tough time for the orphaned children, but with the help of a friendly neighbour, they come through.
The characters of the children are very well drawn, and the relationships between them are realistic and interesting. You'll surely know kids like the rebellious Jamie -- the second daughter; Jana -- the youngest, struggling to be her own person; and Jason, the serious-minded, responsible boy. Jamie, the protagonist and narrator, is our window to the family. She is very honest about her ambivalent feelings for, and jealousy of, her elder sister, the religious Jenny. At the same time, she presents a fair and sympathetic picture of Jenny too. I love the family values of loyalty and helping one another that come through without preachiness. Jamie's ongoing introspection about her feelings for God/Jesus are very believable, and sets the book apart from the general run of YA books. I personally like her agnosticism and identify with it, as well as the curiosity that makes her keep wondering at Jenny's unshakeable faith. I also like the way she questions the rightness of war itself after her father is killed in Iraq.
The first book, Off the Grid, was very gripping because it's a life-or-death situation, and you just have to find out what happened to the mother. Also, there is the theme of travel, new places, new people, the struggle for survival. In book 2, Over the Edge, the pace slows down. It's more about school and the social life of the Keller children in the little town of Promise, Oregon. It didn't hold my attention so much, but that's because my personal preference is for high adventure rather than realism. But I'm sure it will interest middle grade and high school children and, with its important but subtle messages about drinking, drugs, and peer pressure, it will be a valuable resource for parents and teachers. The great strength of the series is the voice of Jamie, which is thoughtful, honest and authentic. I think Jamie could well be the Anne (and Promise, the Green Gables) of this generation.
I will definitely be reading the rest of the series!
The characters of the children are very well drawn, and the relationships between them are realistic and interesting. You'll surely know kids like the rebellious Jamie -- the second daughter; Jana -- the youngest, struggling to be her own person; and Jason, the serious-minded, responsible boy. Jamie, the protagonist and narrator, is our window to the family. She is very honest about her ambivalent feelings for, and jealousy of, her elder sister, the religious Jenny. At the same time, she presents a fair and sympathetic picture of Jenny too. I love the family values of loyalty and helping one another that come through without preachiness. Jamie's ongoing introspection about her feelings for God/Jesus are very believable, and sets the book apart from the general run of YA books. I personally like her agnosticism and identify with it, as well as the curiosity that makes her keep wondering at Jenny's unshakeable faith. I also like the way she questions the rightness of war itself after her father is killed in Iraq.
The first book, Off the Grid, was very gripping because it's a life-or-death situation, and you just have to find out what happened to the mother. Also, there is the theme of travel, new places, new people, the struggle for survival. In book 2, Over the Edge, the pace slows down. It's more about school and the social life of the Keller children in the little town of Promise, Oregon. It didn't hold my attention so much, but that's because my personal preference is for high adventure rather than realism. But I'm sure it will interest middle grade and high school children and, with its important but subtle messages about drinking, drugs, and peer pressure, it will be a valuable resource for parents and teachers. The great strength of the series is the voice of Jamie, which is thoughtful, honest and authentic. I think Jamie could well be the Anne (and Promise, the Green Gables) of this generation.
I will definitely be reading the rest of the series!
Displaying 1 of 1 review