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The Nature of Jade
 
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The Nature of Jade [Hardcover]

Deb Caletti (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–Seventeen-year-old Jade DeLuna suffers from panic attacks brought on by realizations of her own mortality. In addition to therapy and prescribed medication, she finds relief from her condition by taking care of elephants at a local zoo in Seattle. When she meets Sebastian, a handsome boy with a 15-month-old son, she falls in love with him and becomes immersed in his world. In addition to dealing with her anxiety and keeping her relationship with Sebastian secret, Jade must also come to terms with her parents' deteriorating marriage, her friends drifting apart, and an A.P.-heavy course load. Told from her perspective, the novel contains intense passages about loneliness, death, and human relationships intercut with seemingly factual information about the physical and emotional lives of elephants. Frequent remarks about the similarities between humans and animals often feel redundant, and the plot is more entertaining than Jade's animal anecdotes. Despite this, the novel takes on an interesting perspective that is not often shown in books–that teen parents can form meaningful and loving relationships with their peers.–Marie C. Hansen, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Upon learning that the substance for which she was named is one of the strongest materials ("stronger than steel"), Jade replies, "I don't feel strong." And for good reason: the 18-year-old suffers from panic attacks. Partly to pursue a calming activity and partly to meet the cute boy she has observed on the Seattle's zoo's Webcam, Jade volunteers at the zoo and begins work at the elephant house. In due course, she meets the boy, Sebastian, and they fall in love. But there are problems: Sebastian is a single father, and he has a secret that threatens to destroy Jade's hopes and dreams. Jade's first-person voice seems overly sophisticated, and her story is sometimes needlessly complex--especially when Caletti tries too hard to equate human and animal behavior. On the other hand, the author does a fine job of developing both principal and supporting characters (even the elephants are nicely differentiated), describing their emotions deeply as well as authentically. The love story is also quite captivating. Michael Cart
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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2 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book from Deb Caletti, May 18 2010
By 
The Crescive Library (Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Nature of Jade (Paperback)
The Nature of Jade is rich and compelling. While some may be turned off by the slower paced plot, the value of Caletti's books is found in the richness of the characters and writing. I'm not sure how to describe it, but to me, reading Caletti's books feels like those late summer afternoons sitting on a dock - a mixture of the refreshing air combined with the rich warm sun of a late afternoon. The story is beautifully written, and is unflinching in its examination of the complication of life and relationships. The side story of the elephants and the fasincating excerpts about animal behaviour provide a unique and entrancing element to the narrative. I am so in love with this story, and the character of Jade in her brokenness and the frankness at which she looks at life. Captivating. Definitely recommended.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, Aug 27 2007
This review is from: The Nature of Jade (Hardcover)
Since being diagnosed with Panic Disorder, Jade DeLuna does not know how to cope with the shortness of breath and dizzy feelings, but could this all change when she meets the boy in the red jacket?

Jade,18, is in her senior year of high school when she is diagnosed. She knows nothing good can come out of it and she thinks not even the support of her family can help her through. Not only that, but her other family members have problems of their own.

Like her little brother, Oliver, who loves reading THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA books, but their dad has other plans for him. Dad wants Oliver to love sports, but even though Oliver has tried many times with soccer, baseball, and football, he can't seem to enjoy them. Jade and Oliver both notice their parents' marriage is falling apart, with mom always at PTA meetings and dad locking himself downstairs with his wooden city sculptures.

With all of this, Jade doesn't feel relaxed a bit.

Soon Jade finds an escape from everything, and that escape is the elephants. Not only do the elephants calm her down, they make her feel important and not so tied up in her schoolwork. Jade puts a video cam on the local zoo's elephants cage so she can have the elephants anytime she wants on her computer screen -- but one night she notices on the live video a boy in a red jacket with a toddler. Jade is so intrigued by the young man and the toddler that she volunteers at the zoo's elephant park. One day, while leaving the zoo, she finally meets the young man. The moment he speaks, Jade knows she likes him and she knows she wants to see him again.

Will I ever see the mysterious young man and the toddler again ?

If I do, will it develop into a relationship?

And is the toddler his kid?

These are all questions that Jade asks herself, and if you read this book you will find the interesting answers.

THE NATURE OF JADE by Deb Caletti is a great novel that keeps you attached and interested until the end. Ms. Caletti definitely knows how to write an engaging life story and I totally recommend this book to anyone who loves reading. I give it 5 stars!!!

Reviewed by: Kylie
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com: 4.4 out of 5 stars (27 customer reviews)

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Strong and True, May 1 2007
By Little Willow - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Nature of Jade (Hardcover)
Jade doesn't know yet that she wants something more out of life - and that she is about to meet someone that will change her life.

Good student Jade is an overachiever who has developed panic disorder. Sometimes, the medicine she takes makes her antsy at night, so she's taken to watching the online elephant cam from her local zoo. One night, the camera shows her a young boy in a red jacket with a baby boy, and she is inexplicably drawn to them.

Throughout the course of her senior year, Jade finds herself feeling more and more out-of-place with her friends as they discuss their future plans. She's ready for her life to change, but she's not sure how. When she gets a job at the zoo and befriends the elephants and their caretakers, things seem right again.

Then she meets the boy in the red jacket face-to-face. As their relationship grows, secrets are revealed on both sides, and it is that relationship which ultimately gives her the strength to make some extremely difficult choices.

I have never worked with elephants. I never knew a Sebastian. I (thankfully) haven't suffered from panic attacks. But there was something about Jade that mirrored something in me, and that really made me connect with the character.

Deb Caletti's novels are all poignant, well-written, and solid. The Nature of Jade, my favorite of her works, is strong and true. Highly recommended to adults and teens, and placed high on my Best Books of 2007 list.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, Jun 11 2007
By Beverly F. Brannon - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Nature of Jade (Hardcover)
"Nature of Jade" is an amazing, captivating book. The characters and plot are unique, and the style of writing is fresh. I love the relationship captured between Jade and elephants- it is truly heartwarming. I would highly recommend this book to animal lovers, or to anyone looking for a good read. You won't be dissapointed!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, sweet, and romantic, Mar 30 2011
By The Compulsive Reader - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Nature of Jade (Paperback)
Jade has had a hard time living her life ever since she started getting panic attacks. The only thing that helps her stay calm is watching the elephants at the nearby zoo. She watches them from her bedroom on the webcam the zoo has installed, and that's where she first notices Sebastian. Jade watches for him and the baby he carries every day, curious. But when she meets him face to face months later, Jade begins to fall for him. She doesn't tell her parents, who are too preoccupied avoiding each other to notice her love life. She's afraid of what they might think about Sebastian being a teenage father, but for the first time in her life, she starts living without fear and worry. Things with Sebastian aren't simple or conventional, but they're right. But Sebastian is hiding a big secret, one that forces Jade to really decide what's right and what's wrong, and could threaten ruin everything.

The Nature of Jade is a thoughtful, sweet, and romantic novel with some very unique elements that will pull you right in. Jade is a very engaging and lively narrator that many readers will like immediately. She struggles with her anxiety disorder, but she refuses to let it define her or control who she wants to become. She fights it by finding what she's passionate about--caring for the elephants--and she gets involved. Her family is dysfunctional, but she deals with them the best she can, and her precocious little brother provides lots of comic relief. Sebastian and his little boy can't appear enough in this book. He's everything a girl could wish for in a guy, but he's not perfect either. Their romance is sweet, but not uncomplicated and he and Jade work well together. However, this book's main emphasis is on the importance of family and doing what's right, which Jade struggles with. Her journey has a lot of pain and hardship in it, but also a lot of hope and happiness, and readers will appreciate the fact that Caletti keeps this book realistic. The Nature of Jade is a one of a kind book--incisive, funny, real, and full of emotion.

Cover Comments: The cover shown isn't the original one, but I like this one best. It conveys a lot of emotion, and I think it's just so sweet. I love the smile on the girl's face, and how the sky is a bit cloudy. It's perfect.
› Go to Amazon.com to see all 27 reviews  4.4 out of 5 stars 
 
 
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