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Jepp Who Defied the Stars Katherine Marsh 9781423135005 Books

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Jepp Who Defied the Stars Katherine Marsh 9781423135005 Books

Let me just start off by saying I LOVED the blue print and illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. I really love unique touches like that. Makes the reading experience special. Jepp tells the tale of a dwarf teenage growing up in the late 1500s. He has a life at the court of the Infanta and longs for more than what life is giving him.

I found Jepp fairly likable - a mix of annoying, obstinate, determined and hopefully (rightfully suited to a teenage boy in his circumstances). It did take me a while to get through the book though. I felt the pace was clunky at first, then sped up towards the middle, then slowed down again and then, in a rush, everything happened to quickly wrap up the book. I think the pace was the biggest drawback.

Most of the characters surrounding Jepp were just as colorful and varied, and I especially love the world created around astronomer, Tycho. Based on Marsh's description of his castle - it's a place I'd love to visit.

I may be holding on to this book more because of the fact that it has blue ink than for it's creative merits - however, I'm still glad I read the book and I recommended it - a solid read for young adults or fans of YA fiction.


Tags : Jepp, Who Defied the Stars [Katherine Marsh] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <DIV><DIV><I style= mso-bidi-font-style: normal ><STRONG>New York Times</STRONG></I> Notable Children’s Books of 2012<BR><I style= mso-bidi-font-style: normal ><STRONG>The Wall Street Journal</STRONG></I> Best Children’s Books of 2012</DIV></DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>“This highly unusual story about a highly unusual hero will also feel like <EM>your </EM>story. Few of us are imprisoned dwarfs,Katherine Marsh,Jepp, Who Defied the Stars,Hyperion Book CH,1423135008,Courts and courtiers;Fiction.,Dwarfs (Persons);Fiction.,Voyages and travels;Fiction.,Children's Books - Young Adult Fiction,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Courts and courtiers,Dwarfs,Fiction,Historical - Renaissance,Historical Fiction (Young Adult),JUVENILE,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Fiction Historical Renaissance,Juvenile Grades 7-9 Ages 12-14,Social Issues - Special Needs,TEEN'S FICTION HISTORICAL,United States,Voyages and travels,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Historical Renaissance

Jepp Who Defied the Stars Katherine Marsh 9781423135005 Books Reviews

I appreciated the wonderful writing and picturesque 1500s environment. Jepp's life lessons about such things as friendship, pain, young love, and appreciation for differences are important and lightly expressed. I gave it to the middle school readers in my family for Christmas.
I teach astronomy and this book was a fun take on one of the most eccentric astronomers of all times!
I fist heard about this book from a feature spot on the radio and became interested. And wow, am I glad I bought this.
It is a fantastic and engrossing tale of a young man trying to find his place in the world.

SPOILERS
I cried when the moose died. Seriously.
My eleven-year-old daughter and I took turns reading this aloud to each other. She was reluctant at first, especially because the language is, at times, deliberately flowery and elaborate, almost as though the narrator is trying hard to show off his great vocabulary, but my daughter's interest in the fate of the character ultimately won her over and she saw the book through to the end while reading the last twenty chapters on her own. My original interest in this story stems from my interest in the history of astronomy and Tycho Brahe. Jepp had been introduced to me before in another historical fiction novel by John Banville, but in that story he seemed grotesque and pitiable. This is a much more detailed and kinder rendition of the character, who was a real person in history, but whose life, motivations, and fate were not as well documented as some others.

Here Jepp is a teenage boy. It was around 200 pages or so before the subject's sexuality entered the story in a physical way--mostly it remains within the confines of very innocent and knightly love for various females--but at one point he admits to tingling in his genitals and before he can 'take care of it' or some similar phrase, someone arrives to speak with him. The reference to sexual arousal and masturbation is appropriate considering Jepp's age, but it is normally not approached in literature. Being a physician, I prefer an open and realistic approach to these things, so I was pleased rather than annoyed to see those references included in the story.

Overall a worthwhile read.
With 25 pages left in Jepp I forced myself to insert the bookmark so I could get one more night of before-bedtime glee in reading it. It was truly a treasure and an adventure to read. I teach high school history and could not contain my enthusiasm as I described the plot to my students. I probably sounded insane explaining a dwarf inspired by Velasquez paintings and the complex intertwining of astronomy/astrology and the eccentricities of Tycho Brahe, but as I said to my students- just read it- it's captivating, enlightening, and dear.
Katherine Marsh can write, as I already knew from her earlier work. Her story of Jepp is longer and richer than her first novels, reaching a deeper level of storytelling skill. It touches on themes of destiny and equality and longing, all of which should resonate with the intended young adult audience. I have given the book to several others, including adults who like fantasy fiction and historical fiction, and every one of them loved it too.
It's a great gift, very suitable for a teenaged reader!
At first the book moves a bit slowly, but it has an intriguing premise as well as main character. There is a little too much graphic content / difficulty in wording for a 6th grader or below, but advanced / mature 7th grade readers and above would find it manageable. A knowledge about medieval courts would make the book more interesting but not necessary. I plan on giving a book talk on it to my 7th grade Honors English class in conjunction with our medieval historical-fiction book club unit.
Let me just start off by saying I LOVED the blue print and illustrations at the beginning of each chapter. I really love unique touches like that. Makes the reading experience special. Jepp tells the tale of a dwarf teenage growing up in the late 1500s. He has a life at the court of the Infanta and longs for more than what life is giving him.

I found Jepp fairly likable - a mix of annoying, obstinate, determined and hopefully (rightfully suited to a teenage boy in his circumstances). It did take me a while to get through the book though. I felt the pace was clunky at first, then sped up towards the middle, then slowed down again and then, in a rush, everything happened to quickly wrap up the book. I think the pace was the biggest drawback.

Most of the characters surrounding Jepp were just as colorful and varied, and I especially love the world created around astronomer, Tycho. Based on Marsh's description of his castle - it's a place I'd love to visit.

I may be holding on to this book more because of the fact that it has blue ink than for it's creative merits - however, I'm still glad I read the book and I recommended it - a solid read for young adults or fans of YA fiction.