Compass Paperback – January 24, 2013

Compass is book two in the life of Jessie, and I have to say I enjoyed this book a whole lot more than I did Sway. I know that sometimes a sequel is not always good but this one was for me.Jessie is doing really good, life seems to be handing her a good one now a days. She is doing great in karate, she has a boyfriend, she has really grown a whole lot I feel.We start off with a prequel to the story and it was one that had me going what is going happen to Jessie? Dizziness and confusion had me wondering if Jessie was okay and of course made me want to read on to see what could cause this. I have to say I am proud of her for getting a trophy though!As the story progresses there is time while in the dojo and of course Ethan isn't there because of a tournament, one of the karate instructors takes it upon himself to treat Jessie like crap and I think she handled herself very very well the best she could. The outcome of is issue had me wanting to smack Ethan for not believing her when he asked her what happened. Yes he comes to his senses but he breaks her heart by not believing her he is so quick to judge when Jessie has never had a reason to lie about anything.Fast forward a bit and she ends up getting a summer job!!!Her job is going to camp and not just any camp but a camp where there are kiddos who have some things going on. For example some kids my have ADHD, other's come from a broken home, as well as having ADD and of course they are treated differently because of this. And Jessie makes a perfect camp counselor.We get to see how she interacts with children and you can tell she can understand what some of them are going through, I enjoyed the ideas she had to make doing karate fun while in camp for the kids.Jessie doesn't let being hearing impaired get her down at all, yes it is difficult at times but she always tries to see the light at the end of the tunnel so to say.After reading this I am hoping Destiny is going to be just as good as this one. I want to know what else does life have in store for Jessie. Will she still get bullied at school? Will her relationship with Ethan stay going on? Will she even get her black belt?

Second book from this author, and have to tell I love the way we are getting to live the life of Jessie through these books. Clearly liked this book more than the first one!We follow her trying to cope with the normal things young people find in their life, like love, disappointment, rejection, hope, bullying...The end of the book we have the summer holidays, and the first time Jessie tries out something new without her parents (at least that's what it seems like). Jessie clearly grows during that summer and at the end seems to be far more sure of herself.Looking very much forward to the third book in this series!

This was my favorite in the series by Jennifer Gibson. I loved the summer camp experiences. As a mother of a special needs child, it really touched my heart to read the scenes where Jessie worked at the camp for children with special needs. And as with Sway, I still felt like cheering for Jessie. But unlike Sway, she seemed more confident and sure of herself. It was nice to see her growing and maturing. Great book series - heartwarming story. I highly recommend this not just for teens with challenges, but even more for teens who have an easier time so that they can understand what it's like to be different.

I loved this book and this author. A must read great insight into the hearing impaired world. Great story thanks.

This is the second book in a series that follows Jessie, a teen with a hearing impediment. I really enjoyed this story!Jessie McIntyre is a character I could relate to somewhat. I really liked her when I first met her in Sway, but also didn't like her at the same time. In Sway, she had built a wall around herself to prevent being hurt emotionally by bullies and could be rather surly and unfriendly to people in turn. Meeting Ethan brought her out of her shell somewhat and, along with her hobby of Karate, she finds herself opening up to new experiences. In Compass, we find her facing new challenges.I think I like this book a lot better than Sway because of Jessie's growth, both emotionally as well as physically. She is not as inwardly focused on herself, and is taking interest in things and people around her. Her angst at being bullied is quite understandable, and watching her deal with that, and entering Karate contests to test herself and her abilities, made me feel quite proud of her. But watching her teaching Karate class (along with Ethan) at Camp Balsam (a summer camp for kids with various disabilities or disorders) is where she began to shine; showed me there is so many layers to this young woman. She has a natural talent and ability to teach. This book (and story arc) has an almost spiritual feel to it, especially Jessie's dreams of her spirit guide, who also happens to be her cat, Peter Parker.The story is not especially fast paced, but when I reached the end I felt quite sad; I wanted to keep reading! Luckily, there is a bonus story called Awake, which is in the form of a dream, but I really enjoyed reading it. I'm looking forward to reading Destiny, the next book, soon.Jennifer Gibson has written an intriguing and interesting YA story based in truth. I found the story a quick read. I love the way the story flows from scene to scene; it's extremely fluid and the descriptions were described in such a way that I could picture them with ease. This is an author I am looking forward to adding to my favourite authors list.I highly recommend this book to young readers aged 12 to 16, and to adults who love reading younger YA romance or coming of age novels. - Lynn Worton