Jumping the Nail - Hardcover

Grade 6-8-- Rising 90 feet above the water, the cliff known as the Nail looms large in the legends of the teens in the coastal community of Paloma, California. A jump off the cliff into the ocean below rates an entry on the roster of names carved into the cliff's "danger" sign, and now, despite the risk, Dru's best friend, Elisa, is jumping in order to please her boyfriend. This jump causes her chronic depression to resurface, and raises for Dru all sorts of issues regarding peer pressure, insecurity, and parental demands. Bunting's message is obvious--distraught Elisa will do anything to keep her chauvinistic boyfriend and commits suicide when he is unfaithful; another boy jumps in order to impress flirtatious Diane; and Dru feels pressure from her boyfriend, who requests that she change her plans and go to a local college, and from her mother, who urges her not to let this boy (the rich son of mom's first sweetheart) slip away. While the characters tend to be narrowly drawn, Bunting excels in her descriptions of the cliff, the anticipation of the jump, and Elisa's wild imaginings of what she experienced in the watery depths. The author does equally well in recalling the uncertain stirrings and emotions inherent in new relationships. Dru's perceptions and observations are right on target, and Bunting shows clearly that the pressure to conform or concede can be as blatant as a demand to jump off a cliff or as subtle as a request couched in gentle words. --Susan Knorr, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.