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With ears like a bat and webbed toes, it seems as if ten-yearold Jake could fly right out of reality into the freedom of his dreams. No more worries about asthma, special reading class, or his parents’ fighting—just sky. But Jake can’t simply fly away. There’s his little sister, Cassie, to tell stories to when the night sounds become frightening, amazing facts to learn from his best friend Luke, and a safe place—Dragon’s Nest—to build in the backyard.
This beautifully written middle grade novel tells the courageous story of Jake—a night watchman—a protector in the truest sense of the word who finds hope in crickets, friends, teachers, and dreams.
Jake has difficulty reading and writing and faces teasing at school. His father moves from one low-paying job to another, and his parents argue often and loudly. At night he whispers stories of dragons and magic to his little sister Cassie in order to drown out the sounds of their anger. His dreams send him flying on strong batwings, searching for the sounds of a cricket choir that will bring good luck. He and Cassie even build a secret Dragon's Nest in the hedge as a bolthole to which they can escape when things get scary. But there is more to his life than his problems: He has a loyal friend, caring teachers and a kind neighbor. Gifaldi strikes just the right chord, never preaching, judging or allowing the plot to become maudlin or contrived. Jake is a warm, real character who engages the reader's compassion. The conclusion is realistic as well, providing no fairy-tale ending but leaving both Jake and readers with some resolution and hope for the future. Genuine and touching. (Fiction. 9-13)
| Price | Condition | Delivery | Seller | Action |
| $99.99 | Digital |
| WonderClub |
Ryan Cave
reviewed Listening for Crickets on November 26, 2017
Listening for Crickets
This story is about Jake Wasniewski who has a dream about flying. He begins to explain that his wings were so powerful and that one stroke could send him high up in the air, but this dream is quickly interrupted by his little sister and the sound of his parent arguing. Jake knows that his mother has been crying from the fight that her and his dad just had but he did not even want to look up to see if he was correct. Jake's family was very poor and ad little money to properly support the young children. Jake had a friend named Luke who was someone he was very dependent on. They hung out almost every afternoon and this was something that Jake appreciated. Jake and his sister Cassie did everything they could to drowned out the sound of their parents fighting night after night. Jake being the older brother tries his best to comfort his little sister. Jake's father is an alcoholic and he knows that with this come constant bickering between his mother and his father. Cassie fears that their parents are going to get a divorce from the constant fights and arguments that occur. Jake is a storyteller and he uses this skill in hopes to distract Cassie from their at home life. Later in the story we find that Jake's father is easily ticked off by things and this give us an insight as to how the fathers relationship is with each family member. Later, Jake gets in a fight at school with another classmate and is suspended. Jake's father was fired from his job and his mother did not want to tell his father of the bad news of being suspended. Over and over this family is experiencing instances where Jake's father is short tempered. One night the family was having a yard sale and their father began abusing his wife and the children's mother and for this stunt, he was sent to jail for a couple days and was prohibited from seeing the family. After this event, Jake's mother seemed like she had experienced a large weight lifted off of her shoulders. The family atmosphere from that point forward was something the Jake and his sister Cassie had been imagining of for a long time coming.
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