Stepping Off

By: Jordan Sonnenblick

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

Jesse Dienstag's favorite sweatshirt says, "The real world isn't real." That's the slogan of the vacation-home community in Pennsylvania where his family has always spent every vacation and weekend for as long as he can remember. In the summer of 2019, as Jesse is about to enter his junior year of high school in New York City, he desperately wants to believe the slogan is true. For one thing, the two girls he loves—equally and desperately—are in Pennsylvania, and all the stresses and pressures of his daily life and school are in New York.

But when his parents stop talking to each other, it gets harder and harder for Jesse to maintain his dream life in Pennsylvania. And when Covid shuts New York City down in March 2020 just days after Jesse's mother leaves his father, Jesse's worlds collide.

©2024 Jordan Sonnenblick (P)2024 Scholastic Inc.

The real world is real

I liked how this book felt like it was a part of our actual reality. Past Sonnenblick stories have been relatable from a pure childhood standpoint, but this one became relatable from the inclusion of real world events like the COVID-19 pandemic. Something about it felt so immersive, like the story wasn’t a fictional one anymore. There’s something about the authenticity of Sonnenblick’s stories that make me come back for more