Changes: Jess (book)

Revision as of 11:43, 17 January 2019

Jess is the book about Jess McConnell. It was included with the doll when she was available to be purchased; it was available separately, but is now retired.

Characters

See Also: Minor Characters in Jess's Story

Jess McConnell
Mother, Mom: Of Japanese descent. An archeologist.
Father, Dad: of Scotch-Irish descent. An archeologist.

Chapter By Chapter Summary

Chapter One: Good-bye, Home; Hello, Jungle

Jess and her parents are on the plane; they are currently over Belize. Jess is a little nervous at arriving at their destination. She points out the jungle to her mother, who then talks about the various artifacts they may locate while there. Her father chimes in as well, excited about what they may discover. Jess joins in a little--she is interested in Belize, but not in the archeology as she finds it dull. Her mother takes her interest to be about archeology and continues talking about how the artifacts they locate will give information about the past, despite others only using the items as treasures to be sold and a lot of looters.

As her parents talk about archeology, Jess looks at her parents, mentioning their looks--her father is fair with light hair and of Scotch-Irish descent and her mother is Japanese. Jess has gone on smaller digs with them but this is the first time any of them have been outside the States.

Jess asks about looting in the Caracol ruins; this is not so much interest as it is showing that she has been paying attention to their discussions over the past year. Her parents had not planned to take any of their three children on the trip but Jess had convinced them to come. She is glad her brother and sister are not around as they tend to fuss over her and boss her around. Jess's father says that only a small part of the ruins has been uncovered which is protected; however, the rest stretch rather far, and so there is no way to know what looters have taken already.

Her parents continue to talk, and Jess looks out the window. She thinks that she might pay more attention if they were talking about soccer, one of her hobbies. She starts making a list of some of the "firsts" she is experiencing.

First trip outside the United States
First passaport
First time being homeschooled
First time being in a jungle
First trip without her siblings

Jess then thinks about her siblings, Jason and Heather, at home being watched by Grandma Emi. When the plane is about to touch ground, Jess takes two notes out of her bag and reads them. The first one is from her sister Heather. Heather’s note is neatly written on a piece of stationary saying that she loves Jess and for her to be careful. The second note is from her brother Jason. His note is sloppily written on a piece of loose-leaf. His note telling Jess to be careful and doesn’t want anything to happen to Jess. Jess thinks about how nice it’s going to be not getting teased by her siblings the next five months.

Jess exits the plane with her parents and checks in with customs. Jess and her parents get into a cab and go to the bus station. On the way to the bus station Jess is looking out the cab window and sees houses in poor condition and starving animals on the side of the road. They arrive at the bus station and it is crowded with all sorts of people, including an older gentleman with two chickens.

While in line a young boy comes up to Jess asking for money, referring to Jess as “lady”. Jess doesn’t know how to handle the situation and looks to her parents for help, but they are preoccupied at the ticket booth. Jess tells the boy she isn’t a lady and he leaves. A group of teenage boys in bump into several people including Jess and woman with a child. She scolds the teenage boys in and turns to Jess and says something in Spanish Jess doesn’t understand. Jess thinks of how fortunate she is that her family can provide for themselves and doesn’t have to beg. She starts feeling uneasy without her siblings their to comfort and protect her. Jess thinks about how she’s going to have to figure things out for herself, whether she’s ready or not.

Chapter Two: Ancient Ruins

While riding the bus to San Iguano, Jess sees an Amish man and learns from her father that there are Amish and Mennonites in Belize, and the diversity of the country. Jess and her family then meet Michael Bol, a very nice man who drives the McConnell's to the site. Arriving at Caracol, Jess meets the staff and Fuzz, a mischievous spider monkey who Jess becomes friends with. She adds to her list of firsts:

First time meeting a real, live spider monkey
First Maya ruins

The McConnell's then set out to see the ruins. Jess is surprised to see soccer nets. Jess then discovers where her family will stay - in a small thatched-roof hut with a dirt floor. She immediately claims the top bunk, only to be beaten by Fuzz, and humorous remarks follow, ending the chapter.

Chapter Three: Alone

In chapter three, we meet Jess two weeks later. Here, we learn about Jess's routine and the nightly soccer games and stories shared around the bonfire. Next, Jess has just finished her homework, and wants to go outside and play with Fuzz. Jess is kind of lonely, and wants a human child to play with, though she likes Fuzz a lot. She asks her parents to play with her, but they are both really busy and promise to play with her later. Jess walks to the soccer field, and kicks the ball into the goal, but falls hard on the ground, and discovers a girl named Sarita standing by her, asking if she needs a goalie.

Chapter Four: A Friend

Chapter Five: Fire Ants

Chapter Six: Sarita's Home

Jess visits Sarita's house, and can't help thinking how different it is from her house in the United States.

Chapter Seven: Caving

Chapter Eight: Things That Go Bump in the Night

Chapter Nine: Pippi's First Flight

Chapter Ten: Discovering the Past

Chapter Eleven: Digging Deeper

True Story

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@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 ==Chapter By Chapter Summary==
-===Chapter One: Good-bye, Home, Hello, Jungle===
+===Chapter One: Good-bye, Home; Hello, Jungle===
 Jess and her parents are on the plane; they are currently over Belize. Jess is a little nervous at arriving at their destination. She points out the jungle to her mother, who then talks about the various artifacts they may locate while there. Her father chimes in as well, excited about what they may discover. Jess joins in a little--she is interested in Belize, but not in the archeology as she finds it dull. Her mother takes her interest to be about archeology and continues talking about how the artifacts they locate will give information about the past, despite others only using the items as treasures to be sold and a lot of looters.
@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 Jess asks about looting in the Caracol ruins; this is not so much interest as it is showing that she has been paying attention to their discussions over the past year. Her parents had not planned to take any of their three children on the trip but Jess had convinced them to come. She is glad her brother and sister are not around as they tend to fuss over her and boss her around. Jess's father says that only a small part of the ruins has been uncovered which is protected; however, the rest stretch rather far, and so there is no way to know what looters have taken already.
-Her parents continue to talk, and Jess looks out the window. She thinks that she might pay more attention if they were talking about soccer, one of her hobbies. She starts making a list of some of the "firsts" she is experiencing, such as her first passport and her first time being homeschooled.
+Her parents continue to talk, and Jess looks out the window. She thinks that she might pay more attention if they were talking about soccer, one of her hobbies. She starts making a list of some of the "firsts" she is experiencing.
+* First trip outside the United States
+* First passaport
+* First time being homeschooled
+* First time being in a jungle
+* First trip without her siblings
+Jess then thinks about her siblings, Jason and Heather, at home being watched by Grandma Emi. When the plane is about to touch ground, Jess takes two notes out of her bag and reads them. The first one is from her sister Heather. Heather’s note is neatly written on a piece of stationary saying that she loves Jess and for her to be careful. The second note is from her brother Jason. His note is sloppily written on a piece of loose-leaf. His note telling Jess to be careful and doesn’t want anything to happen to Jess. Jess thinks about how nice it’s going to be not getting teased by her siblings the next five months.
+Jess exits the plane with her parents and checks in with customs. Jess and her parents get into a cab and go to the bus station. On the way to the bus station Jess is looking out the cab window and sees houses in poor condition and starving animals on the side of the road. They arrive at the bus station and it is crowded with all sorts of people, including an older gentleman with two chickens.
+While in line a young boy comes up to Jess asking for money, referring to Jess as “lady”. Jess doesn’t know how to handle the situation and looks to her parents for help, but they are preoccupied at the ticket booth. Jess tells the boy she isn’t a lady and he leaves. A group of teenage boys in bump into several people including Jess and woman with a child. She scolds the teenage boys in and turns to Jess and says something in Spanish Jess doesn’t understand. Jess thinks of how fortunate she is that her family can provide for themselves and doesn’t have to beg. She starts feeling uneasy without her siblings their to comfort and protect her. Jess thinks about how she’s going to have to figure things out for herself, whether she’s ready or not.
 ===Chapter Two: Ancient Ruins===