Jam Sessions

Sometimes in Middle School, the Best You Can Do Is Survive

By: Jerry Harwood

Narrated by: Donald Davenport

Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Meet Phillip. His mom relocates him to a new school in the middle of the school year.

Things do not go well. Phillip lands himself a trip to the dean of student's office when he tries to forge his mother's signature. Maybe if he spelled her name correctly it would have gone better.

Phillip also finds himself having more and more anxiety. And the song some bullies are singing is certainly not helping:

Phillip Willip, Puddin, and Pie.
Got a bad grade and made him cry.

There is one class Phillip has that is going well. It is with Mr. Filter, who starts each day with a writing prompt. These "jam sessions" allow students to be creative and enjoy writing. Phillip writes about being a basketball on a soccer field. Another day he writes about receiving two dragon eggs in the mail, one for himself and one for a particularly cute girl.

But will Phillip ever be able to make his real life go as well as his Jam Sessions?

©2020 Gerald O Harwood (P)2020 Gerald O Harwood

Great middle school book

This is the first book I have read/listened to by this author and I would listen to another.
Philip falls in with a boy named Chuck his first day at his new school. As the days pass, Philip learns Chuck might not be the best choice for a friend and other kids may be lumping him in with Chuck, who does not have the best reputation for being a good kid. As he tries to fit in and learn new routines, Philip starts having anxiety issues. His one pleasant experience is his class with Mr. Filter. Here he learns to express himself and I think what the kids do in this class would be a great exercise for all kids to do. Eventually, Philip learns who his friends truly are.

This is the first book I have listened to by this narrator ( Danald Daveport ) and I would listen to another. He uses the right amount of expression to narrate this book. It’s more of a performance than just a reading. His character voices are not very distinct, but they work well and create a nice listen. I did not have issues following the characters conversations.

This is a great book for middle grade kids. There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence, or swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

A Good Story to Understand a Kids Point of View

This is a good story about a kind hearted boy who is dealing with the struggles of sudden life changes and their results. The accurate description of preteens and how they choose to deal with life in middle school is a good choice for any lower level reader or for parents just trying to understand. If you have kids or work with them, I recommend reading Jam Sessions.