Meet Julius Carmichael: First Day Blues [Paperback]

Jonathan Carroll (Author)

Book Description

"Meet Julius Carmichael: First Day Blues" is the first in what will be a series of books about Julius Carmichael, and eleven year old African-American boy. In "First Day Blues", Julius is all set for his first day of school. Everything is brand new, and he will have a male teacher for the first time. Things take a turn for the worst when he meets his new classmate, Beatrice Willingham. Julius must then figure out how to salvage, what was supposed to be the best day of the year.

Editorial Reviews

Review

I love the way you've captured a child's voice--a young black boy's voice! -- Leslie Esdaile, Author

I think African American kids could glean some relevant substance from the issues presented in your book on many levels -- Eugene Golson, Asst Principal

About the Author

Jonathan Carroll is a Philadelphia native who now teaches third grade in New Jersey. He was bitten by the writing bug, when he found that there are very few children's books that feature African-American male characters, and also works written by African-American males. Instead of waiting for this void to be filled, he decided to fill it himself.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Striking Presence Pub (January 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972493506
• ISBN-13: 978-0972493505
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,663,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A different Jonathan Carroll, June 17, 2003

By 

F.Y.I. - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Meet Julius Carmichael: First Day Blues (Paperback)

I bought this book because I thought it was written by the author of Land of Laughs, White Apples, Voice of Our Shadow, etc. When I searched for Jonathan Carroll by name this book came up with the books I already knew and this children's book in addition to those. There was absolutely no indication on this site that this is an entirely different author. In fact, it looked as if there had been an attempt to make it appear as if it was the same author. I am very aggravated at having spent money on this book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When Good Days Go Bad, December 30, 2003

By 

Karen Lemmons "APOOO Bookclub" (Detroit, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meet Julius Carmichael: First Day Blues (Paperback)

Julius Carmichael, an intelligent and very articulate eleven-year-old boy, is very excited about his first day of school. He is ready to meet his new teacher, meet some new friends and see some old friends. He is dressed for success and ready to learn.

Well, Julius' good day turns bad when he meets Beatrice Willingham. When he says hello to Beatrice and tries to be friendly, she talks proper and acts "stuck-up." When she introduces herself to the class, Julius is really convinced she has money and the "stuck-up" label is confirmed for him. Thus, during recess time, when Beatrice says something to him, Julius responds in words that hurts her feelings. He is in trouble now.

Johnathan Carroll's debut novel is a refreshing one. We meet an intelligent, articulate, confident eleven-year-old boy that can be a shining example for some fifth-grade boys. He is excellent in Math and sports and could use a little more help in English and Spelling. He is a great son, brother and student. He comes from a two-parent home and has a younger sister. His parents have instilled values of hard work, education, responsibility, respect and discipline in their children. Those values are manifested in Julius.

Carroll writes the story from Julius' view, which gives the reader an inside look into Julius' thoughts and feelings. Carroll's language is informal, conversational in tone, fluid and easy to read. Most students can relate to this story because they, too, would like to have a very good first day of school. Teachers may like the discussion questions and activities that enhance the story.

I loved this story and look forward to reading more about Julius Carmichael.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Judge Not, March 4, 2003

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meet Julius Carmichael: First Day Blues (Paperback)

Julius Carmichael is an eleven-year-old boy who attends a private Quaker school and is about to start the fifth grade. As a new school year approaches, Julius is excited to be going back to school because he has his first male teacher. Upon arriving he also finds that there is another black student in his class, which is a shock because he is often the only black person in his class. Things get off to a rocky start as Julius makes assumptions and judgements about his classmate and discovers that even he was misjudged by others.

Through this book children will learn that it is wrong to have preconceived notions about a person and to judge them without first getting to know them. Another positive aspect about the book is that it contains worksheets that correlate to each chapter. These worksheets are an excellent way to generate conversation regarding the issues in the book and a way for parents or teachers to evaluate reading comprehension.

This is a wonderful debut novel from a very promising author. I highly recommend this book for preteens as a way of teaching them not to be judgmental of others. I hope this is the first in a series of books to star the very likable and engaging character Julius Carmichael.<...