Jazz Off-Key (Faithgirlz! / Blog On!) [Paperback]

Dandi Daley Mackall (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Faithgirlz! / Blog On!

Written by bestselling author Dandi Daley mackall, in this series girls use Internet technology to unite and connect in powerful new ways. Discover a world where girls come together from completely different backgrounds and beliefs to start a journey of faith and self-discovery. When Jazz gets her big break---her own one-woman art show for Big Lake's Spring Fling celebration---she's ecstatic ... until Kendra, her special needs sister, ruins her paintings by trying to make them happier and more colorful. Jazz discovers she can't control her anger, and her rage at family and friends grows to the point that she recognizes the need for Christ to cover her sins and change her from the inside. DANDI DALEY MACKALL won her first writing contest when she was ten years old with fifty words on why she wanted to be a batboy. She won, but they wouldn't let a girl be a batboy. It was her first taste of rejection. She bounced back and has since published 400 books. Dandi lives in rural West Salem, OH, and enjoys her husband and kids, who will still, on occasion, be up for a game of family softball.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dandi Daley Mackall is the author of over 400 books and still can't believe she gets to write for a living, helping children of all ages grow spiritually. She and her husband, Joe, both write from rural Ohio, where they're blessed with three children and a variety of horses, dogs, and cats.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Zonderkidz; Supersaver edition (August 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310712653
• ISBN-13: 978-0310712657
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,470,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dandi won her first writing contest as a 10-year-old tomboy. Her 50 words on "Why I Want to Be Batboy for the Kansas City A's" won first place, but the team wouldn't let a girl be batboy. It was her first taste of rejection.
Since then, Dandi Daley Mackall has become an award-winning author of over 400 books for children of all ages, with sales of 4 million copies in 22 countries. Recent picture books with Sleeping Bear Press include Legend of Ohio, Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story (Notable Book 2008 - Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People National Council of Social Studies & Children's Book Council; winner of the Angel Award, 2008; Winner of the "Award of Excellence" from Chicago Book Show 2007) and 2008 release, A Girl Named Dan (her own "batboy" story, and a lesson on Title IX), 2 Mom's Choice Awards & Amelia Bloom Award. Eva Underground, Harcourt young adult novel, nominated ALA Best Book 2007, starred Kirkus review, awarded a Top Teen Read by New York Public Library, finalist for Ohioana Award, was based on the author's experiences behind the Iron Curtain. Love Rules was awarded Romantic Times' Top Pick. Middle-grade fiction, Larger-than-Life Lara, Dutton/Penguin, which teaches how to write, while tackling the problem of bullying, is on the KY Bluegrass Award List 2007-8; William Allan White Award list, 2008-9; KS and KY Children's Choice lists. Her Winnie the Horse Gentler series has sold over half a million books and Starlight Animal Rescue is a Gold Medallion finalist. Dandi received the 2009 Helen Keating Ott Award for distinguished contribution toward promoting high moral and ethical values in children and young adult literature. She also received the Distinguished Alumna Award in 2008 from the University of Missouri. Dandi is a national speaker, keynoting at conferences and Young Author events, and has made dozens of appearances on TV, including ABC, NBC, and CBS. Visit Dandi at www.dandibooks.com, winniethehorsegentler.com, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85oaIUbJ8j8

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book just for girls, October 17, 2009

By 

Christine M. Irvin (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jazz Off-Key (Faithgirlz! / Blog On!) (Paperback)

Jazz Off-Key a chapter book written by prolific author Dandi Daley Mackall, is part of the Zonderkidz FaithGirlz series of books. This is a series of books especially for girls.

This book is also part of the Blog On series, a series of stories about a group of five girls who get together once a week to plan and discuss the blog they have created - hence the name of the series. Each book in the series features a member of the group. This particular book is about Jazz (Jasmine) Fletcher.

Jazz has anger management issues. She seems to be angry about something nearly all the time. Even though she believes in God, and she prays about things, when her sister inadvertently ruins her paintings and jeopardizes her first chance at having her art exhibited, God seems very far away and her anger is too much for her to control.

Jazz's passion is art. She loves to draw and paint and do sculptures. When the owner of a local art supply store asks her if she would like to exhibit her art at his open house, she jumps at the chance. She shows her sister Kendra the paintings she wants to exhibit; Kendra says they need more color. While Jazz isn't home, Kendra "repaints" Jazz's artwork orange and red. Kendra has Down's Syndrome and thinks she's doing a good thing. She doesn't understand she has ruined her sister's work.

Jazz is an artist, so she writes a cartoon for the group's blog. She also shares her problems with her friends. When she tells them about her ruined paintings, they all try to help her come up with ways to salvage the show. In the end, Jazz learns the importance of family and forgiveness, and she develops a closer relationship with God.

For a little background on the series, a brief bio and description of each girl is provided at the end of the story.

The Bible verse, 2 Corinthians 4:18 is given as a reference: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

What I Like: The characters in this series seem very real. They're the types of characters readers can relate to.

What I Dislike: At one point in the story, Jazz's friend, Storm, suggests the two of them break into the local elementary school to retrieve a couple of paintings Jazz did years ago that are kept in a supply closet there. They don't have to break pick any locks or break any windows to get into the building as one window is unlocked. But, still, they are doing something illegal. Storm is able to talk her way out of trouble when a security guard catches them in the act. I'm unhappy with this scene because it makes it look likes it's alright to enter buildings that are supposed to be locked up. They had a good reason for doing so, and they did it for a good cause, but they still did something illegal and there were no real consequences for the act. I think that sets a bad example for young readers.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Christine M. Irvin - Christian Children's Book Review