Come Sing, Jimmy Jo
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Come Sing, Jimmy Jo Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Katherine Paterson (Author), Melba Sibrel (Narrator), Listening Library (Publisher)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 11 ratings
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Written by Newbery, National Book Award, and Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal winner Katherine Paterson

The Johnsons are becoming country music stars. They're on TV and the radio - and it's all because of James. His voice and his guitar playing bring the songs to life, and make the audiences beg for more. Most kids would love it. Not James. He's had to change his name to "Jimmy Jo", dress in clothes he hates, and turn into someone else. Will he ever be able to cope with the fame?

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  1. Listening Length
    6 hours and 21 minutes
  2. Author
    Katherine Paterson
  3. Narrator
    Melba Sibrel
  4. Audible release date
    February 6, 2018
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Listening Library
  7. ASIN
    B078SB2LVG
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 6 hours and 21 minutes
Author Katherine Paterson
Narrator Melba Sibrel
Audible.com Release Date February 06, 2018
Publisher Listening Library
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B078SB2LVG
Best Sellers Rank #492,181 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#222 in Audiobooks on Music for Children
#1,210 in Children's Books on Peer Pressure (Books)
#1,286 in Historical Fiction for Children

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
11 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

d w allison
5.0 out of 5 stars engaging kid in a tough life, fighting to be true to himself with forgiveness
Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2022
Verified Purchase
Very well written, wonderful insights into a poor but amazingly talented musical family, and how a boy can find his place in that family, and forgive those who try to keep him out of it-- even if she's his own mom.
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P. Hall
5.0 out of 5 stars I purchased this book for my daughter as replacement for ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2014
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book for my daughter as replacement for a copy that someone borrowed from her and didn't return.
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Vicki Lynn Hasting
4.0 out of 5 stars For older elementary and early secondary students.
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2015
Verified Purchase
Katherine Paterson writes like no one else. She has been one of my all-time favorites authors for many years. I would offer this book to 5th through 7th grade students. Katherine deals with difficult issues often in her novels for older elementary and early secondary students. She does so in such a manner that children can often identify with the characters and know that they are not alone in their difficulties. Bravo Katherine once again.
One person found this helpful
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CaerRose
5.0 out of 5 stars An Overlooked Treasure
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2007
I stopped to read the reviews here and decided to add my own.

My grandmother gave this book to me when I was about 12 and I took one look at it and stuffed it away on the bookshelf. I was busy reading books like Sweet Valley High and a book about some hick kid in West Virginia did not appeal to me at all.

But being the voracious reader that I was, I pulled it out one day out of boredom and much to my surprise, it's become one of my favorite books. I still put it out to this day and read it (I'm 31.) For a book about some of the most down home, country, even 'hillbilly' people you'll ever read about, it has a surprising touch of dreaminess and whimsy and is just full of characters that draw readers into their world. I just loved James' grandmother, and felt his heartache when they were separated. She was a character and a 1/2...I defy anyone to read about her and not dream of meeting such a woman someday, smoking her pipe, telling it like it is in her thick accent, and loving with all her might.

James is living in rural West Virginia with his grandmother while his family, who have their own classic country and western band, tour and try for their big break. James has a beautiful voice as well, but only likes to sing for his grandmother. His family returns for a visit one day, and invite a manager to come see them perform. The manager likes them, but is mostly taken with James and agrees to sign them-but only if James is included.

James goes to live in the city with his family, where they get a regular spot on a live music show that airs once weekly. At school James just tries to blend in, hoping no one will know that he's a tv 'star'. At home his family situation is becoming tougher and tougher. Although very close to his father, James misses his grandmother, and his mother and uncle seem to care more about the show and their hopefully impending fame.

His invisibility at school is made harder by a teacher who takes a great dislike to him, and his struggle to make sure no one knows his true identity, which is made even harder by a stranger that begins to follow him. Luckily, amidst all the turmoil James has some truly special people in his life, his grandmother, who exudes her influence even from afar, his father, who loves him unconditionally, and a new 'friend', Eleazer Jones, the King of his school. There is a lot of humor too that livens what could have been a tough read.

If you are in doubt, don't be. Read this book-you won't regret it.
2 people found this helpful
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Nacole M.
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2019
Loved it as a kid.
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Marcia
1.0 out of 5 stars Not a real ending to it
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2017
I was a kid myself when I read this and it felt like a slap in the face for so many reasons. Now that I'm older I get why the author would make up the name of the county, but, Blue County? Appalachians take a lot of pride in the names of their places, and to me this was proof the author was too lazy to care about us and just decided to make something up (this was how my younger self saw this: 55 counties and one wasn't good enough to exist here?). Also, I was angry at the injustice within the family dynamic and wasn't satisfied at the ending. It wasn't really an ending--all the problems were going to come back; they weren't solved and they certainly weren't healed. I'd seen too much junk like that before to feel good about the whole mess. The best part of the book was seeing how your bonds with people who aren't your blood-kin can be better and healthier than your biological family. For that alone I would recommend it.
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Ann Guard
3.0 out of 5 stars Parental discretion advised
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2005
Come Sing, Jimmy Jo deals with tough topics. Caution is advised when presenting this book to a child to read. The book offers innuendos that will be more understandable to adults than most children readers. These include an affair between his mother and her brother-in-law and a mother's jealousy of her son's success (more obvious to kids). But what will be most obvious to young readers is that James' daddy, who he idolizes, is not his father. This is revealed to him by a scary stranger who turns out to be his father.
7 people found this helpful
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Parkway@Ricochet.net
2.0 out of 5 stars I thought this book was boring and not very interesting.
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 1999
This story is about a family that sings and comes on TV every Friday.The main thing about this story is when a man calls James(JimmyJo) and says he his real father and finds out he really is.But Lames doesn't have any kind of relationship with his real father.
2 people found this helpful
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