1996 Newbery Honor Award

Coman, C. (1997). What Jamie saw. Arden, North Carolina: Front Street.

Genre: Fiction (novel)

Grades: Grades 4- 6

Jamie’s life is turned upside down when his stepfather, Van, manages to throw Jamie’s baby sister across the room. While the baby is luckily caught by her mother and is left unharmed, Jamie is stripped of his familiar home surroundings and is left no choice but to escape the abuse at home and flee to the unknown with his mother and sister. Jamie is forced to live in a shabby trailer, hidden away from society and the outer world at large. He faces the hardships of reinventing his life without the pleasing commodities he was once accustomed to. This book presents an interesting account of abusive scenarios and manages to deliver its message through the eyes of a young, unbiased character. The text is eloquent in nature and effectively delivers the emotional impact the abusive situation has played on Jamie as well as his mother. Readers are invited into the mind of Jamie as he experiences the distress, insecurity, and ultimate peace that comes with his experience. What Jamie Saw is impressive and will delight readers everywhere.

Author: Carolyn Coman

Carolyn Coman worked as a hand bookbinder before writing children’s books. An interesting fact of her life is that she was a member of the very first graduating class of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Coman was the recipient for the 1995 Newbery Honor Award as the National Book Award finalist for What Jamie Saw.

Interview with Carolyn Coman

“When I write my stories, I come to love my characters and deeply appreciate how hard life is for them sometimes, and how they make their way through it anyway. I hope the kids who read my books see it that way, too, and maybe experience a little bit of that same respect for themselves and what they might be going through. It’s amazing how tough life can be for kids, sometimes, through no fault of their own at all. I write my books in honor of those kids – the ones in the stories, and the ones who read them.“

- Carolyn Coman

Sources:

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• Author Photo
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