J.D. and the Great Barber Battle, J.Dillard; Akeem Roberts (Review)

J.D. and the Great Barber Battle - Book Review

Summary: J.D. and the Great Barber Battle

In J.D. and the Great Barber Battle, eight-year-old J.D. has to devise a means to correct a haircut gone wrong. His mom obviously doesn’t care much about lining his cut evenly, and J.D. gets laughed at school by his friends. Eventually, after using his little brother as a subject, J.D. figures out how to cut his own hair — and he does a fantastic job!

J.D. gets so good at cutting hair and coming up with creative hairstyles that his schoolmates start asking him to do theirs. The only barbershop in town is owned by an elderly man Mr. Henry and run by his son, Mr. Henry Jr. Unlike J.D., they only know three cut styles, so there’s no real competition. Until Mr. Henry Jr. tries to stop J.D. from running the business out of his house and the two have to engage in a “Barber Battle.”

The Good

This was an entertaining book to read. I kind of went in blind because I don’t care much for haircuts and all the trendy styles. But this chapter book held my interest. I also loved the illustrations, and J.D. has an engaging voice. The family situation provided an interesting character background. J.D.’s parents are separated, and he lives with his mother and grandparents. He has one sister and a brother, and his mother is back in school for an MBA, so money is tight.

The actual hair cutting and the business of it were exciting to read about. I know the thrill of realizing that you can actually earn money from doing something you enjoy. J.D. is able to use his money wisely and there’s some useful basic math skills calculating his earnings that will appeal to budding entrepreneurs.

The battle itself was fun to read, if a little bit unrealistic for an eight-year-old. I admired J.D.’s creativity and grit throughout the book and I was rooting for him the whole way.

Overall: J.D. and the Great Barber Battle

J.D. and the Great Barber Battle is the first in a fun new chapter book series about a Black boy who discovers his barbing skills and entrepreneurial spirit. With memorable characters, charming illustrations, and laugh-out-loud funny scenes, this one will appeal to kids in the third grade and up.