“Currently out of print, but looking for a new home, ‘Just J’ was the first book I wrote and the second one published. It was written shortly after I lost my father to cancer. Through J, I was able to express some of the pain, anger and confusion I was feeling in a much more uninhibited and unfiltered way with J’s expressive personality and voice. J was character I didn’t so much write as much as just tried to not get in the way of.”
– Colin Frizzell
JUST J
Best Bets 2007:
Best Summer Reads 2007:
(Just J was written with the financial aid of the Toronto Arts Council.)
“Jenevieve, 13, is dealing with issues that are causing her life to spin out of control. Her mom has just passed away, her little brother is needy, and a woman, Fanny, is moving in on her dad before her mother is even buried. Just when the teen’s life is hitting an all-time low, an aunt she never knew she had appears at the funeral. Regardless, her father allows J to spend the summer with Aunt Guin, a philosophizing free spirit who fixes up old houses with her friend Art and then sells them at a profit. J spends the summer camping in the backyard of a fixer-upper, learning life lessons through her aunt’s random quotes. The teen’s engaging voice is full of sarcasm, dry wit, and angst while her aunt’s voice is ethereal and soothing.” — (School Library Journal)
“Frizzellis prose is engaging and well-crafted…a reader can’t help but connect with J.” (Globe & Mail)
“The novel has some great dialogue and descriptions…middle school girls will enjoy the short chapters, continuous wordplay and happy endings.” (Voya)”
J is a force to be reckoned with…girls will enjoy [her] spunky personality and her unwillingness to give in to the emotions that rip through her.” (Kliatt )
“Unique in voice and setting, and there is an unabashed emotional truth to J that resonates throughout and keeps one turning the pages. Recommended.” (CM Magazine)
To obtain a copy of ‘Just J’ please send enquiries to:
info@hickorynutpublishers.com
Additional Reviews for Just J and Chill: