Jazzy’s Quest: Adopted and Amazing!

Written by Carrie Goldman & Juliet Bond, LCSW

What makes you amazing? That’s what Star-Wars-loving adoptee Jazzy Armstrong has to figure out before the big community talent show. Is she musical like her parents and sisters? Can she make dazzling flower arrangements like her birth mother, score goals on the soccer field like her birth brother, or is there something unique about Jazzy that is nothing like her families? Join Jazzy on her quest to discover just what makes her amazing!

Endorsements

“Finally, an early chapter book that validates what many adopted kids experience – issues with identity-building, challenges in fitting in, and the question of special-vs.-different. I suspect many readers will feel a connection with heroine Jazzy, loved and supported by both her birth and adoptive families, but still facing a struggle. The kids will think they’re just reading an engaging story, but the parents will know there’s so much more going on than just good kid-lit.” –  Lori Holden, author of The Open-Hearted Way to Open Adoption: Helping Your Child Grow Up Whole

“Jazzy felt different in a yucky way until she discovered her differences from her adoptive family were in reality gifts in disguise that she could give to others. To top it off, she experiences the joy of having a fellow adoptee friend. Your adopted kids will love this!” – Sherrie Eldridge, Author of Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew

“Jazzy’s Quest is heartfelt, engaging and absolutely lovely. Goldman and Bond not only wrote a story to entertain, but one that is necessary in a world where being ‘different’ is so often looked at as a negative thing. Well done and definitely worth a read!” –  Jenna Busch, Founder of Legion of Leia

“Jazzy, a spunky fourth-grader, yearns to fit in. As an adoptee, she feels like the sour note in her musically talented family. Her efforts to perform with them prove disastrous. Young readers will recognize a piece of their own struggle for acceptance and belonging. They’ll root for Jazzy to power through her fear and doubts to discover her hidden talents. Enthusiasm, strength and confidence reveal exactly where Jazzy belongs.” – Gayle H. Swift, co-founder of GIFT Family Services, author of ABC, Adoption & Me

“Jazzy is the type of character that will leap off the page and right into your children’s lives. If only she could come over for an actual play-date! And, as the white, adoptive father of two African-American kids, I’m so grateful to the authors for bringing to life a character and story as rooted in diverse portrayals of family, people, and ability as Jazzy’s Quest is. This is a great kids book – for families and kids of all kinds. – Seth Matlins, Father of two transracial adoptees 

“The school talent show is just a few weeks away, and Jazzy Armstrong is nervous. What will her talent be? But more to the point, where do interests and talents actually come from — your adoptive family, your birth family, or somewhere deep inside yourself? Jazzy’s quest to understand who she is leads her on a journey of self-discovery; the ultimate conclusion reached is that fitting in can mean being different.

This warm and insightful early chapter book addresses some of the unique identity issues faced by adopted children in a way that will nonetheless resonate with all children, because all children experience the growing pains of defining who they are relative to their parents and siblings. Adopted children will find special affirmation and joy in the story of Jazzy’s talent show performance because she shows readers that being adopted does not solely define her, but that it does enrich her in ways that knit together as she triumphantly takes the stage and shows everyone what it means to dig deep and come out smiling!” – Lori Day, author of Her Next Chapter: How Mother-Daughter Book Clubs Can Help Girls Navigate Malicious Media, Risky Relationships, Girl Gossip, and So Much More