BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSIn the Jones family, no kid gets a haircut until they turn nine, so J.D. is thrilled when his mom finally breaks out the clippers the night before third grade starts. The cut turns out crooked, and J.D. shows up at Douglass Elementary with a hairline that gets him teased all day. Desperate to fix things himself, he sneaks his mom's clippers and gives his own hair a try, and it turns out he has a real talent for cutting hair. Word spreads fast, and soon J.D. is running a busy little barbershop out of his bedroom, charging his friends for fresh cuts and cool designs. His growing business catches the attention of Henry Jr., who runs Hart and Son, the only real barbershop in Meridian, Mississippi, and Henry Jr. is not happy about the competition.
Free Battle of the Books questions for J.D. and the Great Barber Battle
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about J.D. and the Great Barber Battle. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book do kids in one family have to wait until they turn nine for a first haircut?
✓ Answer
J.D. and the Great Barber Battle by J. Dillard
In the Jones family the boys wear cornrows or braids until their ninth birthday. James spent the whole summer studying his friends' hairstyles while he waited for his mom to finally pick up the clippers.
- First half
In what book does a boy cut a Chicago Bulls logo and a Jumpman into a friend's head?
✓ Answer
J.D. and the Great Barber Battle by J. Dillard
Jordan arrives with a hair disaster and leaves with a baldie plus two designs James had already drawn in his notebook hundreds of times. Jordan admits James is even better than his own big brother.
- First half
In what book does a three-year-old sweep up hair and collect the money?
✓ Answer
J.D. and the Great Barber Battle by J. Dillard
Justin becomes his big brother's assistant, sweeping the floor, taking payments, and sometimes serving as a hair model. He was also the very first head James ever cut.
- Second half
In what book does an angry man threaten to call the authorities and shut down a kid's hair business?
✓ Answer
J.D. and the Great Barber Battle by J. Dillard
Henry Jr. shows up on the back porch on a Saturday night and warns J.D. that he has no license for anything. This is the moment a grown man turns a kid's bedroom side hustle into a real fight.
- Second half
In what book does a homemade sign promise free admission plus prizes and surprises?
✓ Answer
J.D. and the Great Barber Battle by J. Dillard
The flyer names both contestants, gives J.D.'s home address on Blue Top Road, and sets the date for a Saturday at noon. He even bikes copies out to the peewee football squad and his coach.
- Near the end
In what book does a mom insist that "we Joneses don't let nerves stop us"?
✓ Answer
J.D. and the Great Barber Battle by J. Dillard
J.D. admits in the car that he is scared, and remembers that his mom went back to school nervous too. She tells him to picture the whole crowd clapping for him, which is the trick she used before her track races.
