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Saving Jimmy: A Not-so-true Story of a Young Girl's Journey to the Afterlife
If given the option of heaven or earth, which would you choose?From award-winning author Linda Williams Jackson (The Lucky Ones and Midnight Without a Moon) comes a whimsical tale of a young girl's journey to the afterlife. With a touch of fantasy, a dash of Shakespeare, and a hint of Ebenezer Scrooge, Saving Jimmy is sure to be a hit with fans of Heaven is for Real and The Five People You Meet in Heaven.Life isn’t easy for 12-year-old Jimmy Lee Easton. Besides people constantly mistaking her for a boy, her mama hovers over her like the Secret Service. Her great-aunt constantly hounds her to “get it right with Jesus before it’s everlastingly and eternally too late.” And she’s not so sure whether her best friend really likes her or if she simply lets her tag along out of pity. But when Jimmy Lee suddenly finds herself facing eternity with a life-or-death choice to make, she questions whether her life on earth was so bad after all.
- GenresMiddle Grade
209 pages, Paperback
Published January 28, 2024
30 people want to read
About the author
Linda Williams Jackson
5 books135 followersBorn and raised in the Mississippi Delta in the teeny-tiny town of Rosedale , Linda Williams Jackson likes to spin stories about everyday people in small-town settings. Though she has lived in a few other states (Alabama, Missouri, and Kansas), Linda currently makes her home in a not-so-small city in Mississippi with her husband and three children.
While a degree in Math and Computer Science from the University of Alabama allowed her to enjoy careers in Information Technology, Linda now prefers manipulating words rather than numbers and symbols.
While a degree in Math and Computer Science from the University of Alabama allowed her to enjoy careers in Information Technology, Linda now prefers manipulating words rather than numbers and symbols.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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February 4, 2024If given the option of heaven or earth, which would you choose?
With a touch of fantasy, a dash of Shakespeare, and a hint of Ebenezer Scrooge, this whimsical tale of a young girl's journey to the afterlife is sure to be a hit with fans of Heaven is for Real and The Five People You Meet in Heaven.
Life isn’t easy for 12-year-old Jimmy Lee Easton. Besides people constantly mistaking her for a boy, her mama hovers over her like the Secret Service. Her great-aunt constantly hounds her to “get it right with Jesus before it’s everlastingly and eternally too late.” And she’s not so sure whether her best friend really likes her or if she simply lets her tag along out of pity. But when Jimmy Lee suddenly finds herself facing eternity with a life-or-death choice to make, she questions whether her life on earth was so bad after all.
This book is a HUGE departure from my other works, which are historical fiction, but I hope you'll enjoy it just the same, if not more!
xo,
Linda Williams Jackson
With a touch of fantasy, a dash of Shakespeare, and a hint of Ebenezer Scrooge, this whimsical tale of a young girl's journey to the afterlife is sure to be a hit with fans of Heaven is for Real and The Five People You Meet in Heaven.
Life isn’t easy for 12-year-old Jimmy Lee Easton. Besides people constantly mistaking her for a boy, her mama hovers over her like the Secret Service. Her great-aunt constantly hounds her to “get it right with Jesus before it’s everlastingly and eternally too late.” And she’s not so sure whether her best friend really likes her or if she simply lets her tag along out of pity. But when Jimmy Lee suddenly finds herself facing eternity with a life-or-death choice to make, she questions whether her life on earth was so bad after all.
This book is a HUGE departure from my other works, which are historical fiction, but I hope you'll enjoy it just the same, if not more!
xo,
Linda Williams Jackson
February 5, 2024
Linda Williams Jackson's books are all so full of heart and realism (whether historical or contemporary). This book made me nod, laugh, think, and cry. Her characters and dialogue draw the reader into the narrative so that you can't help but be invested in the journey. More of this review to come!
November 3, 2024
In a deep sleep after an accident, Jimmy gets to visit family members and think about why certain things were happening in her life. Why couldn't she wear makeup to school? What did she really have to follow so many rules? Read and find out with this thought provoking story with a great illustration for the front cover by Chloe.Saving Jimmy: A Not-so-true Story of a Young Girl's Journey to the Afterlife This is a terrific book by an award winning author, Linda Williams Jackson Her other books include Midnight Without a Moon, A Sky Full of Stars and The Lucky Ones.
March 23, 2024
Jimmy Lee is doing the best she can with what she's got, which isn't a lot admittedly. Her family's broke. Her mama means well, but she can't hold a job. Her best friend isnt behaving like it anymore. She's got a boys name and to top it all off, she's destined to spend the afterlife in the hot place, per her great aunt.
But as it turns out, Jimmy Lee's great aunt is wrong. An ill-fated school trip sends Jimmy to another place. A good place. A place she may not be able to stay, but what she learns while she is there changes everything Jimmy thought she knew about about her life the way it was.
Linda Williams Jackson does it again! A touching story with a sympathetic main character, you find yourself rooting for Jimmy as she faces her toughest decision ever. In the vein of A Christmas Carol we tag along with Jimmy as she weighs her options: To stay in heaven, where she feels and looks beautiful. Where shes made a friend, found new family and where's she's promised a mansion. Or return back to earth with her grieving mom, sometimey friendship, and her fire and brimstone preaching great aunt.
Which does she choose? You'll have to read it to find out! And you're going to want to read it. Honest and humorous(yes even for a book about death), young readers and their grown-ups will love it alike.
But as it turns out, Jimmy Lee's great aunt is wrong. An ill-fated school trip sends Jimmy to another place. A good place. A place she may not be able to stay, but what she learns while she is there changes everything Jimmy thought she knew about about her life the way it was.
Linda Williams Jackson does it again! A touching story with a sympathetic main character, you find yourself rooting for Jimmy as she faces her toughest decision ever. In the vein of A Christmas Carol we tag along with Jimmy as she weighs her options: To stay in heaven, where she feels and looks beautiful. Where shes made a friend, found new family and where's she's promised a mansion. Or return back to earth with her grieving mom, sometimey friendship, and her fire and brimstone preaching great aunt.
Which does she choose? You'll have to read it to find out! And you're going to want to read it. Honest and humorous(yes even for a book about death), young readers and their grown-ups will love it alike.
March 8, 2024
This thought-provoking afterlife adventure story reveals that all is not what it seems for 12-year-old Jimmy Lee. She's in for a surprise and must make the choice between life and death.
Not only does Paradise look unlike anything Jimmy Lee had ever imagined, the stinky kid from school enters at the same time she does. He's the boy Jimmy Lee thinks of as Poop Boy. But she comes to realize he's her one true friend.
In Paradise, Jimmy Lee is given a gift. She meets her ancestors who show her the realities of her life through Scrooge-like experiences of her past and present. The future is up to her. Will she choose to stay in Paradise where everything is lovely? Or will she choose to return to the hardships on earth and really live?
I recommend SAVING JIMMY for anyone curious about the possibilities of the supernatural and the afterlife. This heartfelt novel shows how one girl uses the painful secrets from her past to face her future with hope.
Not only does Paradise look unlike anything Jimmy Lee had ever imagined, the stinky kid from school enters at the same time she does. He's the boy Jimmy Lee thinks of as Poop Boy. But she comes to realize he's her one true friend.
In Paradise, Jimmy Lee is given a gift. She meets her ancestors who show her the realities of her life through Scrooge-like experiences of her past and present. The future is up to her. Will she choose to stay in Paradise where everything is lovely? Or will she choose to return to the hardships on earth and really live?
I recommend SAVING JIMMY for anyone curious about the possibilities of the supernatural and the afterlife. This heartfelt novel shows how one girl uses the painful secrets from her past to face her future with hope.
February 8, 2024
As a fan of Linda Williams Jackson's previous middle-grade novels (THE LUCKY ONES, MIDNIGHT WITHOUT A MOON, A SKY FULL OF STARS), her latest book, SAVING JIMMY, met--and exceeded my expectations and won my heart from page one. With a flawed but endearing protagonist and a cast of memorable characters--both living and dead (which is not easy to pull off!), Williams delivers a middle-grade treat with humor and heart. Highly and enthusiastically recommended!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews