What Jamie Saw

by Carolyn Coman

Boyds Mills Press publishes a wide range of high-quality fiction and nonfiction picture books, chapter books, novels, and nonfiction

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Abuse, Childrens, Juvenile

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Carolyn Coman (born 1951 in Evanston near Chicago) is a writer of children's books living in South Hampton, New Hampshire. Her books What Jamie Saw (1995) and Many Stones (2000) were nominated for several awards.

She worked as a bookbinder from 1975-84 and later as an editor with Heinemann before she became a full-time writer. Her books include the portrait documentary of the debut, and a picture book before 4 novels for young adults from 1993 to 2000. Her two latest books (2004 and 2007), for middle grade readers, combine humor, investigation and a sense of nostalgia.

Her four young adult novels are described as “she explores the darker sides of growing up: dealing with parent's abandonment through death in Tell Me Everything, abuse by a stepparent in What Jamie Saw, sibling incest in Bee and Jacky and a political-inspired tragedy in Many Stones.” Many Stones was inspired by the murder of Amy Biehl.

Her book What Jamie Saw (1995) was short-listed for the Newbery Medal and National Book Award, it was also nominated for Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award. Many Stones (2000) was a National Book Award finalist, won the Michael L. Printz Award and were listed among School Library Journal's Best Books of The Year.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of promising ideas here, and a flowing style that readers of all ages will find accessible and interesting. The strength of What Jamie Saw is the ease with which young readers who have faced similar situations to Jamie's will identify with (and hopefully find comfort from) his story.

[Karla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly don't remember hearing about this book, which won a Newbery Honor Award in 1996. I don't like the cover art, so probably would have passed it up. I don't really know why I started reading it, but after the first sentence - When Jamie saw him throw the baby, saw Van throw the little baby, saw Van throw his baby sister Nin, then they moved. -I was hooked. This story tells of domestic violence and its aftermath from the point of view of 3rd grader, Jamie. Even though the ugly subject matter is realistically portrayed, the book has a lyric quality that makes moments vivid. Coman accurately captures that sense of unreality experienced by kids going through a frightening, life-changing experience [p. 23 Once again a Christmasy feeling came over him - of being up late, of getting to fall asleep in a different place, near the grownups, a sense of things, however temporary, being truly different.]. It would be easy to write a story where the mother is neglectful or abusive, but the relationship between Jamie and his mother is beautiful. The author is never heavy-handed or preachy, and there is no easy, pat ending, but she handled the story so delicately, it will stay with me for a long, long time.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not love it. Another less-than-stellar Newbery book. (Newbery Honor 1996) The only reason it gets two stars is because it's short.

Jamie and his mother have to leave Van when he hurdles baby Nin across the room when she won't stop crying. The three quickly pack up and hide themselves in a trailer in the wood. I guess this book is about Jamie dealing with that? I honestly don't really get what point the author was going for.

So again, glad it was short!

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This 1996 Newbery Honor book was also a finalist for the National Book Award. It packs a punch in a mere 126 pages and it addresses a social issue that is compelling and necessary to discuss, ie the impact that adult decisions have upon their small children. Jamie's mother chose to subject her children in an unsafe situation. In the end, Jamie's mother also chose a path toward better decisions.

Short of fuse and long of violence, the boyfriend of Jamie's mother symbolizes the terror that children feel when life spins out of control.

Jamie saw Van violently lift and attempt to throw his infant sister Nin against a wall. Nin was crying and it inconvenienced Van. Luckily Jamie's mother caught the baby before she hit the wall.

As they find rescue in the home of another of his mother's friends, and then move on to a trailer deep in the woods, Jamie's fears and terrors surface. In hibernation, Jamie's family are sitting ducks for Van to return and harm again.

When a teacher reaches out and helps pave the way for safe decisions, it then enables Jamie and his mother to stand up to Van.

While this is a heavy book, laden with difficult subjects of abuse, fear, helplessness, it is also a book of hope when Jamie and his mother accept loving resources available.

Highly recommended.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this book. I had it on my to read list for a very long time and was excited to find out my new local library had it on the shelves. But it was not good. I get that it was written from the point of view of a 3rd grader and thus the tension was seen through his eyes and therefore had more importance than it might have seemed more important to him than to me. And (no spoilers here) I get that it's horrible to throw a baby. But it just fell flat, as not that horrible and not that scary. And the end wasn't, well, interesting. Judge for yourself, as it got awards so obviously I am out of the norm here, but for me, I wouldn't bother. Luckily, it only took about 45 minutes to read, so not a lot of time lost here.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very short book (90 minute listen) that was a Newbery Honor book back in the 1990s. It starts with Jamie seeing an incident of abuse and his mother grabbing the children and leaving. The author tries to get you inside Jamie's head so that you can see some of what he is dealing with. This is definitely a heavy subject and the author has an afterword where she discusses how she wrote the book. I'd recommend this as another book that a parent should read if their kid picks it up.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

The cover should not be an image of a boy. His appearance should be left to the imagination of the reader.

I never read anything like this when I was a child. Would I have liked it ... and would I have read it more than once (which I did with many of my books)?

This book is short, which turned out to be appropriate. It made a point and moved on.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this seems to fall more in the Very Important Topic category of Newbery honor books, this book does cover domestic violence and a child's danger and fear in a middle grade appropriate way. I hope it has found it's way too the children who need it. As an adult reader, I appreciated the insight into how a child would experience the violence and subsequent instability. It was all very realistic.

[Margie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a children’s story dealing with physical abuse. It tells how the mother and son deal with it and how they feel and how the son protects his baby sister.

[Juliet Schenk · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Jamie Saw is about a third-grade boy, Jamie, his mother, Patty, and his baby sister, Nin. The book begins immediately with Patty’s boyfriend, Van, getting annoyed by Nin’s crying and throwing her across the room. Luckily, Patty was there to catch the baby but Jamie saw the whole ordeal. Jamie’s mom packs up a bag and takes Jamie and Nin to her friend Earl’s house to get away from Van. After spending a few days with Earl, Earl takes Jamie’s family to go look at a trailer that Earl owned nearby. It was a small trailer but big enough for the family of 3. Earl warns Patty about how cold it will be in the trailer but they decide to stay in the trailer anyway. There’s not much action for the remainder of the book but the reader is able to see how both Jamie and his mother were affected by the traumatic event. Jamie’s mom lets him stay home from school for a week and then Jamie’s teacher comes to visit them at the trailer to check in on Jamie and get him to come back to school. There is really no climax in the story as the story is really just about how Jamie’s mom picks up the pieces to try to make a better life for her family. It is told from Jamie’s perspective so it helps the reader understand what a child might be thinking/feeling in a situation such as Jamie’s.
Even though Jamie is in third grade I don’t know that this book would be appropriate for a third grader. I would probably have this in my classroom library for 4th or 5th grade students to read. It could be a valuable book to lend to a student who is facing any type of abusive situation at home as it would show them that they are not the only person in the world dealing with an abusive situation. I don’t think I would use this book as a read aloud but I would keep it in my library because I don’t think it should be kept away from elementary-aged students just because it contains abuse in it. It’s a topic that students should be somewhat informed about and this book does a nice job of informing students in a non-frightening way while also showing students how to continue on in life after going through such a situation.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pretty impressed with this book overall- it is a very accessible look at the fall out of domestic violence. It leaves wounds that aren't visible, that last long after the immediate danger. I thought this book was very well handled in a manner to help children learn beyond their own personal circumstances or feel themselves reflected in a character without the intensity of description of the traumatic events themselves.

[Sadie Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read this book because the title sounded interesting. I also chose to read it for my English 356 class. This book pulled on my heart strings a little because people go through situations like Jamir did all the time. It was very vague in the sense of what he probably actually went through with Van, but it still hurt my heart. I would recommend this book to anyone going through something similar to Jamie. I think that the book might help them realize that they are not the only one going through something like living in a camper with just you, your sister and mom.

I think that this book would be great in either a middle school or high school classroom. I think that children who have never had to do anything like Jamie need to understand that they have it pretty good and need to be kind to others. I think it would help students be more considerate to other students situations. This book is a quick read and easy to understand so for that reason I think it would be better for middle schoolers.

Drugs:none but Patty smokes cigarettes
Sex: none
Rock & roll: mild intensity when Van comes to the trailer when only Jamie and his sister are there
language: a couple swear words
violence: one act of violence at the very beginning of the book

[Shella · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author did an excellent job getting the reader to feel the anxiety, fear, hurt, and confusion of the protagonist. Jamie is a young elementary aged boy trying to navigate a world where the adults in his life are horrible- including his mother. The book opens with a scene of his stepfather out-of-control angry throwing his baby sister across his bedroom. His mother catches her just in time and they leave. His mother’s poor choices have landed her innocent children in a ridiculous situation. They go to stay in a tiny camper in the middle of nowhere in the winter with little heat. The mother constantly smokes around the children. This is a realistic fiction genre written in the mid 1990’s so mothers knew not to smoke around their children. Some may claim the mom she strong in the end. I felt that scene was very anticlimactic. I would have rather had the children end up in a safe, clean, stable environment without the mom for awhile. Even with my strong disdain for the mother in the story I still give this book 4 stars. This is told in 3rd person POV and I felt as the reader that I walked into Jamie’s world. This part of the book was quite distinguished and I’m guessing was part of the reason it won a Newbery Honor.

[Catherine Petrini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling, honest story about surviving domestic abuse, told through the eyes of 9-year-old Jamie. In the startling and disturbing opening scene, Jamie watches while his mom's boyfriend picks up Jamie's baby sister and throws her across the room. Little Nin could have been killed, but her mom catches her in time. Then Jamie's mom gathers both children and as much of their clothing and other belongings as she can carry, loads them into the car, and drives away, leaving the abusive jerk for good.

This brief volume doesn't dwell on the abuse, but describes how the little family sets out to create a new life from scratch. The author's portrait of this family is unflinching, and never sentimental. While Jamie certainly has the reader's sympathy, he is not a saintly victim. He acts out at school, lashes out at his mom occasionally, and is annoyed by his sister. But he also has moments of great generosity and insight. In other words, he comes across as a realistic, complex child. His mother isn't perfect either, but she loves her children deeply and never stops trying to keep them safe.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

What Jamie Saw is a heartbreaking tale about a third grader named Jamie and his life after his mother decides to leave his abusive step-father.

I found this book to be very intriguing and it showed me the side of an issue that I'm unfamiliar with. This book but a magnifying lens on what it's like for kids who witness abuse and gives the reader an idea of what happens later (but not all children experience the same thing). The book also discussed something that many teachers deal with and that is absentee students. There's a conversation between Jamie and his mother that shows an example of the type of students that teachers worry about in school. "Isn't today a school day?" he said. He pulled away from his mother toward his side of the bed. "For some," she said. She reached over to the arm of the couch for her cigarettes and lighter. "For you and me, though, it's a free day." This was such an interesting moment to me because I've experienced the teacher side of this many times and never taught about it from the side of the parent. I finished this book fairly fast and I attribute that to the fact that I found it so interesting, even though this is technically out of my age range.

I would totally recommend this book to teachers as a way of getting their students to understand that there are differences between us and also to teachers that are in a community that deals with a high rate absences.

[V. Arrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where the first paragraph of What Jamie Saw explodes on the page in an abundance of words—“When Jamie saw him throw the baby, saw Van throw the baby, saw Van throw the little baby, saw Van throw his little sister Nin, when Jamie saw Van throw his baby sister Nin, then they moved…”—the power of Coman’s language in the novel comes from balancing words with silence. What Jamie actually sees, the throwing of Nin, exists in a riot of language, but his feelings afterwards, when they are living in constant fear of Van, are expressed through the lack of their expression.

Instead of naming Jamie’s emotions or the experience of trauma, Coman focuses on his actions and his interest in magic. Because of this craft choice to illustrate the sort of emptiness that comes with dealing with trauma, What Jamie Saw exemplifies the intimacy that third-person can lend a story that could theoretically be told in first-person, but would lose the essence of its experience. In first person, Jamie could never articulate clearly the events and emotions that Coman can pinpoint using third-person.

[Carol Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamie was there to witness Van throw his crying baby sister, Nin, across the room, and Mom come into the room in time to catch her. What followed immediately was Mom packing up her two kids in her old car and getting out of there. From that point on, the three of them lived on the verge of homelessness. With the help of an old friend, they found shelter in a tiny camper trailer on the remote edge of an old lumber camp. Told from Jamie's perspective, in spare, direct, bare bones language that is powerful. This was a Newbery Honor Book and a National Book Award Finalist. It took only an hour or so to read. How many of my students lived like this at one time or another? Fearful. Waiting for the bottom to drop out of the world any time, without notice; for Mom to disappear, for the car to not start, to be stranded at school. None of these things happened to Jamie, but enough bad stuff did happen that he knew it could.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best sentence in the book is the very first one which captures the major event (the boyfriend throws the baby across the room) from 8-year -old Jamie's point of view, both in terms of the sight and his confusion, dismay, inability to process and understand, and fear.

The characters are few: Van (who threw the baby); Jamie's mom, Patty (who caught the baby); the baby, Nin; Patty's best friend Earl who lends them a trailer to live in; Van's mom, Agnes, who never appears in person but sometimes babysits Nin; and Mrs. Desrochers, Jamie's understanding and helpful teacher.

The story is about the struggle to come to terms with the violence they witnessed, and the struggle to build a new and better, safer life. At the end you feel it is a possibility that this will come true. In that sense, for youngsters experiencing this same kind of disconnect in their own lives, it is a hopeful, supportive story.

[Ian Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard-hitting, meaningful story about overwhelming emotions, told using sparse, simple middle-grade prose. Seeing your stepfather throw your baby sister across the room is indeed terrifying, and young Jamie possesses neither a full understanding of what he's seen nor the words to express it. His uncertain fear about "what was next" feels gripping and real, as do his harsh reactions when things don't go well in his new life.

As a side note, this book takes place in rural northern New Hampshire, an isolated, economically struggling part of the region that rarely appears in fiction, and that subtly contributes to the isolation and struggles the characters face.

I'd recommend this book to anyone of any age looking to discover the power that raw, simple writing can convey in barely a hundred pages.

[Cassie_Reads_Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What Jamie Saw" is a short chapter book written by Carolyn Coman. This book follows the main character, Jamie, who is a young boy, and his perspective of this particular time of his life. He witnessed his mom's boyfriend try to hurt his baby sister and now he's dealing with the anxiety of that moment and that environment.

I gave this book 4 stars because it was a wonderful read. I could feel Jamie's anxiety throughout the book and the entire story was like it was being told from his thoughts. I took away a star because the ending just didn't do justice to the rest of the book in my opinion.

Overall, wonderful book. Highly recommend.

[Keenan Story · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contemporary Realistic
5th-6th grade reading level
This story is so real and impactful. I love the book that think it would be great for all upper elementary young readers, many of whom may be able to relate with Jamie's story in the book. Jamie lives in fear because he has witnessed bad things happen to those who he loves, cares for, and wants to protect from others who want to hurt them. This tells an interesting story. It will be geared more towards upper grade elementary due to the content, but there is a lot to relate with and learn from regarding the character of Jamie and I loved the book!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

It looks like an easy read but if you have a traumatic childhood, this will be hard and potentially very triggering. I had the same incident occur except my sister was a toddler at the time and my mother did not handle it as amazingly as Patty. The only thing I think she should've done is report him but leaving is a gigantic step. Patty handles things well and should be a model for parents. While yes she has made bad choices, she puts her children first, talks to them on their level and communicates with them to work through their emotions and help them understand what is happening. That is very important. All you parents out there should take note ❤

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the archived copy of this on openlibrary.org. Unfortunately, the last page is missing. Fortunately, my library has an e-audiobook. Even more fortunately, the author reads an afterward about the making of the story and what it means to her.

The book is short, but beautifully written, and fast-paced. The theme is straightforward. I love that the mom isn't a victim, but takes herself and her children away. I don't love that she smokes with them so close and confined to her, but ok. I thought for awhile that there was something 'special' about Jamie, but I decided not.

I do recommend it.

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my effort to read all the Newbery Award books this one from 1996 was short with a heavy storyline for a book written 20 years ago. The book opens with Jamie witnessing his baby sister Nin being thrown across the room by his mother's abusive boyfriend, Van. Thankfully, mom catches Nin and she is safe and they flee to a good friend's apartment to figure out next steps. An isolated trailer in the woods becomes home as they settle into living again. Jamie has anger and impulse control issues but with a kind teacher, a family friend, and some counseling for mom the small family is finding their way in this slim novel that addresses family violence and survival.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Van, Patty’s boyfriend, picks up Nin from her crib and throws her across the room, a “lucky sense of timing” allows Patty to catch the baby before she hits the wall. Jamie sees it happen and it is that night that he and his mother and Nin move out. They move to a trailer belonging to Earl, Patty’s friend, and try to break out of their fear. But even at the Christmas Carnival, Patty thinks she sees Van and they hide. After that, Jamie and Patty stay in the trailer trying to feel safe, but how can they ever feel safe again?

A straight forward book. It’s interesting in the way it’s written. We see a lot of Jamie’s thoughts, but very little of what he actually says - demonstrating very well how his fear has caused him to withdraw from people. It’s very noticeable and makes an impact.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the end of this year I've been focusing on re-reading some of my childhood favorites as an adult. (mostly because my reading challenge goal was a bit ambitious, and YA books are a lot faster to read. Full disclosure.) Some haven't held up, but some really have. This is one of the latter. A beautifully written account of a child living through domestic violence told from his perspective. Still completely impactful and handles such a brutal topic so well.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Beautiful writing and touching (though very short) story that truly puts you inside the main character’s mind. Perfect example of all show and no tell, as it should be. Written almost like a long poem. Deftly handled for a young middle grade audience (other than the one swear word, which absolutely fit the situation but probably would have been cut or changed if the book was written today).

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The siren in Jamie's head is slowly jarring him awake. He opens his eyes just in time to see his baby sister thrown across the room. His mother miraculously catches Nin, and then begins to direct him to come by her side. That night they leave. His mother, his sister, and he leave Van and go find a new place, a safe place, a place of their own.
This story reads fast, told from Jamie's point of view. It is a story of love, faltering and growing trust, fear, and reaching out. Well-written.

[Amber Scaife · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy, his mom, and his baby sister flee from the abusive Van, after Jamie (the boy) sees Van throw his baby sister across the room. They move into a tiny trailer out in the middle of nowhere and both Jamie and his mother struggle to sort out their emotions and fears, while Jamie's mother also struggles to make ends meet.
A powerful subject and a fair-to-middling treatment. Still, possibly a good introduction to breaching the subject with young minds.

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes we forget that the lives of others don't go as smoothly as our own. Many lives are not without hardship and sometimes all it takes is a middle grade book to remind us to be kind to others because we often know not what they are going through at any given time. People say kids are resilient--I've heard it a hundred times (and have even said it a few times myself), but are they really or are they shaped by the environment around them?