What do you think?
Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest #5
Mission Star-Power
Giant Afro. Even Bigger Brain.
Jaden Toussaint is a five-year-old who knows it all. I mean, really knows it all. Animal Scientist. Great Debater. Master of the art of ninja dancing. There's nothing Jaden Toussaint can't do.
This time our hero is on a quest--a star quest. JT wants to get a million likes so he can be a famous animal explorer who teaches kids stuff on tv (and possibly Broadway). Unfortunately, his parents won't even let him post the video. How can get a million likes if he can't even post the video? Never fear. Jaden Toussaint always has a plan, and you can read all about it in Episode 5: Mission Star-Power.
Fans of Junie B. Jones, the Magic Tree House, Dan Gutman, and Franny K. Stein will love the Jaden Toussaint series of illustrated chapter books. They are hilarious and empowering for kids and grown-ups alike. Get your copy today.
#SmartistheNewCool
Book Contains:
Science? Check.
Jokes? Check.
Great hair? Check.
Seriously awesome illustrations? Check.
What Readers Are Saying:
"We read this as a family read before bedtime.The kids enjoyed the characters in the book and learned some creole dialect as well. I enjoyed the positive role model Jaden presented. Being smart is COOL!"
"Absolutely excellent. The author's depiction of a kindergartner is fantastic. My kindergartner really identified with Jaden as he also likes his teacher, has all kinds of friends, and is ALWAYS begging for screen time...As a Black parent, it's refreshing to read a book that's NOT about stereo typically Black interests, racism, or urban life. Buying Episode 2 TODAY!"
"Wonderful story! This little boy just comes to life for you! :) An excellent book to read and share with your children or just yourself! :D"
Jaden Toussaint is a five-year-old who knows it all. I mean, really knows it all. Animal Scientist. Great Debater. Master of the art of ninja dancing. There's nothing Jaden Toussaint can't do.
This time our hero is on a quest--a star quest. JT wants to get a million likes so he can be a famous animal explorer who teaches kids stuff on tv (and possibly Broadway). Unfortunately, his parents won't even let him post the video. How can get a million likes if he can't even post the video? Never fear. Jaden Toussaint always has a plan, and you can read all about it in Episode 5: Mission Star-Power.
Fans of Junie B. Jones, the Magic Tree House, Dan Gutman, and Franny K. Stein will love the Jaden Toussaint series of illustrated chapter books. They are hilarious and empowering for kids and grown-ups alike. Get your copy today.
#SmartistheNewCool
Book Contains:
Science? Check.
Jokes? Check.
Great hair? Check.
Seriously awesome illustrations? Check.
What Readers Are Saying:
"We read this as a family read before bedtime.The kids enjoyed the characters in the book and learned some creole dialect as well. I enjoyed the positive role model Jaden presented. Being smart is COOL!"
"Absolutely excellent. The author's depiction of a kindergartner is fantastic. My kindergartner really identified with Jaden as he also likes his teacher, has all kinds of friends, and is ALWAYS begging for screen time...As a Black parent, it's refreshing to read a book that's NOT about stereo typically Black interests, racism, or urban life. Buying Episode 2 TODAY!"
"Wonderful story! This little boy just comes to life for you! :) An excellent book to read and share with your children or just yourself! :D"
98 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2017
About the author
Marti Dumas
28 books198 followersWriter:
Marti Dumas is a native New Orleanian with a passion for storytelling. When she is not teaching or parenting, she is reading or writing. She prefers to do some combination of the above within view of ancient oak trees or the banks of the river. Or both.
Narrator:
For over a decade Marti has narrated and produced audio books for use in educational settings, using her melodic voice to captivate audiences of children and adolescents. More recently, her honeyed tones have been featured in radio plays and television spots, and her first commercially available audio books were released in December of 2012.
Marti is a bel canto trained mezzo soprano and a versatile vocal performer, with a wide dramatic range and more than 20 years of experience in the performing arts. She speaks English and French, and works in a variety of accents and dialects.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 12, 2018
Jaiden Toussaint is quite the mess--I really enjoyed him in this one. I actually laughed out loud! Come join in on his acting adventures and see how stage fright creeps in and tries to take over. ENJOY! :D
January 26, 2019
In Mission Star Power Jaden Toussaint’s quest to become a viral “TubeTube” star morphs into his first foray into acting in his class play after his parents decline to post his video creations online because of privacy concerns.
Jaden and his friends are positive models for readers by displaying autonomy and creativity as they plan and star in a play featuring gods and goddesses of Norse and Greek mythology. The spirited group also explore the topic of stage fright by forcing their well-meaning “cures” for the ailment on their quiet friend who isn’t quite as excited about acting on stage. When it comes time to perform, Jaden quickly realizes that he might be suffering from stage fright! Luckily, he is well-equipped to cope thanks to his friends. I appreciate the issues this entertaining read touches upon: internet privacy and safety, the social rewards of “internet cool points” versus recognition from family and friends, performance anxiety, and having friends with different personalities and strengths.
Savvy readers (or deep reading with a parent, teacher, or literature circle) will notice subtle references to the Tony-award winning play Hamilton. As an adult reader, I was very entertained by these inside jokes, and I would love to share them with a young reader. I recommend this book for beginning chapter book readers, reluctant readers, and any elementary school student who is loves watching or creating YouTube videos. So, basically all of them, right?
Jaden and his friends are positive models for readers by displaying autonomy and creativity as they plan and star in a play featuring gods and goddesses of Norse and Greek mythology. The spirited group also explore the topic of stage fright by forcing their well-meaning “cures” for the ailment on their quiet friend who isn’t quite as excited about acting on stage. When it comes time to perform, Jaden quickly realizes that he might be suffering from stage fright! Luckily, he is well-equipped to cope thanks to his friends. I appreciate the issues this entertaining read touches upon: internet privacy and safety, the social rewards of “internet cool points” versus recognition from family and friends, performance anxiety, and having friends with different personalities and strengths.
Savvy readers (or deep reading with a parent, teacher, or literature circle) will notice subtle references to the Tony-award winning play Hamilton. As an adult reader, I was very entertained by these inside jokes, and I would love to share them with a young reader. I recommend this book for beginning chapter book readers, reluctant readers, and any elementary school student who is loves watching or creating YouTube videos. So, basically all of them, right?
January 23, 2019
Jaden Toussaint or JT loved watching the Animal Guys on TubeTube. He wanted to make a video of his own and become famous, so he thought. He asked his parents and they said no. It was pretty definite. Instead, his class needed something to do in the art celebration and he and his friends had an idea to act in their very own play. JT thought it would be a good idea to record it for all to see. But there is one small problem. One of JT’s classmates seems sad and doesn’t want to participate. It seems he has a bad case of stage fright. JT and his friends do some research for a cure and try everything they’ve learned. Eventually their efforts work. But again, there is another small problem. On the day of rehearsal, the principal sat on the front row and JT felt stage fright settling in. Will JT recover from stage fright with the help of his friends and be famous or not?
Young readers who love a good laugh will enjoy this fun story. It’s creative and a fast-paced read. Illustrations done in black, white and gray depict the characters and the hilarious scenes. Teachers can have fun sharing this as a read-a-loud.
Young readers who love a good laugh will enjoy this fun story. It’s creative and a fast-paced read. Illustrations done in black, white and gray depict the characters and the hilarious scenes. Teachers can have fun sharing this as a read-a-loud.
January 11, 2021
3.5*
Stage fright is scary and huge but often it doesn’t creep up on you till on stage or just before it was a very cool idea, and I loved the video tie in. It was fun but I wish he had done his research as it was Thor but then again let him sew chaos between the Norse and the Greeks. A fun tale of friendship and understanding the difference between fame and true friends is worth it.
Stage fright is scary and huge but often it doesn’t creep up on you till on stage or just before it was a very cool idea, and I loved the video tie in. It was fun but I wish he had done his research as it was Thor but then again let him sew chaos between the Norse and the Greeks. A fun tale of friendship and understanding the difference between fame and true friends is worth it.
January 5, 2018
Great next episode
My kids and I have read every book in the series. We are big fans. My 8 year old especially likes the pauses for internal dialogue. And my 6 year old loves the 3 minute dance parties!
My kids and I have read every book in the series. We are big fans. My 8 year old especially likes the pauses for internal dialogue. And my 6 year old loves the 3 minute dance parties!
August 27, 2017
A GoodReads GiveAway
Childrens' book. Number 5 in a series. Illustrated in black and white. Mildly amusing.
Childrens' book. Number 5 in a series. Illustrated in black and white. Mildly amusing.
January 29, 2019
Great story!
July 7, 2017
7 yr old review: the book was funny, especially all the funny faces in the drawings. I loved the cat who plays chess and all the emojis in the audience. I would like to see tap dancing penguins and learn what a space-time continuum is (my mom and dad looked a bit puzzled when I asked them to explain).
Parent review: JT wants to make a video at school, but learns about stage fright in a way he did not plan. Marti Dumas has a gift for seeing the world from a child's perspective - a very creative child with strong negotiation skills. As always, I loved the attention of detail to feelings, the thought processes, celebrating peoples strengths, and problem solving skills. My 7 yr old could read most of the words and we had some good discussions about the ones he didn't know (well, we are working on the space-time continuum explanation... time for some parent-child internet research!). We also had an awesome dance party. I loved the the video theme that ran thru the book illustrations. Very creative!
Also, this book kept my 7 yr old's attention without using poop jokes. Thank you for that, Marti!
Parent review: JT wants to make a video at school, but learns about stage fright in a way he did not plan. Marti Dumas has a gift for seeing the world from a child's perspective - a very creative child with strong negotiation skills. As always, I loved the attention of detail to feelings, the thought processes, celebrating peoples strengths, and problem solving skills. My 7 yr old could read most of the words and we had some good discussions about the ones he didn't know (well, we are working on the space-time continuum explanation... time for some parent-child internet research!). We also had an awesome dance party. I loved the the video theme that ran thru the book illustrations. Very creative!
Also, this book kept my 7 yr old's attention without using poop jokes. Thank you for that, Marti!
June 30, 2017
Very entertaining read!
Jaden is a curious, rambunctious 5-year-old who believes he knows everything. This supposed knowledge sometimes gets him into some sticky situations, but his family and friends are always there to gently steer him back on the right path.
He's an endearing little guy that you'll fall in love with after only the first few pages, and will want to read on until the end, just to see what adventures he gets into.
The writing is easily comprehensible for younger children, yet has enough 'meat' for older readers, say up to First or maybe Second Grade. The author keeps the story and situation simple, but doesn't 'talk down' to the reader at all. At only 94 pages, it can be read (by an adult) in less than an hour, or used as one longish, or a two-night bedtime story for the wee ones.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the other four episodes in the series :)
Jaden is a curious, rambunctious 5-year-old who believes he knows everything. This supposed knowledge sometimes gets him into some sticky situations, but his family and friends are always there to gently steer him back on the right path.
He's an endearing little guy that you'll fall in love with after only the first few pages, and will want to read on until the end, just to see what adventures he gets into.
The writing is easily comprehensible for younger children, yet has enough 'meat' for older readers, say up to First or maybe Second Grade. The author keeps the story and situation simple, but doesn't 'talk down' to the reader at all. At only 94 pages, it can be read (by an adult) in less than an hour, or used as one longish, or a two-night bedtime story for the wee ones.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the other four episodes in the series :)
July 25, 2017
Jaden Toussiant, The Greatest Episode 5 is our favorite so far. My grandkids and I read this story together and loved it. Now they want to put on a play!!! The story follows the adventures of a kindergarten aged child, Jaden Toussaint, who is very intelligent, bright and inquisitive. Jaden knows the sky is the limit as to what he can do and he wants to do it all.
As usual the author provides really good teaching moments in the story. In this story she addresses "stage-fright . This story provided me with the opportunity to speak to my grandkids about empathy and the dangers of uploading videos to "get 1 billion likes".
Very well written. Can't wait until Jaden Toussaint's next adventure.
As usual the author provides really good teaching moments in the story. In this story she addresses "stage-fright . This story provided me with the opportunity to speak to my grandkids about empathy and the dangers of uploading videos to "get 1 billion likes".
Very well written. Can't wait until Jaden Toussaint's next adventure.
July 25, 2017
We love Jaden Toussaint! Each book gets better than the last one, we are excited to watch Jaden grow. I love the way his mind works; he and his group of friends remind me of my kids and their friends. Marti is truly an imaginative writer, who creates a rich inner life for these characters and the illustrations serve the storytelling with such fun! It is wonderful to see brown kids truly REPRESENTED rather than just visible. BRAVA! Jaden is truly the GREATEST!
July 19, 2017
I love these books for kids. They are smart and fun to read. They are written in an appropriate voice for children (they don't talk down to the readers) while still providing information readers may need to understand the scientific content that is included. The illustrations are funny and "hide" additional educational information.
July 26, 2017
My 6 year okd absolutely loves this series of books. We were originally drawn to this series becauase Jaden was the same age and looked like my son. He loves the illustrations (espically the 3 minute dances). He is learning so many new words and is looking forward to rereafing on his own. He already brags to his friends about his JT collection telling them how good a read it is.
Read
December 14, 2023My library's copies were all missing words/letters on pages 16 and 71, but I was able to figure out most of them (and confirmed my guesses by "search[ing] for a word or phrase" in Amazon's "read sample" feature).
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews