J.D. and the Hair Show Showdown

J. Dillard's J.D. and the Hair Show Showdown is a feel-good story for 6 year olds about a young barber who gets the trip of a lifetime.

What happens

J.D. is eight (almost nine!) and he already cuts hair at the barbershop in his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi. Now a huge hair event in Atlanta has invited him to show off his skills on stage. His whole family throws him a send-off party, and Granddad bakes his famous pound cake.

Then come the firsts. His first plane ride. His first limo. A hotel room almost as big as his house, with brand-new clippers waiting on the bedside table!

His sister Vanessa has set him a challenge too. Get a photo with Li'l Eazy Breezy, the kid rapper everyone's talking about. How hard can that be?

Pretty hard, as it turns out. And the bigger surprise is how small J.D. starts to feel. He's the best barber back home, but here there are hundreds of them, with techniques he's never even heard of. Is he as special as he thought?

This is where the book really shines. J.D. doesn't sulk. He sits in the front row of a grown-up class, watches every move, and plans to practise on his friends when he gets home. He even plucks up the courage to find his own hair model in the crowd.

It's told in J.D.'s voice, and he's lovely company. Polite, a bit nervous, fizzing with excitement and very close to his family. His mum is by his side all weekend (and has a fine old time getting pampered herself).

There's a girl barber to meet as well, Isabel Is Incredible, who isn't very friendly at first. If you've got a reader who's ever felt shy next to someone who seems to have it all worked out, they'll recognise that knot in J.D.'s stomach.

It's warm, gently funny and full of small wins. Perfect for a child with a big passion of their own, whatever it happens to be.

What to read next

It all began with one truly terrible haircut the night before third grade, and you'll find that story in J.D. and the Great Barber Battle.