Beautiful painted pictures and wonderful story. When Sonny's mom loses her job, the family is afraid they will be put out in the streets because they can't pay the rent. However, Sonny has a great idea to raise money to pay their rent- a Jazz party. ( )

When Sonny's mom gets laid off from her job, the two are afraid they won't be able to pay rent. Sonny goes to look for a second job in the French Quarter when he runs into jazz musician Smilin Jack. Smilin Jack suggests they throw a rent party, a way to have fun and also raise enough money to pay the rent. He said they did this all the time in Mississippi. The party was a success, and got Sonny wanting to play jazz music too.
I loved this book. New Orleans as the setting was perfect, the dialogue between all the characters felt natural, and the art was beautiful. It didn't shy away from acknowledging racist housing polices, and showed the strength of a community who was tired of discrimination. ( )

This book is a wonderful read, A heartwarming story about a son and mothers struggle to pay rent. I loved this book for many reasons. The first being its overall message of community coming together to help others in need. The second reason I enjoyed this book is for the writing. The author embodied how folks from New Orleans in that time period speak. It was a really nice touch that added to the authenticity of the story. For example, the main characters mom says, “well I’ll be, I thought my son had gone full moon crazy!” The characters in this story brings to life a wonderful imagine and at times the writing makes it seem as if you can hear trumpets playing jazz music. The author, William Miller, really brings to life the story. I think that this is a wonderful book to have in all library’s. As a future educator this book can be used to show students about kindness and community and there are many lessons one could create around this book. ( )

I love this book and I recommend it to everyone because this story is heartwarming and amazing dealing with a mother and her son trying to find a way to raise money for their rent. Sonny would work in the morning before school. Sonny's mother loses her job, she doesn't have enough to pay the rent. So Sonny came up with another solution by getting help from a Jazz musician, his name is Jack. Jack throws a rent party, everyone is dancing, clapping, and singing along having fun. Everyone threw money in the bucket to raise money for their rent. At the end of the story, I love how Sonny's mother tries to offer half of the money to Jack, but he said no, it belongs to anyone who needs it for food or rent. I never heard of a rent party jazz before, but it looks so fun and interesting. They made me want to be apart of the rent party jazz at this time. I believe the theme is helping others because Sonny found a solution to help his mother pay the rent. Sonny did that by finding this wonderful musician Jack. I know the children would enjoy this story because Jazz is beautiful down in New Orleans. ( )

Rent Party Jazz
Author: William Miller

I loved this book because it is all about helping one another and how kindness can go a long way. This book is about a boy named Sonny and his mother need rent money or they will be kicked out of their house. His mother loses her job and they don’t know how they will ever get the money. Sonny meets a jazz musician named, Smilin’ Jack who helps them raise money for rent. Smilin’ Jack played a trumpet for a party to raise rent for Sonny and his mother. This language is descriptive and creative. It is a very artistic book because it is about music and the illustrations are incredible. The writing is engaging and has a since of jazz style. The characters are believable because many people are going through the hardships that Sonny and his mother are going through. Unfortunately, many children face the challenge of their parents losing their jobs. This book is written from Sonny’s point of view. The plot involves conflict when Sonny and his mother don't know how they are going to pay their rent. The illustrations create a vibrant feeling to the story. The illustrations look like a work of art with the painting techniques the illustrator used. This book pushes readers to think about how to come together as a community and help out. It motivates the reader to lend out a helping hand to someone in need.