musician – Mom Read It

Middle Grade, Non-fiction, picture books, Tween Reads

Musicians, poets, activists: When Paul Met Artie

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Simon and Garfunkel are two of the most famous names in music history. The names of their songs are less titles now, more legends: The Sound of Silence; Bridge Over Troubled Water; The Boxer… think of one, and you immediately find yourself closing your eyes and listening to the haunting melodies, the perfect union of the two singers’ voices.

When Paul Met Artie: The Story of Simon & Garfunkel, by G. Neri/Illustrated by David Litchfield,
(March 2018, Candlewick), $17.99, ISBN: 9780763681746
Recommended for readers 8-12

How else could the story of Simon & Garfunkel be told, but in verse? G. Neri, whose books Chess Rumble, Tru & Nelle, and Ghetto Cowboy combine free verse with prose storytelling, shines here, giving readers the rise, fall, and rise of the duo, beginning with their 1981 reunion concert in Central Park, then tracing their lives together from the beginning, as two boys in Queens who discover their love of music and their voices together. Each spread is a different song title, evoking a different period in their lives: “My Little Town” describes the Queens neighborhood where they grew up; “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream” looks at their early success as Tom & Jerry. “Bleecker Street” looks at Paul’s life in Greenwich Village, and Art’s in Berkeley, where they both discover folk singers and activism; “Bookends” sees the two in a car, on New Year’s Day, 1966, listening to their number-one song, “The Sound of Silence”, on the radio. There’s an Afterword, discography, bibliography, and Musical Connections section, a chronological timeline of song influences.

G. Neri manages to fit a lifetime – into 48 pages. We learn that Paul Simon loves baseball and Art Garfunkel was going to be a math teacher; we discover that they were famous and potential has-beens by age 18; that they dreamed of making it big, and when fame failed them, wanted to just make music for the sake of making music. The digital artwork captures the Kew Gardens, Queens, neighborhoods as easily as it captures a small street in Paris, and the crowd at Central Park. This isn’t a picture book for beginning readers; it’s a beautifully illustrated volume of a moment in music history, in verse.

I’m a Queens girl, and you can’t be from Queens (or be a Queens College graduate) without Simon & Garfunkel being part of your DNA. My eldest went to the same high school as the duo; there’s an auditorium named for Art Garfunkel when you walk in the door. Reading When Paul Met Artie took me on a wonderful trip back to a Queens that I remember as a little girl, when I’d sit in the backseat of my uncle’s car as he listened to Simon & Garfunkel on the radio. Music fans and those of us who grew up listening to Simon & Garfunkel’s music will love this beautiful book.

Non-Fiction

Portrait of an American Activist: Listen – How Pete Seeger Got America Singing

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Listen – How Pete Seeger Got America Singing, by Leda Schubert/Illustrated by Raúl Colón, (June 2017, Roaring Brook Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781626722507

Recommended for readers 5-10

Leda Schubert and illustrator Raúl Colón create a lyrical and beautiful tribute to singer, songwriter, and activist Pete Seeger. From the beginning of his career, strumming his banjo or guitar, Seeger led by example; first, by singing and encouraging his audience to chime in; later, through his activism: standing in peace lines to support unions, protest war, marching for civil rights, and caring for the environment. Whether he was talking to grownups or the children that loved his songs, Seeger always encouraged participation – “That’s what gonna save the human race” – and awareness. Schubert weaves Seeger’s song titles with the story text to highlight the relationship between Seeger’s songs and the causes he supported.

Raul Colon’s art is beautiful. His technique provides both beautiful texture a vintage glow to his images, and his spread featuring Seeger’s boat, the Clearwater, sailing down the Hudson River, is breathtaking. Beautiful artwork and stunning images make Listen a great addition to picture book biography collections and a great read when explaining social justice activism to younger readers.

Leda Schubert holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts in the Writing for Children and Young Adults and was a core faculty member until 2012. She is the author of many award-winning titles, including The Princess of Borscht, Ballet of the Elephants, and Monsieur Marceau, winner of the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction. Leda lives in Plainfield, Vermont, with her husband and two dogs. To learn more, and to download a curriculum guide, visit ledaschubert.com.

Raúl Colón has illustrated several highly acclaimed picture books, including Draw!; the New York Times-bestselling Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt; Susanna Reich’s José! Born to Dance; and Jill Biden’s Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops. Mr. Colón lived in Puerto Rico as a young boy and now resides in New City, New York, with his family.

Leda Schubert provides some great links to recordings and videos of Pete Seeger here.

Praise for Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing

★“Schubert and Colón ably demonstrate one of their book’s final assertions: ‘there really was nobody like Pete Seeger.’”—Kirkus Reviews (starred)

“A rousing tribute to a singular musician and activist who ‘walked the talk.’” —Publishers Weekly

“This inspiring picture book biography about one of America’s greatest folk heroes is sure to get a new generation of children singing.” —School Library Journal

“An inspiring and heartfelt tribute to, as Schubert calls him, a ‘true American hero.’” —Horn Book

Giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive a copy of Listen: How Pete Seeger Got America Singing (U.S. addresses; one entry per person.) Enter this Rafflecopter giveaway for your chance!

Realistic Fiction, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Tone Deaf: YA romance with a little extra

Posted on July 24, 2016July 23, 2016 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Tone Deaf, by Olivia Rivers (May 2016, Sky Pony Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781634507073

Recommended for ages 13+

When Ali Collins agrees to go to a concert with her best friend, Avery, she never expects her life to change, but that’s exactly what happens when she wins a backstage tour and meet and greet with Jace, the heartthrob lead singer of the band. Jace, however, is a moody, unpleasant jerk who flips her off when he discovers that she’s deaf. It’s only when Jace’s manager insists that he track Ali down to apologize – he doesn’t need any more bad press – that Jace sees the bruises. Ali lives her with father, a retired police chief, who abuses her, and Ali’s got a plan to run away. When Jace – who has demons of his own – offers Ali the chance to help her escape to New York, she takes him up on it and finds herself traveling cross-country with Tone Deaf, Jace’s band. Spending time together, the two learn that they have more in common than they could have imagined. Can Ali stay hidden while her father uses all of his resources to bring her home? And what happens after she reaches New York, and she and Jace part ways?

Tone Deaf is an interesting take on YA romance. There’s a little something in here for everyone: disability, LGBT characters, animal rescue, and child abuse. It sounds like a lot to throw into one book, but it flows nicely and all the elements come together to create a readable story. Jace is the brooding hero with the deep, tortured past; Ali is the EveryGirl that needs to take her life back. They can’t stand one another, but you know they’re going to fall in love, and it’s all good. Romance readers will enjoy the story, and additional resources provide information and links about the Deaf community.

A good additional add for your YA collections, especially where romance does well.

Fiction, Middle School, Tween Reads

Book Review: How to Rock Braces and Glasses, by Meg Haston (Little, Brown, 2011)

Posted on October 14, 2011October 30, 2011 by Rosemary Kiladitis

Recommended for ages 10-13

Eighth grader Kacey Simon doesn’t think she’s a mean girl, she’s just brutally honest like a good journalist should be. Life is pretty good for Kacey until the tables are turned when a series of accidents leave her stuck with glasses and braces. Within a day, she goes from A-list to D-list as her cool girl friends pretend she doesn’t exist, she’s dropped from her school news segment and the lead in the school play. Her best friend seizes the opportunity to wrest the cool reins and goes on the attack, and a cruel YouTube video makes the rounds in school.

Alone for the first time, Kacey ends up teaming up with a former friend, Paige and emo musician Zander (aka Skinny Jeans) to get her popularity back. Along the way, Kacey learns that she may have been a mean girl after all – or just misunderstood.

The book is shallow, with an unlikeable heroine written to be likeable. Haston’s message of being real gets garbled; it’s as if the author herself is unsure of whether Kacey’s behavior pre-braces is reprehensible or defensible. I did not come away with the true feeling that she learned her lesson at the end of the day; rather, she just learned to find loopholes and how to use people to get her way. It sends out mixed messages.

Tween marketing powerhouse Alloy Entertainment packaged this title and the book has already been optioned to be a new Nickelodeon show, How to Rock, to air in 2012. Author Meg Haston’s website links to her blog and information about the book; she also has a Twitter feed. There is also an iTunes app that lets users take photos of themselves or friends and try on different braces and glasses combinations.