• Home
  • Style Guides
  • Blog
  • Author Index
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
READING STYLE GUIDE

Let the Music Find You

7/31/2017

0 Comments

 
Two young musicians. Two heartbreaks. Two journeys. 
​Two books to fill your heart and soul with music.

SOLO by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess

Meet Blade Morrison, a young man living under the shadow of his once-famous, now washed-out and trashed rocker father. When Blade's high school graduation becomes his worst nightmare, his most searing heartache, he decides to escape from it all. A search for his roots takes him on a pilgrimage to Ghana where he discovers truths about his family, himself, and the latent music buried deep inside him. ​This novel in verse is brimming with soul-stirring scenes, poignant poetic phrases, and a killer playlist. Alexander and Hess have crafted YA literature that hits all the right notes.
​"We are the sum
of moving parts 
​and adjustable hearts."
Picture
Picture

Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia

Meet Clayton Byrd, a kid with a grandfather whom he adores and blues harp (aka harmonica) that he treasures. When his grandfather Cool Papa Byrd suddenly and unexpectedly dies, his mother is determined to remove every trace of Cool Papa from Clayton's life.  He makes a plan, stuffs a backpack with peanut butter crackers, $17, and his purloined blues harp. Then he takes off searching for the life he lost.  But life has a few surprises in store for this young adventurer and they are not at all pleasant. Clayton's struggle to honor his grandfather's legacy while accepting reality is a poignant tale. His story reaches deep into the heart, capturing the essence of grief and longing, understanding and acceptance, ​
​Williams-Garcia's writing style is filled with the rhythmic cadence and soulful longing of the blues. As the Bluesmen would say, "Amen to that."
"I'm going down
Down, down, down
I'm going down"
Picture
Picture

Bonus: The Music Lives On

Enjoy these time-honored classics. They have captivated generations of listeners and performers. They inspired Williams-Garcia, Hess, and Alexander as they wrote.  Can you hear the echoes of the music in their books?
In her Author Notes, Rita Williams-Garcia mentions several blues artists who inspired her interest in writing this book. Listen to T-Bone Walker's Don't Throw Your Love for blues inspiration.
The great Tina Turner and Bryan Adams team up for It's Only Love. Alexander and Hess have included this 1980's classic in their SOLO playlist.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author/Illustrator Index
    Get the latest updates delivered directly to you inbox:

    powered by TinyLetter

    Category

    All
    Activity Books
    Adventure
    Alphabet Books
    Animals
    Anthology
    Art
    Asian
    Audiobook
    Author-interview
    Author-profile
    Awards
    Bilingual
    Biography
    Black Lives
    Board Books
    Book Awards
    Book-club
    Book Stores
    Book Trailers
    Classroom Connections
    Comics
    Coming Of Age
    Cosplay
    Creativity
    Diversity
    Early Readers
    Fairy Tale
    Family
    Fantasy
    Food
    Friendship
    Girls
    Grahic Novel
    Halloween
    Historical Fiction
    Horror
    Humor
    Immigration
    Informational Books
    Latinx
    LGBTQ
    Library Activities
    Literacy
    Magical Realism
    Maker
    Math
    Memoir
    Middle Grade
    Music
    Mystery
    Mythology
    Native American
    Nonfiction
    Own Voices
    Picture Book
    Poetry
    Prose-and-comic
    Read Aloud
    Reading
    Reading Writing Connection
    Realistic Fiction
    Romance
    Self Acceptance
    Series
    Social Issues
    Sports
    STEM
    Storytelling
    Texas Connection
    The Margin Project
    Wordless
    YA Lit

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

    Barbara Moon

    I like talking about books and  interesting ideas. I like thinking about how books affect my life. Not particularly interested in giving out stars or in rating books. 

    Audio Publishers Association
    2013, - present  Audies judge 
    American Library Association Book Awards and Lists 
    ​2017 YALSA Award Nominating Committee
    2016 Excellence in Nonfiction 
    2014 Margaret Edwards Award
    2012 Odyssey Awards.  
    2009, 2010, 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens.

    Professional Reader
    Picture
    Frequently Auto-Approved

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.