Rock Band: Music and Misfits – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: Fun, relatable teen music adventure.
YA book title: Rock Band: Music and Misfits.
YA author: Leah Osakwe.
Genre: Teen Fiction.
Published by: Little Tiger.
ISBN: 9781788957519.
Recommended for children aged: 11+ year-olds.
First published: Paperback June 2024.
This YA book is ideal for: The younger end of the Young Adult genre for those who enjoy reading about friendship, school life, and pursuing musical dreams..
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Our review:
Galaxy is a confident fourteen-year-old who knows she’s destined for solo stardom, spending her time writing lyrics, practising dance moves, and dreaming of social media fame. When she spots a poster for the school talent show, she’s ready to showcase her talents alone – until detention throws her together with notorious troublemaker Sabrina, who surprisingly shares her passion for music.
Against her better judgement, and despite worries about what her best friend Kia will think, Galaxy agrees to form a rock band with Sabrina for the talent contest. With no drummer or guitarist in sight, they reluctantly recruit Galaxy’s younger sister Zaya and the quiet, nerdy but talented Grace to complete their unlikely line-up.
Just as the foursome starts to gel as a band, jealousy erupts between Kia and Sabrina, threatening Galaxy’s long-time friendship. Add in disastrous social media posts and family pressures when Galaxy’s father loses his job, and Galaxy finds herself torn between her dreams of stardom, her loyalty to her best friend, and her growing bond with her unconventional bandmates.
Our review:
Rock Band: Music and Misfits is an entertaining, music-focused story that younger teens will easily connect with. The story is a smart, funny journey with engaging friendship drama and thoughtful insights into the common issues that matter most to this age group. Galaxy’s growth from a self-centred solo dreamer to someone who learns what real friendship means provides a satisfying dose of personal development, offering hope and encouragement to all young readers that the usual challenges of being a teenager, from family problems to friendship fights, can be handled with honesty and courage.
Many thanks to Little Tiger for the review copy.
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