I Heart Band (I Heart Band Series #1)

by Michelle Schusterman, Genevieve Kote (Illustrator)

Overview

Band Geeks unite in this fresh new middle-grade series by debut author (and former band director) Michelle Schusterman!

Holly Mead’s first day of seventh grade isn’t going as planned. Her brother ruins her carefully chosen outfit, she’s almost late, and her new band director has some surprisingly strict rules. Worst of all, it seems like her best friend, Julia, has replaced her with Natasha, the pretty, smart, new French horn player! Holly is determined to get first chair, but Natasha is turning out to be some pretty stiff competition—and not just in band. Band might be a competition, but friendship isn’t—and Holly needs to figure it out before she loses Julia for good.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780698167414
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	01/09/2014
Series:	I Heart Band Series , #1
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
Lexile:	620L (what's this?)
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Michelle Schusterman is a former band director and forever band geek, dating back to when she first picked up a pair of drumsticks in the sixth grade. Now Michelle writes books, screenplays, and music. She lives in New York City with her husband (and band mate) and their chocolate lab (who is more of a vocalist).

Editorial Reviews

10/21/2013
Holly Mead prepares for seventh grade and the start of advanced band the same way she prepares for everything: with schedules, lists, and color-coded charts. Holly’s perfectionist tendencies are no match for the things that go wrong on her first day at Millican Middle School, from her older brother spilling juice on her carefully selected outfit to the arrival of new girl Natasha, who seems to be moving in on Holly’s best friend Julia. It only gets worse when it turns out that, like Holly, Natasha plays French horn. The competition for first chair in band, as well as for Julia’s affections, heats up fast in this upbeat read, first in a series. Young musicians will be right at home with all the band details debut author Schuster-man includes, and she’s just as on target when it comes to strained friendships, budding crushes, and science quizzes, too; Holly’s struggles to tame her inner competitor and learn to share will resonate. Readers should be eager to check out Friends, Fugues, and Fortune Cookies, available simultaneously. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

01/01/2014
Gr 4–7—Self-proclaimed perfectionist Holly Mead is sure she's going to rock seventh grade, or at least the first day. Her outfit coordinates with her cool backpack, and she has color-coded the map of the school and coordinated her schedule with her BFF, Julia. Julia has been mostly MIA for the last part of the summer, and Holly is eager to reconnect. She's also anxious about the new band director and whether she'll be first chair in the French horn section. Then her brother spills juice all over her and she's forced to carry his old Batman backpack. The band director seems nice but has some strict rules and plans chair tests. Nothing is as Holly intended. Her voice is hysterically and charmingly self-centered, the middle school setting and dialogue are authentic, and the friend/frenemy dynamic and resolution play out realistically. Fellow band geeks will be thrilled to see themselves in Holly and nonmusicians will appreciate the world of music. A sweet debut.—Brenda Kahn, Tenakill Middle School, Closter, NJ

School Library Journal

2013-11-02
Slightly driven seventh-grader Holly is a serious band geek, through and through. Like most of her kind, she finds her friends in the band, her best--and worst--experiences come in band, and the unique camaraderie of band is a critical feature of her life. But that isn't to say that there's not plenty of young-teen drama outside of the band room. In Holly's case, there are a couple of other major sources: Her best friend, Julia, has come back from a stay at a summer band camp with a new very good friend, Natasha, and Holly's in danger of failing science--but if she does, then band events are off-limits to her. Wracked with jealousy, Holly suffers from a serious lack of insight. It's true that Natasha, like Holly, plays French horn, and they are both very competitive, but Holly manages to unfairly read malevolence into almost everything Natasha does. Can her supportive band friends help her gain a little perspective before she does something to really embarrass herself? Believable, age-appropriate conflict and a plausible resolution make for an entertaining outing in the first of this band-related series. A cacophony of the emotional bumps of early adolescence that also perfectly captures the merits of band programs, this effort should appeal even to middle school girls who aren't already musicians. (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews