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.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Delightful and fun
By M.E. Summer
I HEART BAND is a delight to read, especially for anyone who fondly remembers being in band, being a perfectionist, or being a middle-school kid just trying to navigate the murky waters of friendship. What I HEART BAND excels at is keeping the MC, Holly, totally true to herself, undeniably flawed, and thoroughly sympathetic. Even when Holly makes questionable decisions, I totally understand where she’s coming from, and honestly, I probably would have done the same thing in her place. To me, this says that the author really gets the middle-school age mindset, that she truly understands and loves these kids. It comes through in the writing, and kid readers will instantly pick up on her being a kindred spirit. They’ll love and see themselves in these characters. My middle-school self certainly did.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.Great voice- totally fun series!
By Jennifer Malone
This one time, in band camp… Holly's best friend came home with a new BFF and, man, does she push every one of a jealous Holly's buttons. Except is Natasha really so annoying? Or is it more that Holly is oblivious to the fact that some of the "flaws" Natasha has are the very same traits Holly herself exhibits?I love, love, loved the fun voice in this story- Holly brought me right back to seventh grade and the pains of constantly shifting friendship "alliances". My writer brain completely appreciates what a masterful job Michelle did in keeping Holly likable and relatable when Holly's character traits could send her very much in the other direction. That's SO HARD TO DO! I loved Holly's journey to self-awareness and can't wait for more in this series.I was never a band geek myself (although take away the "band" from that statement…) but I Heart Band makes me wonder if I missed out!!
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.Excellent
By Stacey
My (11 year old) daughter picked this book up at the library for a laugh. She tends towards headier reading than this, but after looking it over, I encouraged her to give it a try. She hasn't been able to put it down. It is a light read, but delightful enough that it doesn't matter. The characters are relatable, the story is engaging and [per my daughter] a perfect representation of all that middle school is.
