Three Rockin' Teen Books

In anticipation of our event with Len Vlahos, author of The Scar Boys, on February 13th at 7 pm at Boswell, I decided to feature three rockin' teen books I've recently read and thoroughly enjoyed.  The Scar Boys takes us back to the days of punk at CBGBs.  Five Flavors of Dumb reminds us of Seattle's musical legacies.  This Song will Save Your Life speaks to the life-changing power of good music.

I have a personal love for books and movies where music is an important character.  Most of my favorite movies from adolescence were seriously music heavy:  Velvet Goldmine, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Moulin Rouge, Labyrinth, Run Lola Run and later Empire Records.  I give music a lot of credit for helping me survive the general awfulness of teen-hood (thank you Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, No Doubt, Third Eye Blind, and the soundtracks of the movies previously listed).  I review these three books because I appreciate how they have captured music's saving-grace-emotional-outlet-anyone-can-be-badass-when-singing-along. 

Here are my reviews:

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Piper just agreed to manage the new rock band at her school.  She's deaf, but the bigger challenge is dealing with the out-of-control personalities in the band.  Can she land them a paying gig?  Great for music lovers who want a good story.

This Song will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

No matter how hard Elise tries to fit in, she can't.  She doesn't have that magical quality that the popular girls seem to naturally possess.  Then, during one of her insomniac-fueled nighttime walks through town, she stumbles across an underground dance club.  This is a world where her love of music can open doors and make her friends.  What will she have to sacrifice to finally belong?

The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos

Harry gets scarred by lightning at an early age.  In middle school, he's bullied, lonely, and friendless, until a classmate, Johnny, befriends him.  Johnny and Harry decide to start a punk rock band because why not?  It's the eighties and punk is IN!  Music gives Harry an outlet, an identity, and all of the teenage band drama anyone would expect.  If you don't want to pick up an instrument and rock out at the end of this book, then you're not reading hard enough!

Read Daniel's blog for more music-related books.  See you on the 13th! 
-Hannah