Stringz - Hardcover

Wenberg, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1934813338 ISBN 13: 9781934813331

Publisher: Westside Book, 2010

Synopsis

Fourteen-year-old Jace Adams, a cellist who loves to surf, never fits in where his mother decides to move them, but after a difficult start in Seattle, he comes to realize that talent is not something to hide and that he has "family" in some unexpected places.

About this title

About the Author

In addition to his paying gig as CEO of one of the finest small town orchestras in the country, the Walla Walla Symphony, Michael Wenberg is also the author of three books, "Seattle Blues" (Westside Books,  March 2009), "Stringz," a teen novel released by Westside Books Spring 2010, and Elizabeth's Song, a children's picture book published by Beyond Words Publishing in 2003.  Seattle Blues is a Flamingnet Top Choice Award winner and a Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year in the 12 - 14 age category. Elizabeth's Song was a Kentucky Bluegrass Award nominee in 2004.

Reviews

Gr 6-10–Jace Adams's mother likes to move whenever a relationship goes bad, so now he's a freshman at a new school in Seattle. They're living with his mother's scary Aunt Bernice, who will not allow Jace to live in the house. Instead, she sets him up in the shed in the backyard. His only real solace is his cello, Ruby, and the escapist power that comes from playing. The first half of the book is brilliant. It is well crafted; the language is interesting, funny, and insightful; and the characters draw in readers. However, midway through the story, Jace's mother leaves him to follow yet another boyfriend, and the entire tone changes. Whereas extreme care and attention were seemingly paid to the plotting in the first half, and it takes place over a few weeks, the second half feels rushed and clumsy and months pass without much detail. However, Jace's character works in spite of the book's flaws, and readers will feel pride in his triumph.Naphtali L. Faris, Saint Louis Public Library, MO
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Fourteen-year-old Jace has had it rough. His father left before he was born, his older brother and role model went to jail, and his mother shuffled him from city to city in hopes of a better life only to move on a few months later. The only thing Jace can rely on is Ruby, his cheap but beloved cello. Hoping to make some money, Jace plays Ruby on the streets of Seattle but instead finds an instructor. Wenberg (Seattle Blues, 2009) returns to familiar territory—minority teens turning their love of music into life lessons, and in Jace's case, there are many. The young cellist battles bullies, abandonment, and his internal critic to become the musician he was born to be. Some of Jace's inner dialogue grows a bit wearisome (he repeatedly calls himself a loser), and some of the “black” dialogue reads a bit forced, but overall Jace is likable. Readers will want a happy ending for him, and Wenberg grants their wish. Grades 6-9. --Courtney Jones

Edition details

• Publisher: Westside Book
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1934813338
• ISBN 13: 9781934813331
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 216