Worst Band in the Universe - Hardcover

Base, Graeme

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810939983 ISBN 13: 9780810939981

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 1999

Synopsis

Castigated for defying tradition and playing an original tune on his Splingtwanger, thirteen-year-old Sprocc leaves Planet Bipp in search of musical freedom and enters the annual Worst Band in the Universe Competition. Includes a CD of songs supposedly recorded by the bands in the story.

About this title

Review:

Australian author and illustrator Graeme Base's books are all musical, but The Worst Band in the Universe (with its accompanying 25-minute CD) clearly trumpets the loudest... in a Blippian sort of way. Like The Eleventh Hour, The Sign of the Seahorse, and Animalia, Worst Band takes place in a nonhuman context, this time in a dystopian planetary system far from Earth.

The premise is this: Sprocc, expert at the guitarlike splingtwanger, has the creative itch to write songs. But alas, his planet, Blipp, has strict creative rules about music. All songs must come directly from tradition, so Sprocc's desire to "call the tune... or else forsake the stage" leads to his exile from Blipp and a variety of galactic run-ins with authority. This includes the "Worst Band in the Universe" contest which, of course, is actually a best band contest that takes him deeper into dismal realms. Sprocc sharpens his musical delivery, hooks up with another long-time Blipp exile, and eventually the planet is freed from the rigorous creative restrictions with a mix of innovation and tradition.

In the tangle of rhyming couplets and fantastical illustrations is plenty of food for thought. On a purely musical level, The Worst Band in the Universe is an instructive volume, complete with a CD of Blippian music. It's a profound creation, conjured so that its ingredients will reward scrutiny. (Ages 7 and older) --Andrew Bartlett

From the Publisher:

Graeme Base, creator of the two-million-copy best-seller Animalia, has created an exciting new adventure story filled with outrageously imaginative illustrations and infinitely clever verse. Base's legions of fans will be thrilled by the cosmic tale of Sprocc, a young Splingtwanger-player who leaves his home planet in search of musical freedom. Lured by the promise of fame and fortune, he enters the annual Worst Band in the Universe competition-and is launched on an adventure of truly intergalactic proportions. Complete with a CD of music composed and performed by Base himself, this whimsical science- fiction fantasy will enchant readers of all ages. Music CD. 48 pages illustrated in full color, 10 55/8 x 10555/8 " Advertising: Publishers Weekly, New York Times Book Review, National Public Radio (through regional bookseller programs), regional booksellers' holiday catalogues Publicity: 14-city tour: Boston, Providence, New York, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Austin, Minneapolis, Denver, San Diego, Seattle Promotion: Poster for in-store display; mobile for Graeme Base section of the store; featured in Abrams' 50th-anniversary celebration Graeme Base is the artist/author of Abrams' Animalia, The Eleventh Hour, The Discovery of Dragons, and The Sign of the Seahorse. He lives with his wife and three children in Melbourne, Australia.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0810939983
• ISBN 13: 9780810939981
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48