(4) K-3 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. This look at young Les Paul, the father of the solid-body electric guitar, capably explains the mechanics behind the boy's inventions--a little too capably, as short shrift is given to interiority, although the retro-flavored oil paintings tease out the human element. This book is best suited for readers (including adults) who are already besotted with the rock guitar sound. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Red Nose Studio. In this innovative look at Elvis Presley's against-the-odds rise from Tupelo, Mississippi, ragamuffin to King of Rock and Roll, Winter gets real: he uses folksy vernacular ("Times is hard") and credits the African American church with the King's sound ("It's black music sung by a Southern white man"). The illustrations--photos of handmade three-dimensional scenes--feature improbably emotive wax-like characters.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(3) YA During sophomore year, Dia, Hanna, and Jules were best friends and bandmates, yet alcoholism, pregnancy, and a death caused the trio's friendship to fall apart. After graduation, the girls piece back together their friendship to compete in a band talent contest. Chapters alternate among the girls' points of view, showing how each comes into her own in this heart-filled new-adult novel about the value of friendship.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam

(3) 4-6 During two weeks at Camp Rockaway, drummer Melly processes her parents' just-announced divorce, her changing best-friendship, and her first crush on a girl. Meanwhile, she and her bandmates learn how to listen to and support one another. This summer-camp crushmance is filled with realistic characters, witty dialogue, and frequent music references. Hand to tween readers who loved Pérez's The First Rule of Punk.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(2) YA In this rich, honest companion novel to If I Ever Get Out of Here, seventeen-year-old Carson and fifteen-year-old Maggi prepare for a high-stakes Battle of the Bands. Their alternating first-person narratives, set in 1980 on the Tuscarora Indian Nation near Niagara Falls, offer an intimate look at the teens' lives within their Indigenous culture, which embraces modern popular culture but still often faces outsiders' abuse.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez. Golio presents an account of Santana's boyhood growing up in the birthplace of mariachi music--Jalisco, Mexico--and later moving with his family to Tijuana, where his father buys him his first guitar. The biography focuses on the centrality of family, despite Santana's at-times contentious relationship with his father. Brown faces predominate in the swirling, psychedelic, sixties-inspired acrylic illustrations. An author's note contextualizes Santana's place in American pop culture. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Lettycia Terrones | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(3) 4-6 In 1966, only Trudy and three nerds remain in Trudy's once-popular Beatles fan club. Amid unsettling changes--an aloof former best friend; a largely absent father; teasing about her full name, Gertrude--Trudy hopes her life will change from meeting Paul McCartney when the Beatles come to Boston. This detail-rich historical novel will resonate with today's tweens nurturing their own passions while dealing with shifting experiences.

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jose Ramirez. Mahin's staccato second-person text ("Los congas rumbled into your chest. There was magic in their beat...") lends immediacy to his account of Santana's youth, touching on migration, racial discrimination, and poverty in a manner both accessible and deep. Ramirez's full-bleed Mexican folk art–influenced acrylic and enamel-marker illustrations expertly capture mood and propel the narrative forward. An author's note contextualizes Santana's place in American popular culture. Bib.

Reviewer: Lettycia Terrones | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by David Litchfield. Neri's pleasantly nostalgia-drenched picture-book biography explores Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel's meeting of musical minds. Although it's not especially lyrical, the quite-lengthy text is laid out like verse, and this, compounded by the outsize book's almost-square dimensions, creates the look of song lyrics on a record sleeve. The heavily retro vibe is reinforced by plenty of visual motifs that leave readers feelin' groovy. Bib.

Reviewer: Nell Beram | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(3) YA Two years after their high-school breakup, musicians Vee and Cam are awkwardly reunited during a nationally televised battle-of-the-bands tour. Through alternating perspectives and shifting chronologies, this breezy but heartfelt debut explores what happened then--and what might be possible now. Music fans and aspiring rock stars will especially enjoy this new-adult road-trip novel.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) YA After the devastating sudden death of her former-rock-star father and an unexpected move to a new city, seventeen-year-old aspiring songwriter Susannah joins a band and discovers she's not the only one with a troubled past. Creatively using weather in the Southern California setting to reflect the characters' emotional states, this debut novel is an affecting, intense story about identity, grief, music, and family.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. A brown-skinned girl with a "Rock n' Roll Soul" uses rhythmic, rhyming words to extol the virtues of music, from hip-hop to classical, as she prepares to wow the crowd at the school talent show. Cordell's loose pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations seem to vibrate with energy, a perfect complement to the onomatopoeia-filled text. A rocking and empowering read-aloud.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(3) YA After being the latest tabloid fodder, seventeen-year-old rock-star drummer Emmy King picks herself up with the help of her friends only to face family drama, a controversial coming-out as bisexual, and more trouble in the spotlight. This unashamedly queer romance features a diverse set of characters, including a nonbinary person, and it expertly broaches important topics including gaslighting, addiction, mental health, and abuse.

Reviewer: Lana Barnes

(3) YA Seventeen-year-old Blade Morrison, son of a famous rocker, just wants to avoid the attention his family receives for his father's drug-and-alcohol-fueled bad behavior. When a family secret is revealed, further alienating Blade, the Hollywood-raised teen embarks on a life-altering trip to Ghana. Alexander's verse, co-written with Hess, evokes the moody emotions of Blade's favorite real-life rock ballads (lyrics to which are interspersed).

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Gateway Biographies series. The lives of two well-known (and somewhat notorious) public figures are outlined in these no-frills, cursory introductions. Prince's profile follows his evolving musical career and daring artistic identity up to his unexpected death. Trump's focuses more narrowly on a few business, entertainment, and political successes preceding his presidency; while providing accurate background information, this book is already outdated. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. Review covers these Gateway Biographies titles: Prince and Donald Trump.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(4) YA Seventeen-year-old Van and her caretaker, Ida, have always lived a peripatetic existence thanks to Van's mother, an inspired businesswoman prone to erraticism. When the trio arrives in Las Vegas, Van begins to forge her own identity in a rock band. This moving coming-of-age story unfortunately veers off course when Van's mother disappears into the desert with a cult and the teen must bring her home.

Reviewer: Rebecca Hachmyer

(3) YA Shy, obedient Victoria Cruz attends a NYC prep school on scholarship and works hard for grades that will one day get her into Harvard--her traditional Cuban American parents' dream for her. Secretly, though, she has started doubling as the lead singer in an indie rock band. Despite its harmlessly predictable plot, Milanes's charming, authentic characters make this an entertaining story of music and identity.

Reviewer: Yaisha Cordero-Rivera

(4) YA African American eighth grader Sparrow suffers from crippling shyness and anxiety made worse by the tragic loss of her beloved school librarian. Sparrow copes by imagining herself flying with the birds; she's put in therapy (which includes attending rock-band camp) after she's found on the school rooftop. Despite an uneven plot, likable Sparrow elevates this sensitive depiction of mental illness and the transformative power of music.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) 4-6 Who HQ: What Was...? series. Illustrated by Gregory Copeland. The long-running Who Was...? series (originally Grosset, now rebranded by Penguin Workshop) expands its coverage. This readable, informative volume is marred only by the caricatured cover art (typical of the classic series) and bland, muddy interior pencil illustrations. Otherwise, the book will give young readers a good sense of rock-and-roll history. Occasional full- and double-page text boxes successfully illuminate related topics; photo insert included. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) YA As finalists on a musical reality show competition, Lucy and her bandmates spend a summer in L.A. preparing for the show's finale. The girls become celebrities, perfect their album, and find romance, but they also uncover the dark side of fame. The jarring murder of one of the girls seems incompatible with the rest of the rock-and-roll wish-fulfillment story.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith