(2) K-3 In her time, some said Sister Rosetta Tharpe could make her guitar talk. Today, many credit her unique mix of gospel, jazz, and blues as the foundation for what would become known as rock-and-roll. Born in rural Arkansas in 1915, young Rosetta received her first guitar at four and mastered the instrument in just two years. She performed on the gospel circuit as a child and eventually in nightclubs as a hit-record-making adult, but her contributions to music were often ignored because of her gender and race. Barlow's picture-book biography focuses on Tharpe's childhood, depicting her guitar as echoing the sounds she encounters in her small African American community and debuting in her triumphant first performance at church. The lyrical text is rich with sound words ("The vibrations hummed through her body like bees through a garden"). Movement-filled, whimsical mixed-media illustrations have a folksy feel; the soft pinks, purples, blues, and yellows that recur throughout the pages convey the security and support of Tharpe's tight-knit community. An author's note provides further details about her rise to stardom as well as her lasting, if ignored, impact on many musical genres. An inspiring story that may encourage others to pick up an instrument and make it speak.

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2023

(2) PS Guitarist Strum and drummer Drum "wanted to march all the way to the Great Star in the north!" Off they go, in a mysterious forest with lanterns that flicker off and on, a waterless waterfall, and glass bubbles that don't pop. Awan's unique stylized illustrations are effectively varied, heightening the little drama. A soldier prince warns them about a "beast with green eyes," but the two bravely march on. And then the beast strikes: "Strum and Drum went tumbling through the air...away from all they had known." The illustrations, now in black and white and rendered realistically, offer a different, holiday-centered perspective on the situation. And by the end, Strum and Drum reach the Great Star, where they make music from on high.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(1) 4-6 Lymon Caldwell, a secondary character in Finding Langston (rev. 9/18), tells his story in this companion novel that explores the question, "Are bullies born or are they made?" Lymon lives with his grandparents in 1940s Mississippi; his mother abandoned him as a baby, and his father is in prison. Lymon's grandfather nurtures him and sparks in him a love of music, but after Grandpops passes away, Lymon and Ma (his grandmother) move to Milwaukee. Ma's diabetes worsens, and Lymon is happy to stay home from school to care for her since he struggles academically. When Ma is hospitalized, Lymon reunites with his mother in Chicago, but he is abused by her new husband. Lymon's life is a study of a boy who perpetually falls through the cracks, and who internalizes the painful lesson that the only person he can count on is himself. Cline-Ransome demonstrates a mastery of character development that deftly captures historical and sociological nuances of an African American family. Bullies are clearly made by abuse, neglect, and institutions that fail them. An author's note provides historical context about Mississippi's Parchman Farm prison and the Great Migration.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2020

(3) 4-6 Introspective Joey discovers that a girl has built a treehouse (mistaken for a spaceship) on the hill he visits alone to play his guitar. He nicknames the girl "Marsh," short for Martian, and is baffled and fascinated by her. As the two forge a friendship based on music, Marsh's poignant backstory emerges. This well-crafted Australian novel explores the nuances of friendship and family.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Evelyn Daviddi. Ivan enjoys being at home with his mother (Here), but sometimes he has to go There (his father's new place). Dad, eventually recognizing his son’s discomfort, plays guitar to help Ivan think of this home, too, as Here. The boy's strong feelings come through in both words and cheerful illustrations. Ivan appears to be biracial, and from his parents' gentle smiles, they appear to be amicable co-parents.

Reviewer: Maija Meadows Hasegawa | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2019

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Brett Helquist. 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--arguably 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

(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

(2) YA In this sensitive coming-of-age graphic novel, Bina's BFF/next-door neighbor Austin is away at soccer camp (and ignoring her texts) the summer before eighth grade. Bored, impressionable, guitar-playing Bina starts hanging out with Austin's older sister, who shares her love of music, and she's pushed outside her comfort zone (e.g., babysitting, boys). A monochromatic palette with sunny oranges plus unobtrusive panels and lettering allow Larson's believable dialogue to shine.

Reviewer: Elisa Gall | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2018

(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

(3) YA It's love at first sight for Nate and Cameron--until Nate realizes that Cameron's father is the big-time music executive who drove his musician dad to suicide. Soon guitar-player Nate is hiding from the paparazzi and his own feelings despite the pull of Cameron and his music. Told in the teens' alternating points of view, this "Cinderfella" romance gains depth as Nate learns about his father's past.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh. As a child, African American folk musician Elizabeth Cotten (1893–1987) taught her left-handed self to play guitar; then "time swept Libba up," and she stopped playing. As a grandmother, she's serendipitously hired as a housekeeper by the Seeger family, who rediscovered her talent and helped Cotten bring her music to the world. Fazlalizadeh's 
art, rendered in graphite with feathery digital coloring, complements Veirs's unpretentious prose exquisitely. Websites.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(4) 4-6 Summer's world falls apart after her brother dies. Hoping for a new start, her dad moves Summer and her sister to Australia, leaving her feeling even sadder since her mother has stayed behind in England. Playing her dead brother's guitar brings Summer comfort--and it seems to make a mysterious boy appear. Despite well-developed characters and vivid prose, the mystery's supernatural element doesn't quite work.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Ana Ramírez. This story, inspired by the Disney/Pixar film Coco, is narrated by music itself in the form of a fairy-like figure. The narrator encourages little boy Miguel, whose practical-minded abuelita discourages music-making, to teach himself to play a discarded guitar. Steeped in Latino culture, this picture book affirms the importance of family, ethnic traditions, and immersive musical experiences. Lively, colorful, culturally rich illustrations give young readers plenty to discover.

Reviewer: Michelle H. Martin | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(3) YA Magical realism meets music in this unusual road-trip novel. Blue's sister Cass has grown increasingly distant since their mother's death. When the devil herself offers Blue a shot at finding runaway Cass in exchange for her voice, Blue sets off on a quest, accompanied only by her late mother's guitar, which "speaks" for her. This debut is evocative and at times powerful.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(4) YA Guitarist and singer Teddy Lee is her family's good girl: older brother Winston is a loser, and her gorgeous younger sister, Billie, an attention-hungry troublemaker. When Teddy Lee gets the opportunity to front a band, it seems like a ticket out of her dead-end town--until Billie finds a way to steal the limelight. This slow-moving family drama delicately explores tense sibling dynamics.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(4) YA When Lily scribbles obscure song lyrics on her desk in chemistry, she doesn't expect a response. But Lily and her mysterious desk pen pal begin writing regularly and find that perhaps there's some (romantic) chemistry there as well. Despite a predictable plot, Lily's snarky voice is engaging, and it's satisfying to see this growing relationship lend maturity to her hectic high-school life.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(2) K-3 Everything in his Appalachian upbringing was music to Arthel Watson's ears. Eventually his pappy got him a harmonica, made him a banjo, then--finally--bought him a guitar. Arthel grew up to become bluegrass legend "Doc" Watson. The light color palette is broken by an entirely black spread: "Maybe it was because [Arthel] was blind." A text in a storyteller's cadence accompanies the folk-inspired art. Bib.

Reviewer: Sam Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2015

(3) 4-6 Louisianan Analyn "Apple" Yengko is tired of being different; she's ashamed of her mother and her Filipina American heritage. Things get worse when she's put on the "Dog Log," a list of the middle school's ten ugliest girls. Thankfully, Apple's passion for music allows her to transform herself and take flight. Kelly sensitively explores issues of bullying and friendship in her solid debut.

Reviewer: Amy Seto Forrester

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Simone Shin. The lighthearted story celebrates the unexpected rewards of small favors. A young boy infatuated with a mariachi band trades objects with many thankful animals before he finally makes a trade for his own guitarra. Spanish words and phrases are interspersed throughout the book, which contains a glossary, pronunciation guide, and list of mariachi instruments. Pastel-colored illustrations bring a quaint village to life.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(3) 1-3 Fancy Nancy series. Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. Nancy is excited to be in the third-grade variety show. When Nancy says some things she doesn't mean to best friend Bree, she needs help from her family to work things out with Bree and overcome her own jitters. While Nancy wouldn't consider her performance a smashing success, a YouTube video makes Nancy a star. Black-and-white illustrations match this fifth chapter book's peppiness.

Reviewer: Kari Allen