Notes from an Accidental Band Geek

Notes from an Accidental Band Geek, Erin Dionne’s latest entertaining middle grade read, is on the Texas Lone Star Reading List 2012-13. Elsie, a gifted French horn player, has always strived to be the youngest person in her family to make the Shining Birches, an elite music camp. It is a requirement for her to be part of a musical ensemble prior to auditioning for the Shining Birches. Elsie, younger than other students starting high school, has to join the marching band because a family conflict made her unable to audition for the Boston Youth Orchestra. The chaos of the first day of marching band practice sends Elsie into a spiral of doom, especially when she learns that she must play a mellophone instead of her beloved French horn. Things are much tougher in marching band than Elsie could have ever imagined. In order to prepare for the Shining Birches audition, Elsie must spend hours of her free time practicing her French horn. What will Elsie do when her band friends invite her to hang out after practices and games? Will Elsie prove to herself and her father that she is as talented as her father, lead French horn player in the Boston Symphony? Erin Dionne does a fabulous job of capturing the camaraderie and dedication of high school marching band in this fun book. Other great books by Dionne include Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies and The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet.

The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet

Erin Dionne, author of Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies, entertains us once again in The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet. What could be worse than having your mom walk into your school on the first day of your eighth grade year dressed up like a character from William Shakespeare’s plays? Try having your genius seven-year-old sister taking classes at your middle school while you struggle with pre-algebra. How about having your best friend, Tyler, start liking you? Consequently, you act so weird anytime he is around. Everything is a tragedy for Hamlet (given this name by parents who live and breathe Shakespeare). This book has the right amount of humor, family issues, and teen angst to keep readers wanting to see what happens next. Readers who have felt second best to a “perfect” sibling will be able to relate to Hamlet’s situation.