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Indlæser... Clayton Byrd Goes Undergroundaf Rita Williams-Garcia
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Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. Clayton lives with his mom and his blues-man grandfather who he idolizes. His dream is to play a harmonica solo with his grandfathers group on stage one day. Meanwhile his relationship with his mother is strained and he doesn't feel like she understands who he is as a musician and a person. When Clayton experiences loss he leaves home, hoping to fulfill his own dreams. Digital audiobook performed by Adam Lazarre-White. 4.5**** From the book jacket: When, Cool Papa, when? That’s what Clayton Byrd is always asking his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd. When does he get a solo to show off his talent on the blues harp? Clayton feels most alive when he’s with Cool Papa Byrd and the Bluesmen, playing the music he feels in his bones. But then the unexpected happens. Cool Papa Byrd dies. Clayton’s mother forbids him from playing the blues. For Clayton, that’s no way to live. Armed with his grandfather’s porkpie hat and his blues harp, he runs away from home and to the New York City subways in search of the Bluesmen, hoping he can join them on the road. My reactions: This was wonderful on so many levels. First on a purely superficial level, I loved the lesson in blues history that Williams-Garcia has given to young readers, introducing them to historic figures in the development of this uniquely American music. Secondly, I loved the relationship between Clayton and his grandfather. The respect and love between them was palpable, even after Cool Papa has died, you can feel the deep connection they had and Clayton remembers some of the lessons his grandfather imparted, which help him when he’s “underground.” Third, I really liked that Williams-Garcia did NOT paint a rosy picture of Clayton’s “adventure” as he ran away. He was in real danger and he suffered some consequences of his inexperience, rashness and youth. On the other hand, he also showed himself to be an astute observer, a clever negotiator, and he had the kind of determination and grit that will see him through on his life’s journey. And I loved the way in which this wrapped up. The apologies and understandings that Clayton, his mother and his father came to, by really talking about what was important and putting aside some of their own hurt to help one another through this terrible grief. Adam Lazarre-White does a marvelous job of performing the audiobook. I love his deep bass voice for Cool Papa and Clayton’s dad. I would have liked a little blues music underscore, but that’s not enough to deter me from listening again or re-reading the text. ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
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Juvenile Fiction.
Juvenile Literature.
HTML: National Book Award Finalist * Kirkus Best Books of 2017 * Horn Book Best Books of 2017 * Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2017 * School Library Journal Best Books of 2017 * NAACP Image Awards Nominee * Chicago Public Library Best Books * Boston Globe Best Books of 2017 From beloved Newbery Honor winner and three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner Rita Williams-Garcia comes a powerful and heartfelt novel about loss, family, and love that will appeal to fans of Jason Reynolds and Kwame Alexander. Clayton feels most alive when he's with his grandfather, Cool Papa Byrd, and the band of Bluesmen??he can't wait to join them, just as soon as he has a blues song of his own. But then the unthinkable happens. Cool Papa Byrd dies, and Clayton's mother forbids Clayton from playing the blues. And Clayton knows that's no way to live. Armed with his grandfather's brown porkpie hat and his harmonica, he runs away from home in search of the Bluesmen, hoping he can join them on the road. But on the journey that takes him through the New York City subways and to Washington Square Park, Clayton learns some things that surprise him. "This slim novel strikes a strong chord."??Publishers Weekly (starred review) "This complex tale of family and forgiveness has heart." ??School Library Journal (starred review) "Strong characterizations and vivid musical scenes add layers to this warm family story." ??Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "An appealing, realistic story with frequent elegant turns of phrase." ??The Horn Book (starred review) "Garcia-Williams skillfully finds melody in words." ??Booklist (starred rev No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit:
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I did feel very strongly about one thing. Clayton's mother was *so* frustrating. You can tell she's trying to be a perfect mother, but to me it seemed like she did everything wrong. She didn't respect Clayton's relationship with Cool Papa. It was like she was trying to make Clayton's grieving process more difficult. And then she treated Clayton's falling-asleep-in-school problem like a flaw in Clayton's character. The woman drove me crazy. I wanted to feel sympathy for her because we know her backstory. We know Cool Papa was not a great father to her. We know she works long hours as a nurse and doesn't accept much help from Clayton's dad. Still. There were opportunities for her to figure out what was really going on with Clayton and she never took them.
One thing I caught was that Clayton's mom calls him "Angel" and he plays the blues "harp." Maybe we're meant to see Clayton as an angelic kid who is driven "underground" by Cool Papa's death and the aftermath. A good kid who almost goes really wrong. Because Clayton goes underground, he meets the Beat boys and sees what it would be like to not have his hardworking, well-meaning mother. Even with her flaws.
To me, the story ended a bit too soon. It felt unfinished. But there's a lot of good stuff about family dynamics and what *not* to do when a kid loses someone close to them (I'm looking at you, Ms. Byrd). ( )