Rock On: A story of guitars, gigs, girls, and a brother (not necessarily in that order)
3 Stars: A Good Book
Format: Hardback
Publication: March 5th, 2012
Pages: 296
Author: Website | Facebook | Twitter
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Buy it: Amazon | Kindle | B&N | Book Depository
Ori Taylor is the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the Band To Be Named Later, a garage band he started with his friends. After years of being known only as the kid brother of sports star Del, Ori is looking forward to stepping out of his older brother’s shadow, learning to perform in public, and rocking the Battle of the Bands contest. Oh, and maybe finally working up the nerve to talk to a girl in person instead of just over e-mail. But when Del suddenly returns from college, he expects Ori to step back into his role of little brother, just when Ori is starting to come into his own.
With his confidence wavering, will Ori be able to overcome his stage fright and lead the band to rock glory? Will the Band To Be Named Later ever get a real name? Will their best performances remain in the garage?
Denise Vega’s deft exploration of brothers, bands, friends, and crushes promises to have readers tuning in page after page, because among all the ups and downs of being a teen, one thing’s for sure: We all just want to rock on.
This is a fun book filled with music, family, friendship, and teen angst. Ori has lived in his brother’s shadow for so long that he doesn’t know his own worth, and he is now in the process of growing independent. Ori is a likable narrator. Ori’s brother Del has changed since coming home from college, not having been able to handle the change. In order to feel better about himself, Del wants to make Ori look bad just when Ori is trying to create his own identity through his band. At the same time, Ori trying to find the confidence to stand on the stage in his own right, find a bass player and a name for the band, and talk to the girl he likes. Every teenager has gone through this process of changing, growing independent, and finding one’s identity and will be able to relate to Ori. Even Del is relatable in his own way.
It’s cute how the story includes blog posts, texts, and emails. They give us insight into how the characters interact with each other and share information. I do feel that it is a bit overdone, at least to maintain my interest. You can’t read a chapter or two without coming across digital media as told through print. With the format and the way the story is told, I feel that this is a story more for tween girls. No boy I know would want to pick up this book after reading the synopsis, much less the first page. Older girls might pick up this book for a quick, fun read.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher. No payment was received in return for a review. The receipt of the book had no influence on the opinions expressed in my review.
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Christina Kit. says
I love books that include music, like Five Flavors of Dumb. This one sounds great:)