Struts & Frets - A Review

Struts & Frets - Jon Skovron (Received from publisher for review)

Product Details from Barnes & Noble website

• Pub. Date: November 2009
• Publisher: Abrams,Harry N Inc
• Format: Hardcover, 304pp
• Age Range: Young Adult

• ISBN-13: 9780810941748
• ISBN: 0810941740

Synopsis from Barnes & Noble website

Told in a voice that’s honest, urgent, and hilarious, Struts & Frets will resonate not only with teenage musicians but with anyone who ever sat up all night listening to a favorite album, wondering if they’d ever find their place in the world.

Music is in Sammy’s blood. His grandfather was a jazz musician, and Sammy’s indie rock band could be huge one day—if they don’t self-destruct first. Winning the upcoming Battle of the Bands would justify all the band’s compromises and reassure Sammy that his life’s dream could become a reality. But practices are hard to schedule when Sammy’s grandfather is sick and getting worse, his mother is too busy to help either of them, and his best friend may want to be his girlfriend.

When everything in Sammy’s life seems to be headed for major catastrophe, will his music be enough to keep him together?

My Thoughts:

This was a sweet coming of age tale of a talented boy with big dreams and lets face it who as teenagers didn't have big dreams? I gotta say it was weird for me seeing the male perspective though. I apparently don't read many books from that perspective. When I started this book, I found myself thinking, yuck boys are gross a few times and then I would laugh at myself for thinking that.

This story has a lot of elements in play. Single parent household, a grandfather who is going senile, seeing his best friend who's a girl, in a new light, first love, crazy friends. Serious teenage angst going on within it's pages, and it was a great read! The characters were easy to like and I enjoyed reading Sammy's story. I felt his triumphs and his sorrows right alongside of him as they happened. A mark of a good storyteller.

Struts & Frets was a great debut novel for Jon and I look forward to reading the next one.