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Summary
Summary
Jasmine, Maggie, Becca, and Scarlet love jamming together, but are they ready to perform in front of a real audience in a Battle of the Bands competition? Find out in the first book of this early chapter book series!
Jasmine, Maggie, Becca, and Scarlet love jamming together in Jasmine's basement. Maggie bangs on the drums, Becca strums her guitar, Jasmine plunks the keys of her keyboard, and Scarlet wails into her hairbrush mic. Even though they may not have the best equipment, or an audience, they have fun making music to their own beat. But when Jasmine's brother tells her about an upcoming Battle of the Bands competition, Jasmine thinks this could be their chance to prove they're a real band. Now she just has to convince the other girls. . . .
With each book told from a different girl's perspective, this series is all about girl power, diversity, and marching to the beat of your own drum!
Author Notes
Melody Reed is a chapter book, middle grade, and YA author. She loves creating strong female characters and writing about outer space and Mars. She lives in Silicon Valley with her family.
Émilie Pépin is a passionate illustrator whose love for picture books led her to become an illustrator and designer. After completing her studies at the Cégep du Vieux Montréal, Émilie worked for many years in the children's video games industry as a 2-D artist and art director before becoming a freelancer. She lives in the green region of the Laurentians in Québec.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-Jasmine and her friends have been blithely jamming out together and making up silly songs. When she discovers there will be a Battle of the Bands at this year's Fall Festival, she has to convince the other Major Eights to register. Jasmine also discovers that Leslie Miller, her classmate and major source of competition, has also signed up to perform a piano solo. As pressure mounts, so does discord within the junior music group. Reed has created an inclusive set of young female characters learning to work collaboratively while also preserving their friendship. Themes of conquering one's fears and female empowerment are felt within the narrative and are tailored for the early elementary set. Pépin's experience in the video game industry influences her designs and makes the characters in the series animated and appealing to young readers. VERDICT A new beginning chapter series that will be music to many independent readers' ears, especially if they enjoy relatable realistic fiction.-Claire Moore, Manhattan Beach Library, CA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A quartet of culturally diverse third-grade girls gears up to compete in a battle of the bands competition in this cheerful opening title in the Major Eights series, narrated by keyboard player Jasmine. There are some expected bumps: Jasmine commits the group to performing before checking with them, and she picks out a love song for them to play that doesn't suit anyone. But these and other troubles are tidily resolved as the girls recognize that having fun is more important than winning. There's little doubt that the Major Eights will surmount their obstacles, but Reed (a pseudonym of Rie Neal) creates real emotional tension along the way. Final art not seen by PW. Simultaneously available: Scarlet's Big Break. Ages 6-8. Author's agent: Carrie Pestritto, Prospect Agency. Illustrator's agency: Bright Agency. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In this appealing early-chapter-book series, four eight-year-old girls from diverse backgrounds create a band for a battle of the bands competition (Battle). In Big Break, vocalist Scarlet feels torn between competing in the talent show solo or with her bandmates. Though the illustrations look like television stills, that they're on every page works in tandem with the large font to entice young readers. [Review covers these Major Eights titles: Battle of the Bands and Scarlet's Big Break.] (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Jasmine and her best friends, all eight years old, have formed a band that only plays for fun at each others' garages. After a little taunting from her older brother, Jasmine decides they need to prove they're a real band and impulsively enters them in a local battle-of-the-bands competition. Of course, Jasmine quickly learns that trying to make decisions by herself for everyone won't always end well. Things do end well, though, when everyone decides they're just going to have fun and play whatever silly music they've made up rather than trying to prove something by covering a popular song on the radio. This sweet chapter book for beginning readers is generously illustrated with appealing line drawings. Readers who fall in love with Jasmine, Maggie, Becca, and Scarlet will be happy to learn that this book is the beginning of a series, so there will definitely be more stories to come. A forthcoming volume will be narrated by Scarlet rather than Jasmine, who narrates this entry.--Pino, Kristina Copyright 2018 Booklist