Band Tryout Troubles - (Bo Keeps the Beat) by Andrew Bambridge

About the Book

Bo decides to start a band, but becomes frustrated when his friends' auditions do not meet his expectation and puts his friendships in jeopardy.

Book Synopsis

Bo is starting a band! He is super excited and knows exactly what kind of band he wants. But when Bo invites his friends to audition, no one quite lives up to his high expectations. Bo has a choice to make--a band with friends who all have their own ideas, or a band with one member: himself! Will Bo compromise or go solo? Musician, educator, and actor Andrew Bambridge (Pixels) offers a charming chapter book series about a boy named Bo who, like Andrew, has achondroplasia and has always loved music.

Review Quotes

In this new own-voices series, second grader Bo is passionate about making music and learning how to play instruments. Bo, like the author Bambridge, has achondroplasia, a condition that makes some of his bones shorter than those of other kids. While this sometimes presents challenges, like when his feet can't reach the piano pedals, or his arms aren't long enough to reach the length of a clarinet, Bo finds creative ways to adapt. This gentle, relatable series also explores common friendship and classroom situations that many kids will relate to. Full-color illustrations punctuate the three chapters of each book, and well-spaced and well-sized paragraphs make these stories accessible to newly independent readers. A glossary, discussion questions, further information about achondroplasia, and other topics, like musical ­instruments, are appended in each volume. VERDICT Recommended for purchase in all early chapter book collections, especially those in need of disability representation.-- "School Library Journal"