Notes From An Accidental Band Geek (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
I just finished reading the book “Notes from an Accidental Band Geek” by Erin Dionne. The theme of the book is that if you try new things something good will come out of it. The book is about a 15 year old girl, Elise, who lives most of her life playing her horn. She is starting high school dreading on having to start marching band to make up time lost practicing for Shining Birches a top music camp, that Elise feels that she has to get into this year. When she first starts marching band her she just wants to get it over with. But after awhile she makes her first friends in a long time.There were many things that I liked about the book and a few things that I didn't like so much. I like reading realistic fiction books about girls my age, and even though I don’t play an instrument it was relatable. Some of the problems she faced are relatable to my life. One of the things I didn’t like was how some of the problems were solved, and a bit unsatifying. But in the end all the problems were solved and overall the book was very good Quick, fun read that does a great job of portraying how family expectations and obsessions with success can create endless problems with friendships and romance. In this case Elsie's determination to get accepted at a prestigious music camp at an earlier age than her father, creates endless problems with peers, her parents and the boy she realizes is kinda special. When a family vacation to Europe derails her plan to participate in the Boston Youth Orchestra, something she needs to round out her credentials supporting the audition, she has to settle for playing in the high school marching band. Even more depressing, she can't play her beloved French horn because it's built in such a way that she's end up playing it backward while marching, so she's issued a mellophone instead. Her adjustment to the new instrument, the challenge of learning marching formation and increasing stress at home all conspire to change Elsie's life in numerous ways. As she comes to realize she actually likes being part of the marching band, she also discovers that she likes Jake the trumpet player and that feeling is reciprocated. However, her way of dealing with stress and high expectations also create friction between her and the members of the band she's come to see as friends, leading to some long overdue and much needed soul searching. Tweens who love music will really dig into this book and those with absurd self-expectations may see enough of themselves in Elsie so they'll lighten up a bit and start enjoying life more.
What do You think about Notes From An Accidental Band Geek (2011)?
This was a cute story. I think that girls who love being in the band would enjoy this.
—Aneequa
Cute, fun, and made me nostalgic for band. A good pick for tweens!
—lemonshotz
I was reading this book for a reading project and it was amazing
—mar
Another good book for my classroom library.
—KKMARSON
