Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I was a good girl and showered early last night, which meant I had time to do something after my shower; I used that time to finish reading Nidhi Chanani’s Jukebox.

It was, as my 14-year-old says, pretty okay.

To be fair, it’s visually beautiful–the premise lends itself to some fantastic two-page spreads. And it isn’t that the plot isn’t interesting; the idea of going back in time through records played on a magic jukebox is a great one. It’s just that it’s a fast adventure tale, and so the details–the specifics, the ‘why exactly’s, the ‘what makes these people tick’s–are just kind of vague. The relationship between Naz and Shahi is definitely there but could have been fleshed out, and the major plot points mostly feel a bit abrupt (and slightly random) to me. I am, of course, decades older than the intended audience, but part of this is a writing issue; the book just wanted to be 50 or more pages longer and more detailed. (My favorite thing about it was googling the famous musicians as their albums came up and learning more about them.) As for my intended audience children? I’ll have to let you know what they think after they read it. (They may not actually care.)

Alrighty, I’m off to the next thing. Happy Tuesday!