The Vinyl Princess

December 14, 2009
Prinz (the Clare series) is the cofounder of the independent music store chain Amoeba Music, and her latest novel has all the props of the trade. School’s out and 16-year-old Allie, aka the Vinyl Princess, is working at Bob & Bob’s Records in Berkeley, Calif., for the summer—a quintessentially dingy haven for music geeks, anti-downloaders, and street freaks. Over the span of three months, she attracts the attention of a roguish mystery boy she calls “M,” witnesses a robbery, shepherds her divorced mom through the perils of online dating, finds her soul mate, and starts a vinyl listeners–only blog/fanzine (“Corporate rock still sucks; downloading is harmful to music and other living organisms. Music is love”). While Allie’s personal dramas are entertaining, what makes the book stand out is her encyclopedic, cross-genre knowledge of bands, songs, and albums, beyond the usual suspects. References to the old-fashioned but still cherished mix-giving ritual will be appreciated by music connoisseurs and novices alike. Allie’s song lists are an education in themselves—they’re worth a listen and this is worth a read. Ages 12–up.

March 1, 2010
Gr 7 Up-Sixteen-year-old Allie's life revolves around music. By the time she was 12, her vinyl collection had grown to 900 albums. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of the music she listens to and writes about in a printed fanzine and a blog, both of which take off slowly and then become wildly successful. She has the perfect job at Bob & Bob Records on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, where the bins are filled with new and used CDs and used vinyls. Despite the store's proximity to the UC Berkeley campus, college students are not a large part of the clientele, since they've been lured away by the free downloads scorned by Allie and other true audiophiles. Her friend Kit's seemingly limitless supply of male admirers leaves Allie wishing for at least one romance of her own, so she is delighted when a new customer asks her out for coffee. This bubble bursts when a string of robberies finally hits Bob's and Allie recognizes a familiar pair of boots on one of the ski-masked hold-up men. Kit sensibly helps her decide whether or not to inform the police and to deal with the disappointment that her date was merely a setup for information about the store. Soon Allie discovers that romance is sometimes waiting in unexpected places. Filled with local color and a skillfully drawn cast of eccentric characters, this novel will appeal to music lovers, romance fans, and those seeking an upbeat, satisfying read."Ginny Gustin, Sonoma County Library System, Santa Rosa, CA"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2009
Grades 7-11 Im what people in the record store business refer to as a throwback, an audiophile, a record geek. Sixteen-year-old Allie, a fierce defender of vinyl in the age of music downloads, loves her job at Bob & Bob Records, an independent store thats walking distance from the rambling Berkeley home she shares with her recently divorced mom. Over a single summer, Allie starts a music blog that attracts international readers, falls for a dreamy stranger with a seriously shady past, watches her parents awkwardly navigate new relationships, and finally discovers true romance with a music-loving soul mate. Chick-lit readers will recognize some familiar trappings in this enjoyable coming-of-age story: a wisecracking first-person voice; an eccentric, lovable best friend; disappointing guys; wacky relatives; and charming princes who have been there all along. But Prinz, who cofounded an indie music store, writes with a genuine passion for music that all readers who live to listen will recognize, and in this heartfelt, often-hilarious story, she shows the profound ways that music can shape lives.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)