Banjo of Destiny

June 1, 2011

Gr 4-6-Jeremiah Birnbaum comes from a wealthy family and has everything a kid could ever ask for. However, because he is not able to control many aspects of his life, he feels trapped in his overly proper existence and wishes he could be a more "normal" kid. One day, Jeremiah discovers he has a passion for banjo music. Facing disapproval from his loving but misguided parents, who want him to play only the piano, he secretly sets out to build his own banjo and learn how to play it. With the help of his friend Luella and a few supportive adults, Jeremiah achieves his goal and eventually convinces nonbelievers of the beauty of the instrument. Using simple, straightforward language injected with humor and heart, Fagan presents a sweet, quiet, and neatly packaged tale that emphasizes the importance of hard work and following your dreams in the face of adversity. The story is set in an undetermined place, although references to things like the Internet indicate the modern day. Black-and-white spot illustrations at the start of each chapter add a bit of whimsy. While the pace of the narrative is slow at times, and the content might not interest all children, readers will relate to Jeremiah's feelings of frustration with not being allowed to make decisions for himself and may even be inspired to pick up a unique hobby of their own.-Rita Meade, Brooklyn Public Library, NY

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2011

Battling parental expectations and low self-esteem, a lad finds his bliss in building and learning to play a banjo. Born to unspeakable wealth thanks to his once-poor parents' invention of a high-tech dental-floss dispenser, Jeremiah leads a thoroughly regimented life—shuttling between his palatial mansion and an exclusive private school, plus a full extracurricular schedule of etiquette instruction, ballroom dancing, painting, golf and, most hated of all, piano lessons. Being mediocre or worse at everything he tries, his life is a misery. But then a chance encounter with a banjo player lights up a fascination with both the instrument and its music. After his pretentious parents strenuously forbid the purchase of such an item, he sets out to make one in secret from a cookie tin and other found ingredients, and then to buckle down and teach himself to play. Tucking basic information about banjo construction and history into his easygoing narrative, Fagan makes his budding musician work realistically hard on his project, eventually achieve some musical chops with support from both adult allies and a smart, free-spirited classmate and finally bring his astonished parents around with an impromptu set of classic folksongs. Occasional spot-art still-lifes done in pen and ink add formal notes to a low-key charmer. (Fiction. 10-12)

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