I Am Drums

June 1, 2016
Sam hears drumbeats in her head, so it's hard for her to think about anything but her passionate need to become an accomplished drummer.Things are ever so complicated for the sixth-grader. Her family, likely white, is struggling financially, her father is constantly angry, and she's having problems in school. After Sam whacks a classmate with her marimba mallet when he--once again--mocks her, the principal leaves a phone message with her parents--then more messages, all of which she deletes. Then, after her father tells her not to, she starts a lawn-mowing service with the family mower in order to make enough money to pay for drumming lessons with the quirky but equally passionate Pete. Readers will quickly develop a rapport with Sam; it's impossible not to empathize with both her eagerness and her desperation, nor to recognize that her efforts aren't sustainable. When things come crashing down, it happens with an appropriate BANG! Sam's voice is mostly just right, and even the minor characters that surround her are nicely fleshed out, especially her pathetic little brother, who tries so hard to make things right. Sam's Chicago suburb appears to be a largely white one. This is a worthy and entertaining read about how talent develops and what the potential consequences of pursuing it are: drumroll, please, for a fine homage to spirited single-mindedness. (Fiction. 10-13)

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May 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-Sixth grader Sam (never Samantha) has one obsession. It's not boys. It's not grades. It's the drums. Sam falls asleep hearing rhythms in her head. She wakes up with rhythms bursting out of her, ready to be played. Unfortunately, the only time Sam actually gets a chance to play a drum is at school, where she has to be satisfied with boring parts on a single drum in symphonic band. She can't even practice at home unless it's on a makeshift drum kit made out of books and magazines. Not only do her parents not understand her dream to really play but since her dad lost his job, there isn't any money to spend on a real kit or lessons. However, when Sam discovers that the school music program is going to be cut the following year, desperation takes over. She hatches a plan to earn money for lessons and decides to keep both the lessons and her lawn-mowing business a secret from her parents. Everything seems to be going great, until suddenly it isn't, and Sam is forced to face the music. Author Grosso is a musician and teacher, and his passion for music comes through in his writing. Readers will feel Sam's desire to play and sympathize with her decision to sneak around in order to pursue her dream.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2016
Grades 5-8 Sam hears drums in her head: at school, falling asleep, everywhere. She builds a practice drum set out of encyclopedias and newspapers, dreaming of a real kit and private lessons even though both dreams seem impossible. Money is tight and although her father is employed again, he is deeply unhappy at his new job, making life at home tense. Sam struggles to express her passion for drums in words that anyone can understand, wishing she had a headphone jack in her head so that other people could plug in and hear her jumbled thoughts and feelings. After learning the school music program will be cut, she secretly begins mowing lawns to pay for private lessons. She shows promise, improving quickly, but the untenable arrangement eventually crashes down. The story follows a common arc, but Sam's fresh voice and realistic, unfortunate family dynamics make a gripping, emotional story. Readers will cheer for spunky Sam, pulling for her to overcome her self-doubt and find a way to win her family's support.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)