Audition & Subtraction

July 23, 2012
Middle-schoolers Tatum and Lori are best friends until Michael Malone moves to town, competing with Tatum both for Lori’s attention and in the upcoming honor band auditions. “So, yeah, he was cute—if you liked guys who moved in at the last minute and threatened to take your place in District Honor Band. Which I didn’t,” Tatum says. Last year, the girls played a duet together at the audition, but when Lori starts missing practice sessions to help Michael with his solo—and later announces that she’s playing a duet with him—Tatum is forced to reassess their relationship and rely on herself. Meanwhile, Tatum’s parents have separated, her mother is performing in community theater (to Tatum’s mortification), and her fellow clarinetist Aaron is turning into more than a friend. Dominy (OyMG) presents a believably conflicted protagonist with a narrative voice to match; musicians will appreciate the many details Dominy works into the story. Tatum confronts her predicaments with humor and growing maturity as she builds the confidence necessary to handle change. Ages 10–14. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

August 1, 2012
Tatum is facing her stressful eighth-grade audition for a clarinet seat in the District Honor Band and must also cope with her best friend's first romance. Tatum and Lori, BFF for years, are so close that their friends call them "Tay-Lo." Now Michael, a new clarinet player, has moved into the school. Not only is he cute and seemingly in love with Lori, but rumor has it that he's a fine player--and only three clarinets can be selected for the prestigious band. Lori, on flute, has always accompanied Tatum during auditions, a lot less scary than playing solo, but now she wants to accompany Michael. She even suggests that Tatum deliberately fail so her boyfriend can make the band. As Tatum navigates these betrayals, she also must deal with the recent breakup of her parents' marriage. Aaron, the clarinet player with whom she shares a music stand and friendship, now becomes a lot more supportive and even begins to gently evolve into a romantic interest in a nicely low-key portrayal of young love. Dominy's characters and situations--shown through Tatum's authentic voice--ring wholly true as newly developing boy/girl connections inevitably affect the life-defining girl/girl friendships that preceded them. Tatum's maturing recognition of her own self-worth and realistic outcomes--sadly not everything works out the way she would wish--make this a satisfying and believable read. (Fiction. 10-14)

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September 1, 2012

Gr 5-8-Since third grade, Tatum and Lori have been inseparable, but now that middle school is drawing to a close, things are changing. Tatum first notices this when Michael moves to town-the new kid, the new clarinet player who threatens Tatum's chance at getting into the District Honor Band, and whose immediate interest in Lori threatens the girls' friendship. As Lori begins to take Michael's side over Tay's, going so far as to ask her to throw her Honor Band audition so that Michael can claim the coveted spot, Tay struggles to cope with the change in her best friend. Tay is also wrestling with her parents' recent separation and a friend who might want to be more from their relationship. The plot focuses on the upcoming band auditions, but the story is driven by the changing dynamics, all of which ring true to middle-school dramas. Tay's parents, while not deeply developed as characters, are supportive without being intrusive. The ultimate message-that we don't always get everything we want, even after sacrifices and hard work-is a valuable one, presented subtly. Girls looking for a realistic story will enjoy this one, and even those without musical aspirations will identify with Tatum's problems.-Brandy Danner, Wilmington Memorial Library, MA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2013
Eighth-grade clarinetist Tatum longs to be in District Honor Band, but new student Michael is tough competition for a coveted spot--and for BFF Lori's attention. Along with this jealousy, Tatum deals with an awkward potential romance and her parents' divorce. Dominy ambitiously takes on many issues, but her handling of them (especially changing friendships and competition) is spot on.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)