#guitar notes

Plot:

Tripp Broody has had a rough life the past few years. With his father’s sudden death, his best friend, Josh, moved away, Tripp found life in his guitar. Not scales, or written songs, but his own music, picking the notes that felt right to his soul. Until his mother said enough was enough, as she locked away his guitar until Tripp pulls his grades up. Unable to live without his guitar, Tripp signs up for a private music room, reserved normally for the band students. There on odd days of the week, it is just him, this tiny closet of a room (Room two), and a guitar. That is until little miss perfect was trying to kick him out. Lyla Marks, a young cellist, was practicing to audition to Coles, a superb music school in Boston. The only problem is; she really hates the cello. Best friend, Annie, who is pressuring Layla to do all these resume-builders clubs, and to go to Coles with her, has Room 1 on odd days, and Layla Room 2 on even days. Finding garbage in the room, Layla writes a note to Odd Day Musician, telling him to clean up. Writing back to Ms. Even Day, Tripp and Layla started this note exchange friendship that led from notes in their room, lockers, texting, calling, to meeting up after school. Layla ignored her cello, picked up the guitar, and following Tripp lead, she started playing and singing. They were Mr. Odd and Ms. Even, ready to show the world their love of friendship, music, guitar from the little room two, to the world.

Thoughts:

Like any typical young adult book, Mary Amato followed the patterned. The mean parents who do not understand the kids, the absent friends for Tripp, the bully friend for Layla, and the two kids who just seem perfect for each other, as friends. Where it seems like Amato was going to push a relationship on these kids, and it never came was quite shocking. They stayed in that friend buffer zone and never truly left. Where I felt bad for Tripp for losing his guitar, because he did not do any of the work assigned to him during the summer, but did that really mean he had to call his mom a termite for the entire book. Kind of immature. The ending felt rushed, where Amato wanted a dramatic twist (which she did) but it did not fit the story at all, making the ending of the book just seem wrong. The writing was consistent, with short chapters making the story go by fast. From a boy, a girl, one room with a guitar, the Thrum Society was formed, with a sound so unique only a few can truly appreciate it.

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