Saturday Morning Cartoons- Band Nerd

Willis, Sarah Clawson and Cormarie, Emma (illus.)Band Nerd
April 22, 2025 by HarperAlley
E ARC provided by Netgalley

Lucy is starting a new school in Windley, North Carolina in this graphic novel. It's a school for the arts, and she's hoping to be the first chair flautist, just like she was at her previous school. Even though it's nerve wracking to leave a comfortable environment, it's better than being at home with younger siblings Elizabeth and Liam when their mother, a busy nurse, and their father, an out of work lawyer, are constantly fighting over money and household responsibilities. Luckily, Malia, an 8th grader, is super nice on the bus and helps her get her bearings at school. The other flute players, like Neela, are nice, but Tolli is odd. Her mother is a former opera singer who is very pushy, and expects Tolli to be first chair. The school expects Lucy to have her own flute, which is a hardship for the family, because $400 would go a long way towards food and rent. Even though money is tight, a lot of money is spent on beer for the father, who, as we learn, once had to go to the hospital because he was so intoxicated. Lucy is very embarrassed by his actions, and missed the father he used to be. When Tolli makes first chair, Lucy is devastated, but she takes comfort in hanging out with Malia and her grandmother, who likes to bake. When they take Lucy home one day, Lucy's father is passed out and can't be woken up. Malia's grandmother stays with the kids, and is very understanding, since Malia's mother died of a drug overdose, and is very supportive of Lucy's mom. Lucy does talk to the school counselor, since the academic demands of the school are higher than her old school. When her father is supposed to be watching the children, Lucy sustains an injury, and this is enough to propel her mother to move into the hotel with the children and start divorce proceedings. This is hard on Lucy, and who steals Tolli's music before a challenge. She's discovered and has to go to a meeting with her parents at school, but manages to get the help she needs to cope as her family goes forward. 

Strengths: I played oboe in middle and high school and spent an inordinate amount of time practicing. The two other oboe players and I were always going back and forth, and being first chair is just a huge thing at that age, even in a regular school. I can't imagine the pressure in a performing arts school. It was very nice to see Lucy connect to Malia and her grandmother, and have some support. Lucy's home life is difficult, and the author's own experiences (mentioned in an afterword) add to the slice-of-life feel of this. It was interesting to see her joke with her friends about her father getting drunk; I can't imagine sharing this kind of information, but it is certainly one way to cope with a difficult situation. The father does go into rehab twice, and the family is going forward in a more positive direction by the end of the book. 
Weaknesses: There is a wide array of graphic novels about problems, but very few about children in sports, so I do wish that we would see a little more variety in the graphic novels that are published. Also, there was something uncomfortable about the father being drawn in only boxer shorts without a shirt, although I am sure this reflects real life. 
What I really think: There are very few books about band, (exceptions include Walter's The Club, Grosso's I Am Drums, Dionne's Notes From an Accidental Band Geek, and Herbach's Gabe Johnson Takes Over, aka Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders) and I know that music was a big part of my middle school career. There are even fewer books about parents who are alcoholics, other than Deuker's 2024 Shadowed, Hautmann's 2024 Answers to Dog,  Petro-Roy's 2021 Life in the Balance,  Vrabel's 2018 Bringing Me Back, and Sonnenblick's The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade.