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The Color of Sound
Twelve-year-old Rosie is a musical prodigy whose synesthesia allows her to see music in colors.
Her mom has always pushed her to become a concert violinist, but this summer Rosie refuses to play, wanting a "normal" life. Forced to spend the summer with her grandparents, Rosie is excited to meet another girl her age hanging out on their property. The girl is familiar, and Rosie quickly pieces it somehow, this girl is her mother, when her mother was twelve.
With help from this glitch in time—plus her grandparents, an improv group, and a new instrument—Rosie comes to understand her mother, herself, and her love of music in new ways.
Her mom has always pushed her to become a concert violinist, but this summer Rosie refuses to play, wanting a "normal" life. Forced to spend the summer with her grandparents, Rosie is excited to meet another girl her age hanging out on their property. The girl is familiar, and Rosie quickly pieces it somehow, this girl is her mother, when her mother was twelve.
With help from this glitch in time—plus her grandparents, an improv group, and a new instrument—Rosie comes to understand her mother, herself, and her love of music in new ways.
340 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
April 1, 2024
In a Nutshell: A middle-grade timeslip story about a girl who wants to be seen for herself than for her prowess with the violin. Interesting themes, nice story. A bit repetitive at times, and too much ‘crush’ talk for my liking, but other than that, a pretty good book.
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Plot Preview:
Bookish Yays:
♫ Every chapter starts with a classical music term and its definition, which is later applied to the chapter in some way or the other. Quite interesting!
♫ Rosie’s character detailing is mostly great. Her emotions feel mostly accurate for a twelve-year-old. I also liked Rosie’s grandfather and his dog Vienna. The book also has some older teen characters in minor roles, and for a change, their portrayal is entirely positive. Such a welcome relief to see good teens in a novel!
♫ The focus on the dedication and hard work required to find success in a hobby. Love the way it threw light on the efforts invested even by prodigies to achieve success.
♫ The highlight on negative parental pressure, when parents stress children too much for success in hobbies and extracurricular activities, and also dictate what the child should do. Imposing your own dreams on your children is never right, and the book brings this out wisely. This lesson is more for the parents who might read the book, but it is still a worthy one.
♫ The details about Judaism and some of its rituals and beliefs. Also a glimpse of the Jewish experiences during WWII. Authentic portrayals are always welcome!
♫ The depiction of Rosie’s synaesthesia. Very realistically written! I couldn’t help contrast it with the portrayal of the same ability in the adult fiction novel ‘Hester’, which went so over the top.
♫ The author's note at the end, which reveals her writing choices for this story. I was not surprised to learn that the author is also Jewish, but I sure didn’t expect her to have synaesthesia! No wonder it felt so authentic in the story!
♫ A shoutout to the stunning cover and backcover!
Bookish Mixed Bags:
♬ The writing casually includes several terms related to the violin and classical music in general. It makes exceptional use of musical metaphors to convey Rosie’s feelings, and hence almost every scene has multiple musical references. However, this goes a bit overboard as well. Lines such as “I whisper pianissimo” or “A minor chord arpeggio thunders behind my ears” would make sense only to those readers who understand these terms. As I am aware of music, I got the cues without any problem, and I also accept that this kind of writing suits Rosie’s character. But will young readers understand such musical words? For example, if Rosie had been a baseball prodigy and used too many baseball idioms and terms, I know for certain I would have been lost! Comprehension gets affected when the writing becomes too technical.
♬ The portrayal of Rosie’s parents, especially of her mother, is a bit too one-noted. I wish the mother’s reasons for her behaviour had come out more clearly, but her character transitions are few and even those are abrupt. Moreover, there’s a scene where she loses her cool after Rosie invites strangers to her grandparents’ home without taking permission from any adult. I felt like her mother was completely justified in her anger, but she ended up depicted as the villain for a great part of the scene. Basically, her character development was good but it could have been better.
♬ There are too many themes, both major and minor, in the book: classical music, a grandparent with Alzheimer's, Judaism and Jewish beliefs, the Holocaust, intergenerational trauma, mental health issues, heartbreak caused by the death of a pet, broken friendship, minor character’s parent death due to cancer, first crush, pronoun preferences, good-touch-bad-touch and consent, improv acting, and to top it all, the time slip. While some of these themes are handled really well and I even appreciate each of these topics, I wish the book had focussed on some key areas rather than trying to cram so many important issues within a single story.
♬ The timeslip parts were the novelty of the book. Few MG novels, especially realistic ones, use time slip as a plot device, so kids might find this aspect almost magical. That said, there’s no explanation provided for the events, so if you want the reason for the events, that won’t happen. I do feel like the timeslip could have been better utilised as it felt too convenient at times, but no major complaints.
Bookish Nays:
♪ Personal preference: I never like middle-grade novels to delve too much into romances and crushes, though it might be realistic in today’s world. Rosie’s crush on one of the teens was annoying also because of the way it was written. Her constant references to the way she felt looking at him and when his arm brushed against her and how she was ‘smitten’ – it was too much for me. I remember having the same complaint in this author’s debut work ‘Aftermath’, but the idea is much more extended in this sophomore work. Those who have no issues with this topic in a middle-grade work can ignore this point.
♪ Rosie’s thoughts, especially wrt the timeslip, get somewhat repetitive at times.
All in all, despite the overload of themes and the silly crush, the story does leave a mark. I had loved ‘AfterMath’ a lot, so this falls slightly short of expectations, but it is still a thought-provoking read.
Recommended, but do look at the themes listed to see if something might be triggering for your child. This book would work better with discussions, so it could be a great addition to classroom libraries.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to Carolrhoda Books, Lerner Publishing Group and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Color of Sound”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
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Plot Preview:
Twelve-year-old Rosie is a musical prodigy, proficient in the violin since a very young age. Her synaesthesia allows her to see music in colours and she also has an eidetic memory for tunes. All this means that her life revolves around the violin and practices and performances and everything else that can help steer her towards becoming a concert violinist, as per her demanding mother’s wish. But Rosie has had enough, and in protest, she has not played the violin in more than two months.
When Rosie is forced to spend summer with her grandparents, she bumps into another girl hanging about their old garden shed. To her astonishment, she realises that this girl is her mother, but from when she was twelve years old. Can Rosie use this strange time conundrum to become closer to her mother and understand her better?
The story comes to us in Rosie’s first person perspective.
Bookish Yays:
♫ Every chapter starts with a classical music term and its definition, which is later applied to the chapter in some way or the other. Quite interesting!
♫ Rosie’s character detailing is mostly great. Her emotions feel mostly accurate for a twelve-year-old. I also liked Rosie’s grandfather and his dog Vienna. The book also has some older teen characters in minor roles, and for a change, their portrayal is entirely positive. Such a welcome relief to see good teens in a novel!
♫ The focus on the dedication and hard work required to find success in a hobby. Love the way it threw light on the efforts invested even by prodigies to achieve success.
♫ The highlight on negative parental pressure, when parents stress children too much for success in hobbies and extracurricular activities, and also dictate what the child should do. Imposing your own dreams on your children is never right, and the book brings this out wisely. This lesson is more for the parents who might read the book, but it is still a worthy one.
♫ The details about Judaism and some of its rituals and beliefs. Also a glimpse of the Jewish experiences during WWII. Authentic portrayals are always welcome!
♫ The depiction of Rosie’s synaesthesia. Very realistically written! I couldn’t help contrast it with the portrayal of the same ability in the adult fiction novel ‘Hester’, which went so over the top.
♫ The author's note at the end, which reveals her writing choices for this story. I was not surprised to learn that the author is also Jewish, but I sure didn’t expect her to have synaesthesia! No wonder it felt so authentic in the story!
♫ A shoutout to the stunning cover and backcover!
Bookish Mixed Bags:
♬ The writing casually includes several terms related to the violin and classical music in general. It makes exceptional use of musical metaphors to convey Rosie’s feelings, and hence almost every scene has multiple musical references. However, this goes a bit overboard as well. Lines such as “I whisper pianissimo” or “A minor chord arpeggio thunders behind my ears” would make sense only to those readers who understand these terms. As I am aware of music, I got the cues without any problem, and I also accept that this kind of writing suits Rosie’s character. But will young readers understand such musical words? For example, if Rosie had been a baseball prodigy and used too many baseball idioms and terms, I know for certain I would have been lost! Comprehension gets affected when the writing becomes too technical.
♬ The portrayal of Rosie’s parents, especially of her mother, is a bit too one-noted. I wish the mother’s reasons for her behaviour had come out more clearly, but her character transitions are few and even those are abrupt. Moreover, there’s a scene where she loses her cool after Rosie invites strangers to her grandparents’ home without taking permission from any adult. I felt like her mother was completely justified in her anger, but she ended up depicted as the villain for a great part of the scene. Basically, her character development was good but it could have been better.
♬ There are too many themes, both major and minor, in the book: classical music, a grandparent with Alzheimer's, Judaism and Jewish beliefs, the Holocaust, intergenerational trauma, mental health issues, heartbreak caused by the death of a pet, broken friendship, minor character’s parent death due to cancer, first crush, pronoun preferences, good-touch-bad-touch and consent, improv acting, and to top it all, the time slip. While some of these themes are handled really well and I even appreciate each of these topics, I wish the book had focussed on some key areas rather than trying to cram so many important issues within a single story.
♬ The timeslip parts were the novelty of the book. Few MG novels, especially realistic ones, use time slip as a plot device, so kids might find this aspect almost magical. That said, there’s no explanation provided for the events, so if you want the reason for the events, that won’t happen. I do feel like the timeslip could have been better utilised as it felt too convenient at times, but no major complaints.
Bookish Nays:
♪ Personal preference: I never like middle-grade novels to delve too much into romances and crushes, though it might be realistic in today’s world. Rosie’s crush on one of the teens was annoying also because of the way it was written. Her constant references to the way she felt looking at him and when his arm brushed against her and how she was ‘smitten’ – it was too much for me. I remember having the same complaint in this author’s debut work ‘Aftermath’, but the idea is much more extended in this sophomore work. Those who have no issues with this topic in a middle-grade work can ignore this point.
♪ Rosie’s thoughts, especially wrt the timeslip, get somewhat repetitive at times.
All in all, despite the overload of themes and the silly crush, the story does leave a mark. I had loved ‘AfterMath’ a lot, so this falls slightly short of expectations, but it is still a thought-provoking read.
Recommended, but do look at the themes listed to see if something might be triggering for your child. This book would work better with discussions, so it could be a great addition to classroom libraries.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to Carolrhoda Books, Lerner Publishing Group and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Color of Sound”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
February 13, 2024
An utterly enjoyable, creative and heartwarming novel about a girl who sees the world in music and colors. It’s written for and accessible to middle grades, but I would recommend it to YA and adult audiences too. The writing and character development and dialogue and character growth are mature and top-notch.
More important than my reaction (as a book lover, a mom, and a former 5th grade teacher) is how this book grabbed my middle-grade son. I started reading it out loud and before long, he had taken the kindle out of my hands and I had to read over his and try to keep up as he tore through it.
At one point, he paused reading to say, “the author must also have this special ability because otherwise there’s no way they could have written about it with so much detail.” His teachers have been doing a great job building students’ awareness of neurodiversity and I think this book will be a fantastic addition to any middle school classroom library. It’s also simply about growing up looking for love and acceptance, pressures to be successful, learning about how people’s motivations and intentions can be good even if their impact is hurtful and how to navigate that.
The writing is beautiful, vibrant, and brings the reader into what it’s like to see colors and sounds and emotions in symphony:
I’m excited for the release of this book so I can share it widely with my son’s school and educator friends. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.
More important than my reaction (as a book lover, a mom, and a former 5th grade teacher) is how this book grabbed my middle-grade son. I started reading it out loud and before long, he had taken the kindle out of my hands and I had to read over his and try to keep up as he tore through it.
At one point, he paused reading to say, “the author must also have this special ability because otherwise there’s no way they could have written about it with so much detail.” His teachers have been doing a great job building students’ awareness of neurodiversity and I think this book will be a fantastic addition to any middle school classroom library. It’s also simply about growing up looking for love and acceptance, pressures to be successful, learning about how people’s motivations and intentions can be good even if their impact is hurtful and how to navigate that.
The writing is beautiful, vibrant, and brings the reader into what it’s like to see colors and sounds and emotions in symphony:
“But that day, she paused in the middle of the quad, the green of her eyes in perfect thirds above the grass below, and the glare of the sun hitting the fifth, creating a chord so achingly beautiful I had a hard time processing what Julianne was even saying at first.”
I’m excited for the release of this book so I can share it widely with my son’s school and educator friends. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.
November 17, 2023
A multilayered gem of a book about Rosie, a preteen violin prodigy with synesthesia, which lets her see music in colors. The author has the gift too and brings this form of neurodiversity to vivid life.
There is so much depth in THE COLOR OF SOUND: family secrets and conflict, the generational trauma of the Holocaust, what it means to truly connect, what it means to be oneself. Highly recommended for YA readers 11-14 and adults who love beautifully spun stories.
There is so much depth in THE COLOR OF SOUND: family secrets and conflict, the generational trauma of the Holocaust, what it means to truly connect, what it means to be oneself. Highly recommended for YA readers 11-14 and adults who love beautifully spun stories.
March 15, 2024
*3.5
"The Color of Sound" was a very unique story about a violin prodigy with synthesia that chooses to stop playing her violin to discover what else she wants to do. There's discussion around mental health through the generations, the effects of the Holocaust, Jewish traditions, friendship, and synthesia in the real world. I think the time travel element was a bit too much for this kind of realistic fiction, but I like that the main character was able to see her mother through a different perspective because of it.
Overall, a sweet story about familial love, seeing the world through color, and re-learning to love what you love to do.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advanced reader's copy. All opinions are my own.
"The Color of Sound" was a very unique story about a violin prodigy with synthesia that chooses to stop playing her violin to discover what else she wants to do. There's discussion around mental health through the generations, the effects of the Holocaust, Jewish traditions, friendship, and synthesia in the real world. I think the time travel element was a bit too much for this kind of realistic fiction, but I like that the main character was able to see her mother through a different perspective because of it.
Overall, a sweet story about familial love, seeing the world through color, and re-learning to love what you love to do.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advanced reader's copy. All opinions are my own.
January 14, 2025
Personally I reacted to this as a 1 star book, because so many basic things about classical music are wrong (soundboard vs fingerboard, Baroque string quartets, a Bach symphony, are only the most egregious.) What’s worse nothing about the book required Rosie to be a musical genius at the level she is inconsistently portrayed as, which then forces the author to have to write credibly about music and musicians, which she does not. It would’ve been better and more than enough to have been a talented violinist. (If Rosie was really doing some of the things the author says, then no way would she also be playing in a youth orchestra.) But I am giving an extra star because the music illiteracy won’t bother other people this much, and beneath it is a decent story about a mother and daughter and family history with an intriguing meeting-your-mother-as-a-I child hook. I am also not sold on conveyance of synesthesia. It read similarly to a 2018 book, Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World, where the character was always saying what color something would be, and it straitjacketed the writing. It’s doubly a problem here since not only is a color always being ascribed but a musical term as well.
September 20, 2025
Rosie is a violin prodigy, but as this book opens she has gone on strike. She is tired of having no life outside the violin, and of the pressure her parents put on her. She feels as if to most people she is nothing but a brain and some arms attached to a violin, and she wants to explore Other possibilities for her life and develop other interests. This is a beautiful book, and the writing is very sensory. Rosie is profoundly synesthetic and also possibly neurodivergent in other ways, so all of her senses trigger one another and this is reflected in the gorgeous writing. The story deals with themes of intergenerational trauma and growing up with a controlling stage parent, but these subjects are handled in a light age-appropriate way that will make sense to young readers. The book also deals with illness and the loss of a loved one, but that is handled in a way that is healthy and realistic rather than morbid. It opens the way for Rosie to explore her family's Jewish heritage and traditions, as well as to develop a new closeness with her grandpa. I especially recommend this to gifted kids because they will relate to some of Rosie's issues, as well as artistic kids and those who enjoy writing. I think this will also resonate with kids slightly older than the intended audience.
I do think diversity is handled with a bit of a heavy-handed emphasis here with the supporting characters. There is one black person, one person with the disability, someone who uses alternative pronouns, one gay character, and someone of Asian descent. I'm not objecting to actual diversity, just to representation that feels obligatory and in authentic. But that's just a small quibble I have with a book that I enjoyed very much over all. I especially like the way neurodivergence is portrayed; it often has positive aspects alongside the deficits, and it's nice to see that represented here.
I do think diversity is handled with a bit of a heavy-handed emphasis here with the supporting characters. There is one black person, one person with the disability, someone who uses alternative pronouns, one gay character, and someone of Asian descent. I'm not objecting to actual diversity, just to representation that feels obligatory and in authentic. But that's just a small quibble I have with a book that I enjoyed very much over all. I especially like the way neurodivergence is portrayed; it often has positive aspects alongside the deficits, and it's nice to see that represented here.
December 21, 2024
What a beautiful story! About music and grief and family and synethesia and the Holocaust and so much more. Of all of the Newbery contenders I have read this year so far, this one feels the strongest and most Newbery-esque. Just gorgeous, while remaining accessible for the audience it was written for.
Source: Sora ebook via WSDLC
Source: Sora ebook via WSDLC
February 4, 2024
So much to love about this book! Rosie is a violin prodigy whose whole life has revolved around refining this skill from the time she was very young, but this summer going into 7th grade, she quit entirely and her parents aren’t sure what that means for any of them. Maybe if they would stop structuring her life for her and just listen, they all could figure out what more there is to Rosie. A trip to her grandparents’ Connecticut home, necessitated by Grandma Florence’s imminent death, proves to be the start of changes for all of them. Isler’s book includes topics such as controlling parents, poor communication, loss of a family member, the trouble with secrets, Jewish heritage and the Holocaust, the neurodivergence called synesthesia, forgiveness, friendship and being present when someone needs to be heard. While that might seem like too much for one book, Isler composes her story smoothly and uses Rosie’s music and musical vocabulary to do it. Each chapter begins with a musical term (defined) that sets the theme and fluidly blends all those themes in one great harmony, much like Joanne Fritz’s excellent NIV Everywhere Blue. Readers will need to have tissue handy by chapter 15! Text is free of profanity, violence and sexual content.
Representation: Rosie’s family is Jewish and that fact is pertinent to the plot but other races and ethnicities are not clearly defined; Rosie’s best friend Julianne keeps crushing on girls in their class and while her crushes are an important factor in their friendship woes, the fact that they are on girls is not a big issue; neurodivergence
Pairs with: Everywhere Blue (Joanne R Fritz), Miracle (Karen Chow), Duet (Elise Broach)
Final verdict? A must-have for libraries serving those in grades 5-8.
Thanks for the eARC, NetGalley.
Representation: Rosie’s family is Jewish and that fact is pertinent to the plot but other races and ethnicities are not clearly defined; Rosie’s best friend Julianne keeps crushing on girls in their class and while her crushes are an important factor in their friendship woes, the fact that they are on girls is not a big issue; neurodivergence
Pairs with: Everywhere Blue (Joanne R Fritz), Miracle (Karen Chow), Duet (Elise Broach)
Final verdict? A must-have for libraries serving those in grades 5-8.
Thanks for the eARC, NetGalley.
January 6, 2024
This book is beautifully written. Showing how Rosie can acquire the knowledge to listen and play music through colors. During the summer, she took a break from playing the violin. Rosie came across a younger version of her mother. Knowing that there’s something more about the family’s history.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and write a review.
Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and write a review.
notes-on-unfinished-books
June 25, 2024I read the first chapter.
Sigh. Another synesthesia book. This seems like a go-to topic for people who want to be quirky. The synesthesia elements were written reasonable well. I was more interested in the problem of a child with a gift for music who was trying not to be defined by that gift.
Sigh. Another synesthesia book. This seems like a go-to topic for people who want to be quirky. The synesthesia elements were written reasonable well. I was more interested in the problem of a child with a gift for music who was trying not to be defined by that gift.
April 14, 2024
A beautiful coming of age story showing how the generation "disability" of synesthesia weaves generations of a broken family together into a masterpiece.
Author Emily Barth Isler uses her experiences of synesthesia and sandwich generation to tell a story worth reading by tweens, teens, and parents.
Author Emily Barth Isler uses her experiences of synesthesia and sandwich generation to tell a story worth reading by tweens, teens, and parents.
December 1, 2023
This book was so good! I loved reading about how the main character slowly learned to be comfortable playing her instrument and learned about herself. The ending was AMAZING!
February 9, 2024
This was a very great book! I think it was really clever and captivating! At the very very beginning I almost stopped reading, but shortly after that I couldn’t put my kindle down. (I also hope it gets published soon because I want to get a copy for my 4th grade teacher)
March 30, 2024
The Color of Sound is a symphony of ideas that will reach both young and old. Isler’s carefully crafted plot resembles a finely tuned instrument, and the exploration of many themes creates a medley of ideas.
The title comes from the fact that the main character has synesthesia, which allows her to see music in colors. Rosie is a violin prodigy who has spent practically every waking moment outside of school dedicated to her violin career. Her mother has micromanaged her career and Rosie has no time to do anything that a normal child would do. She has no time for other activities, no time for her friends, no time for herself. She receives attention because of her talent and achievements; however, she doesn’t feel that anyone sees her for herself. Rosie has decided to stop playing her violin for a while and explore other options.
As she fights with her parents about this behavior, she also visits her grandparents to spend time with her dying grandmother. When she stumbles onto another youngster in the backyard, she realizes that she has befriended her mother when she was a twelve-year-old. Rosie uses the time glitch to get to know her mother better and she discovers secrets about the family in the process. Over the summer, she begins to learn more about herself as well.
The main character is Jewish and the Jewish and neurodiversity representation show readers a glimpse into those worlds. Some of the Jewish traditions and holocaust history do play a part in the plot. But this story is also a universal one that explores many issues that youngsters from all backgrounds face. Although it may be more likely to be in sports or academics, many youngsters feel pressure to perform. Many children will feel that well-meaning parents who are stressing activities that are good for them but are not listening to what the child really wants. The story also explores death of a loved one and what it means to be a good friend. I had early access to this book from Carolrhoda Books through NetGalley. I can honestly recommend this fantastic novel to anyone over ten. It is a moving tale about finding oneself as they grow up. Although aimed at youngsters, teens and adults will enjoy this book as well.
The title comes from the fact that the main character has synesthesia, which allows her to see music in colors. Rosie is a violin prodigy who has spent practically every waking moment outside of school dedicated to her violin career. Her mother has micromanaged her career and Rosie has no time to do anything that a normal child would do. She has no time for other activities, no time for her friends, no time for herself. She receives attention because of her talent and achievements; however, she doesn’t feel that anyone sees her for herself. Rosie has decided to stop playing her violin for a while and explore other options.
As she fights with her parents about this behavior, she also visits her grandparents to spend time with her dying grandmother. When she stumbles onto another youngster in the backyard, she realizes that she has befriended her mother when she was a twelve-year-old. Rosie uses the time glitch to get to know her mother better and she discovers secrets about the family in the process. Over the summer, she begins to learn more about herself as well.
The main character is Jewish and the Jewish and neurodiversity representation show readers a glimpse into those worlds. Some of the Jewish traditions and holocaust history do play a part in the plot. But this story is also a universal one that explores many issues that youngsters from all backgrounds face. Although it may be more likely to be in sports or academics, many youngsters feel pressure to perform. Many children will feel that well-meaning parents who are stressing activities that are good for them but are not listening to what the child really wants. The story also explores death of a loved one and what it means to be a good friend. I had early access to this book from Carolrhoda Books through NetGalley. I can honestly recommend this fantastic novel to anyone over ten. It is a moving tale about finding oneself as they grow up. Although aimed at youngsters, teens and adults will enjoy this book as well.
March 20, 2024
The author shares how much she knows about so many fields. From the flower motifs, to the music, the synesthesia, and many aspects of Judaism. Not to mention the time glitch adding the speculative element to an otherwise realistic book. I could not put it down.
May 30, 2025
I started this book casually but found myself really involved in the story. While I cannot completely relate to Rosie’s love of and involvement in music, being deaf now, I did have some piano as a kid so could follow along. I found it fascinating how little Rosie knew of her mother’s family history, seeing how much time she spends with her mother in her life. I’m not sure Rosie knew the reasons for her strike when she started it, and that self discovery took time and was interesting growth. The time slip was interesting but is a device only to give Rosie information she couldn’t get otherwise. This cannot be considered sci fi at all.
The generational trauma of the Holocaust is the real theme of this story and very well done! Rosie is barely aware she is Jewish, and slowly learns about her family’s involvement in it over the summer.
I really enjoyed this. Recommended for kids you suspect have overbearing parents; love music; perhaps kids who don’t see the point of family traditions; or kids with synesthesia or are neurodivergent or know one and are curious.
The generational trauma of the Holocaust is the real theme of this story and very well done! Rosie is barely aware she is Jewish, and slowly learns about her family’s involvement in it over the summer.
I really enjoyed this. Recommended for kids you suspect have overbearing parents; love music; perhaps kids who don’t see the point of family traditions; or kids with synesthesia or are neurodivergent or know one and are curious.
May 1, 2024
I thought this book did a few things really wonderfully: explaining music to a non-prodigy and explaining synesthesia to someone who doesn’t have it. I thought the language surrounding the sounds that Rosie saw was truly beautiful and never overdone. Each unique sound had a color that just felt right. I really enjoyed seeing Rosie learn to love music again on her own terms and I was very glad to see that she stuck to her guns, so to speak, and didn’t give up and go back to the violin just to appease her mom. Seeing her mom realize that she needed to let Rosie be a kid and let things be different for her was truly so thought-provoking and hopeful. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this read.
February 9, 2025
A very unique, beautiful story.
February 9, 2024
Thank you to Carolrhoda Books for letting me read an ARC of this book through NetGalley!
The Color of Sound
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 6.57/10 overall
Characters - 6
Personally, I felt like beside the main character, Rosie, the characters weren't fleshed out enough. While the story was mainly about personal growth it would have been nice for the rest of the characters to feel more realistic as well.
Atmosphere - 7
It was clear that a lot of thought into telling the story from Rosie's eyes and I enjoyed learning more about the experience of synesthesia from a first person point of view. However, there were some parts that I would have liked a bit more description on.
Writing - 7
I don't really have anything to say about the writing. It was decent, but it didn't stand out much to me.
Plot - 7
The plot was interesting and easy to follow. Everything wrapped up nicely and there were no noticeable lose ends, but it didn't really produce an impact. As much as Rosie grew and learned more about what she wanted to do with her life, parts of the plot deviated from that central idea and seemed unnecessary to include.
Intrigue - 7
The description and the cover drew me in and made me intrigued enough to read this book. I was continually interested in the story, but not to the extent that I "couldn't put the book down".
Logic - 6
The book was reasonably logical, but I felt like the time travel part was inessential and disjointed to the rest of the story. Rosie easily could have learned more about her mother's past in a different, less confusing way, especially since the time travel element didn't have the same vibe as the rest of the plot.
Enjoyment - 6
I enjoyed parts of this book and I can tell that a lot of work went into developing Rosie as a character, but this book wasn't very memorable to me.
The Color of Sound
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 6.57/10 overall
Characters - 6
Personally, I felt like beside the main character, Rosie, the characters weren't fleshed out enough. While the story was mainly about personal growth it would have been nice for the rest of the characters to feel more realistic as well.
Atmosphere - 7
It was clear that a lot of thought into telling the story from Rosie's eyes and I enjoyed learning more about the experience of synesthesia from a first person point of view. However, there were some parts that I would have liked a bit more description on.
Writing - 7
I don't really have anything to say about the writing. It was decent, but it didn't stand out much to me.
Plot - 7
The plot was interesting and easy to follow. Everything wrapped up nicely and there were no noticeable lose ends, but it didn't really produce an impact. As much as Rosie grew and learned more about what she wanted to do with her life, parts of the plot deviated from that central idea and seemed unnecessary to include.
Intrigue - 7
The description and the cover drew me in and made me intrigued enough to read this book. I was continually interested in the story, but not to the extent that I "couldn't put the book down".
Logic - 6
The book was reasonably logical, but I felt like the time travel part was inessential and disjointed to the rest of the story. Rosie easily could have learned more about her mother's past in a different, less confusing way, especially since the time travel element didn't have the same vibe as the rest of the plot.
Enjoyment - 6
I enjoyed parts of this book and I can tell that a lot of work went into developing Rosie as a character, but this book wasn't very memorable to me.
February 17, 2024
Rosie is a young girl who is a music prodigy. She has synesthesia which allows her to see the music in color. Her parents always push her to practice and perform a lot and she has had enough. She is on a music strike and visiting her grandparents for the summer. Her grandma is dying and Rosie isn’t very familiar with her grandparents. She somehow becomes friends with her 12 year old mom. She starts to understand her mom more and she also starts to investigate her Jewish heritage as well.
I really liked this book! I loved the different music references and knowledge throughout. You really connect with a feel for Rosie. She has a complicated relationship with her parents and I feel like it’s relatable for kids who have parents who push them. It’s nice to see Rosie grow and learn and connect better with her grandpa and mom. I loved the time travel aspect. She is able to understand and connect with her mom a lot better. I feel like synesthesia is not talked about a lot so it was nice to see it represented in this book. I also enjoyed reading about some of the Jewish traditions and heritage as well.
I think this is a sweet middle grade about a girl finding herself and connecting with her parents. I would widely recommend this one! Thanks so much to netgalley and Lerner Publishing Group, Carolrhoda Books ® for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I really liked this book! I loved the different music references and knowledge throughout. You really connect with a feel for Rosie. She has a complicated relationship with her parents and I feel like it’s relatable for kids who have parents who push them. It’s nice to see Rosie grow and learn and connect better with her grandpa and mom. I loved the time travel aspect. She is able to understand and connect with her mom a lot better. I feel like synesthesia is not talked about a lot so it was nice to see it represented in this book. I also enjoyed reading about some of the Jewish traditions and heritage as well.
I think this is a sweet middle grade about a girl finding herself and connecting with her parents. I would widely recommend this one! Thanks so much to netgalley and Lerner Publishing Group, Carolrhoda Books ® for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
March 6, 2024
What a beautiful book! Emily Barth Isler has completely captured the experience of what it's like for kids to have pressure from parents who treat them like a mirror, and the powerlessness the child feels when trying to resist and say, "No, I'm sorry, I am my own person, and I'm not sure I want this." This is particularly true with kids who are prodigies, especially music prodigies. I was a music prodigy, and playing my instrument eventually became like eating broccoli--something I was supposed to do, not something I could do for fun. Emily manages to epitomize this experience so that children who experience what I did can absolutely see themselves in the narrative. Emily also does such a good job of stinging together sentences in a way that is not only beautiful, and meaningful, but digestible for a middle grade audience. I haven't seen much synesthesia representation, particularly in middle grade, so this bookalso fills a nice niche. Mostly, it offers a wonderful escape while also confronting very real issues that kids have to deal with, particularly regarding relationships with family, and the ending is very satisfying. This book absolutely belongs on any and all library shelves!
December 19, 2023
“--I kept so much inside. I kept so much color to myself because I was scared of being too much” (p. 237). A musical prodigy, Rosie is too much – in a great way. This middle grade children’s fiction text is a smooth read. The reader moves through the pages on the musical notes of Rosie’s violin and her synesthesia, as she sees music – and the world – in colors.
This book moves through one girl’s summer – a summer where she boycotts her violin and subsequently her mom – in an attempt to figure out herself. There is a satisfying ending in what she finds out about her family (no spoiler, but Shanna is a great character addition!) and herself as she makes new friends and rekindles old ones.
This is a well-crafted text that will appeal to young readers, musicians, and individuals trying to figure out complex familial relationships. Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC! With a March 5, 2024, release, this needs to be a must-read!
This book moves through one girl’s summer – a summer where she boycotts her violin and subsequently her mom – in an attempt to figure out herself. There is a satisfying ending in what she finds out about her family (no spoiler, but Shanna is a great character addition!) and herself as she makes new friends and rekindles old ones.
This is a well-crafted text that will appeal to young readers, musicians, and individuals trying to figure out complex familial relationships. Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC! With a March 5, 2024, release, this needs to be a must-read!
November 19, 2023
This is a beautiful emotional middlegrade about a twelve-year-old violin prodigy with synesthesia. The way the author uses this to connect and homage the family is one of the most beautiful chapters I've read.
Sometimes middle-grade books are not just to help children cope with changes and how hard it is to be this age, sometimes they are the perfect tools for parents who micromanage or force a child down a path thinking they are doing the best for their children. These books become wonderful windows into both sides of the story and experience (child and parents' feelings and issues).
I love that Rosie is curious about herself as an individual but also curious about her family history, culture, and religion. Her growth as a person was very positive and inspiring.
Explores themes such as: what it means to be a good friend, identifying being selfish or not, connection with family (different generations), abandoning ego, self-centered perspective of the world, and acknowledging others as people with their pain or joy. Self-discovery, Jewish family, holocaust memories, loss of a family member, learning to apologize at the right time. Being brave and honest. Synesthesia, classical music.
The best lesson here is compromise, a healthy balance, and mutual respect.
Thank you publisher and Netgalley for this e-ARC.
Sometimes middle-grade books are not just to help children cope with changes and how hard it is to be this age, sometimes they are the perfect tools for parents who micromanage or force a child down a path thinking they are doing the best for their children. These books become wonderful windows into both sides of the story and experience (child and parents' feelings and issues).
I love that Rosie is curious about herself as an individual but also curious about her family history, culture, and religion. Her growth as a person was very positive and inspiring.
Explores themes such as: what it means to be a good friend, identifying being selfish or not, connection with family (different generations), abandoning ego, self-centered perspective of the world, and acknowledging others as people with their pain or joy. Self-discovery, Jewish family, holocaust memories, loss of a family member, learning to apologize at the right time. Being brave and honest. Synesthesia, classical music.
The best lesson here is compromise, a healthy balance, and mutual respect.
Thank you publisher and Netgalley for this e-ARC.
February 16, 2024
Our main character, Rosie, a violin prodigy, is on a violin strike the summer before her 7th grade year when she and her mom leave home to help care for her dying grandmother. Rosie feels like they can’t possibly see eye to eye when Rosie encounters a girl who she’s pretty sure is the 12 year old version of her mother.
The perspectives and storyline in The Color of Sound are so unique. I mean, have you ever read a novel about a Jewish protagonist with synesthesia who (possibly) time travels? What I really enjoyed about this book was how it wove these interesting elements with the super relatable theme of family.
In my opinion, a good read aloud book needs to make kids want to learn more. I can totally see reading this to a class (grades 3-7, maybe) and going down a rabbit hole into Jewish culture, synesthesia, classical music, or even improv acting. It would be so fun!
Thanks to #NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for this ARC.
The perspectives and storyline in The Color of Sound are so unique. I mean, have you ever read a novel about a Jewish protagonist with synesthesia who (possibly) time travels? What I really enjoyed about this book was how it wove these interesting elements with the super relatable theme of family.
In my opinion, a good read aloud book needs to make kids want to learn more. I can totally see reading this to a class (grades 3-7, maybe) and going down a rabbit hole into Jewish culture, synesthesia, classical music, or even improv acting. It would be so fun!
Thanks to #NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for this ARC.
March 6, 2024
The Color of Sound is a work of art, to me. I was swept away into Rosie's world, into her attempts to be more than just the girl with a violin.
Ever since she went on her violin strike, shortly after her best friend ended things, Rosie has been trying to determine who she is, what it's like to be a normal girl instead of a musical prodigy, and how to connect to both her world and what future she wants as well as how to connect to a family she barely knows.
Rosie and her mother are spending six weeks at her grandparents this summer. Through the magic of a shed that connects across time to when Rosie's mother Shoshanna was her age, and the more contemporary magic of observing an improv class, Rosie's summer certainly won't be boring.
I adored the magical prose - both the author's writing itself as well as Rosie's synesthesia and how she experiences life because of it. The exploration of grief, identity, and generational trauma are deftly woven into a symphony.
I absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a little magical realism in their middle grade fiction.
5 star sweep.
Ever since she went on her violin strike, shortly after her best friend ended things, Rosie has been trying to determine who she is, what it's like to be a normal girl instead of a musical prodigy, and how to connect to both her world and what future she wants as well as how to connect to a family she barely knows.
Rosie and her mother are spending six weeks at her grandparents this summer. Through the magic of a shed that connects across time to when Rosie's mother Shoshanna was her age, and the more contemporary magic of observing an improv class, Rosie's summer certainly won't be boring.
I adored the magical prose - both the author's writing itself as well as Rosie's synesthesia and how she experiences life because of it. The exploration of grief, identity, and generational trauma are deftly woven into a symphony.
I absolutely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a little magical realism in their middle grade fiction.
5 star sweep.
December 15, 2024
I found this book to be enjoyable and moving. The book follows Rosie and her summer strike from playing the violin- causing a lot of conflict between her and her Mother. Rosie spends the summer trying to find out who she is without the instrument, while connecting with a 12 year old version of her Mother to find answers about her family.
This book attempts to explore multiple themes- inter generational trauma, family, and grief. It handles these ideas with grace and care, obviously a lot of love was put into writing this story. However, there are almost too many ideas shoved into this book and I feel that some could have been removed. The biggest problem for me was the time travel aspect itself, which I feel was clunky and did not do much to actually help the narrative. The story would have been better without it and it just felt out of place, even though it was the central idea of the plot.
Despite that issue, I think there is a lot to love about this book and would highly recommend it.
This book attempts to explore multiple themes- inter generational trauma, family, and grief. It handles these ideas with grace and care, obviously a lot of love was put into writing this story. However, there are almost too many ideas shoved into this book and I feel that some could have been removed. The biggest problem for me was the time travel aspect itself, which I feel was clunky and did not do much to actually help the narrative. The story would have been better without it and it just felt out of place, even though it was the central idea of the plot.
Despite that issue, I think there is a lot to love about this book and would highly recommend it.
April 2, 2024
a really absorbing book about Rosie, a girl whose mother is determined not to let her tremendous musical talent be neglected in any way whatsoever. Rosie decides to go on strike and stop playing, so she can make space to find out who she is outside of music. There's a lot about family, memory, and music (even though Rosie only plays three times in the book), and as a bonus, there's time slip fantasy too. I knocked off 1 star because Rosie's mother is rather horrible for most of the book and it's not at all clear why she is the way she is and not believable that she changes so much at the end of the story.
April 24, 2024
There are few books where you feel as though the author pours their heart into their writing. This is one of those novels. It tells the story of a young girl who is a violin prodigy and has synesthesia (the ability to see sounds as colors). Along the way, she starts to realize that she does not know who is she is outside of her violin and takes a break from playing/practicing while visiting her grandparents. Away from her instrument (and the fact that she can visit with a younger version of her own mother), she discovers herself and the history of her family. I thought this was a beautiful novel and I am excited to share it with my students. (And while I love seeing my name in books, Sascha is described as "short", "fat" and "blonde"..2 out of 3 is not so bad. lol)
Read
January 11, 2024*not rating*
This was such a creative and multilayered story about a twelve-year-old discovering her true self through self-growth. I was very much enjoying this story and loved the multilayered narrative. Rosie is a violin player who has synesthesia, therefore she can see music in colors. I thought the story was absolutely brilliant and unique, it was quick with the family secrets & conflicts. This would be the perfect read for a young reader!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with access to read this book!
This was such a creative and multilayered story about a twelve-year-old discovering her true self through self-growth. I was very much enjoying this story and loved the multilayered narrative. Rosie is a violin player who has synesthesia, therefore she can see music in colors. I thought the story was absolutely brilliant and unique, it was quick with the family secrets & conflicts. This would be the perfect read for a young reader!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with access to read this book!
March 25, 2024
An absolutely wonderful and unique coming-of-age story
This lovely coming-of-age tale is absolutely pitch perfect. Emily Barth Isler packed layers upon layer of history, intergenerational dynamics, and complex emotions into this book, yet the story flowed easily and naturally. Isler has a good ear for the middle-grade voice and I will definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for their next kidlit read.
This lovely coming-of-age tale is absolutely pitch perfect. Emily Barth Isler packed layers upon layer of history, intergenerational dynamics, and complex emotions into this book, yet the story flowed easily and naturally. Isler has a good ear for the middle-grade voice and I will definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for their next kidlit read.
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