Breakout

by Kevin Emerson

When Anthony's angst-ridden rock 'n' roll lyrics go viral, he's unwittingly cast as the school rebel. The truth is, he's not trying to be anyone's hero.

Anthony Castillo needs a new life.  His teachers are clueless autocrats except for Mr. Darren, who’s in charge of the rock band program. The girls at school are either shallow cutebots or out of his league. And his parents mean well, but they just make things worse. It’s as if Anthony is stuck on the bottom level of his favorite video game, Liberation Force 4.5. Except there is no secret escape tunnel and definitely no cheat code. 

Fed up, pissed off, and feeling trapped, Anthony writes his first song for his rock band, the Rusty Soles. His only problem: Arts Night. If he exercises his right to free speech and sings his original lyrics—where his own bombs will drop—he and his band will be through. 

The clock is ticking. Time for Anthony to pick his battles and decide what’s really worth fighting for.

Praise for BREAKOUT
“Emerson captures the heady mixture of pride, vulnerability, amazement, and fear Anthony feels in having created something of personal significance that, once public, takes on a life of its own.” –Publishers Weekly
 
“A funny, perceptive book.” –Booklist
 
“The narrative momentum keeps readers invested in Anthony's moral conundrum.” –Kirkus Reviews
 
“A solid coming-of-age tale that younger readers will pick up for its emotion and shades of rock and roll.” –School Library Journal
 
“Anthony’s narrative voice is the very real cri de coeur of every middle-school boy who feels as though his real talents are being underserved by the school curriculum.” –The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Music, School, Self Esteem, Health, Friendship

Audio

First published February 24, 2015

About the author

Author of sixteen novels for children and young adults, most recently LAST DAY ON MARS, BREAKOUT, and the ATLANTEANS series. His books have been published in ten different countries. Formerly a science teacher and a creative writing teacher, Kevin is also a singer and drummer. He has won a spelling bee, lost a beauty pageant, and once appeared in a Swedish TV commercial.

Reviews

[Sean Beaudoin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a relief! This book is like a crisp peach sherbet on a summer day. While listening to Black Sabbath. It really moves, fast and funny. No boring set-up, no endless exposition or writerly affectations. Dude writes a song that's got some curses in it. How to reconcile? Done. Spot-on band stuff and musical observations throughout, girls and angst, but not belabored. Breakout is fun. A fun book with male characters! It's gonna start a trend.

[Hayden Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

that was friggin' adorable!

[Sean Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The theme of Breakout is to never give up. Anthony Castillo could have easily given up when their lead singer was suspended and they couldn't sing at the concert or when his teachers kept getting mad at him for little things. But he didn't. Anthony didn't give up and he ended up making a hit song. Anthony put up with what his teachers were doing. Anthony didn't give up and that helped him and his band.

[Mary BookHounds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthony is having growing pains, massive eighth grade pains, not quite a teen but definitely out of childhood He has experienced his first kiss and breakup and feels no one understands him. He is a bit overwight and is prediabetic, so he can't indulge like a normal teen. The teachers at his school seem to be against him and he can't help himself and acts out in rebellion. The only true high point in his life is a rock band class that meets after school. With his best friend and bass player, Keenan, he joins Valerie, the drummer and Sarah the singer. They hope to play at the school talent show and can't seem to get the act together.

As the singer gets suspended, the other three members are forced to find an alternative for a singer. While at his breaking point, Anthony puts his anger into words and writes a song called "Breakout" that sums up all of his angst. It ends with an expletive that is typical of a boy that age. When his friend loads up the song to a band site, it starts to get hits and becomes a mini sensation at the school.

For all this book has going for it, the whole thing just feels a bit flat. I didn't really get any tension building up for the first third of the book and it wasn't until the last 50 pages that everything came together. The characters all worked well together but I just wasn't that into them. Anthony could have been a bit more sympathetic but was a bit too whiney for me.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

Initial thoughts: Generally I prefer protagonists who are a little older — 16 and up, so this eight grade protagonist was on the young side. Nonetheless, I enjoyed listening to this book. For one, Anthony was a pretty witty. For another, it was very deeply rooted in music and what it means to maintain artistic integrity. The plot was simple yet kept good pace. There were highs and lows and it was very evident that the matters at hand were important to Anthony. The debate over allowing children swear as a form of honest expression was somewhat long-drawn though reminiscent of the rage some of my 7th and 8th grade classmates expressed when I was younger.

Aside from that, Kevin Emerson crafted a well-rounded teen boy. He had to take of his health as he had pre-type-2 diabetes and was overweight. His diet choices and fitness classes were documented on the side, which balanced his anger issues over being misunderstood by his parents and teachers. His friendships were complicated and confusing too, adding another layer to the confusing age that 14 can be.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, I have to acknowledge my full awareness that I am not the intended audience for this book. A middle school reluctant reader would probably rate it much higher, and I understand why.
That being said, I just couldn't get into a book where we spent the entire story debating whether or not to shout out the F-word at a middle school talent show. I was equal parts bored and too "grown up" to ever take the side of the student as he lamented being treated like a baby and censored by the evil principal and teachers. I just kept thinking, no, it would be wrong, period. It was for a middle. school. performance. A totally different issue than if they were singing off-campus somewhere. IMO.

[Megan Tonn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing novel by Kevin Emerson. The protagonist's voice has me re-thinking some of my students - the ones who are similar to Anthony. It reminds us, as adults and teachers, that our students have gifts and talents that sometimes don't always come out in our classrooms. Breakout also encourages conversation about the power of words, and why we regard words the way we do. A beautiful book that will get you thinking about more than just the plot.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on the importance of words and how they are used. Great read for middle and high school boys and music lovers!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, a book that captures the brain of an 8th grade boy. Now I get it! Anthony is a decent kid, who sometimes gets in trouble (mainly due to his big mouth), has decent friends (including an on and off again girlfriend), and a loving family (though mom is a bit obsessed over his grades and his weight). His passion is music, and he meets after school with his bandmates and a teacher to compose and perform original rock songs. After a couple of truly awful days, Anthony ends up alone in his bedroom, where his building frustration comes out in expressive (and R-rated) lyrics that he sets to music and sends to buddy Keenan without a second thought. Much to his surprise, Keenan posts the song to a social media site where it goes viral, potentially changing Anthony's life forever.

[Mark Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely catches the voice of an eighth grader. Anthony's dilemma is palpable. I liked how I didn't know what he was going to do until he did it. The tension builds as the song unfolds. This book was challenging to get into. I think it's because I have difficulty relating to all of the negativity surrounding this kid and his life. He is so self focused! I had to keep reminding myself that he is a teenager. This makes the actions/thoughts realistic, but did not alleviate my discomfort. I would give this book to boys seventh grade and up.

[Zach Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great easy fun read, especially as a former eighth grade teacher myself. I’ve taught plenty of Anthony’s and I could relate to his struggles. The author does a great job of showcasing his emotions and inner monologues. Great book!

[Sarah Donovan · Rating 3 out of 5]

censorship, music, friendship, authority, 8th grade

[Viva · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was easy to read and follow. I got into it right away. I would recommend this book to any middle schooler who is interested in bands.

I got this as a free ARC.

[Liz Friend · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story: Life would stink a lot less if Anthony could spend all his time playing with his band, the Rusty Soles, or moving up to the next level of Liberation Force, his favorite game. Mostly, though, he's stuck at school, doing (or not doing) stuff he doesn't care about, and getting in trouble more than he should. One night, grounded unfairly and raging at the system, Anthony writes and records a song, sends it to his bandmate Keenan, and next thing he knows, everyone he knows has heard those three F-bombs at the end. The band is supposed to sing the song at the upcoming Arts Night - will Anthony have the guts to sing it like it really is?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG-13 (lots of F***, like no one knows what that means); Violence G; Sexual content PG; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (adolescent angst, swearing) PG-13; overall rating PG-13.

Liz's comments: In reading the author's comments at the end, it becomes clear that he's writing about, and for, a certain subset of youth not generally represented in current YA fiction--probably because they're the ones least likely to ever get caught reading anything for any reason. While I acknowledge that kids like Anthony exist, reading about them and their ongoing, endless feelings of being oppressed by the establishment is just so tiresome, and so...1960s. The book takes 150 pages of actual story and spreads it over 300 pages of worrying about what everyone thinks, and wondering what he should do, and second- and third-guessing EVERYTHING. It'll work for some kids, one supposes, and help the rest of us be glad we're not that age anymore.

Annotation with spoilers:
The only good thing at Anthony's school is Rock Band Club, where he (guitarist), his buddy Keenan (bass player), Valerie (drummer), and Sadie (vocals) work with their faculty sponsor after school. Valerie, whom slightly-overweight Anthony thinks he might kinda like, invites him to hear a good band at a local venue, but instead, he ends up grounded for not turning in an assignment, and for being mouthy to his English teacher. Shut up in his room, boiling over with the unfairness of it all, Anthony finishes up a song he's been working on, and the final chorus features three F-bombs. He records the guitar and vocals, then sends the song to Keenan, who unbeknownst to him, adds bass and a canned drum track and then uploads it to BandSpaces, an online site where unknown bands can promote their stuff and people who like it can listen to or download it.

Over the weekend, more than 2,000 people have heard the song, and the kids are instant minor celebrities online and at school. They want to play the song at the upcoming Arts Night, but their teacher knows the rules and sets up a meeting with admin to see about the naughty words. Admin says NOPE--change the words, or don't play the song.

Anthony is very conflicted, of course, feeling like his artistic integrity is being challenged: the F word was the true dramatic substance of how he'd been feeling when he wrote the song. He agrees to change the words, but all along, he and Keenan are planning to go ahead and sing them as written during the performance, even though they know they'll probably end up getting suspended.

Skye (a former girlfriend of both of them) is really encouraging them to say the bad words. She promises that she'll get a huge group of students to stand up and sing along at the end, which will supposedly keep them out of trouble with admin. However, Anthony can tell that Valerie, the drummer, isn't comfortable with the swearing and wishes he wouldn't sing it. What's an artiste to do?

Anthony's inability to decide what to do continues right up to the last moment, when Skye and her friends are supposed to stand up and shout the F-word-laced refrain: and at that moment, he realizes all he needs to do is stay silent while the other kids yell. Except, it doesn't actually go that way: Skye and one friend get halfway through the first F-word phrase, and then, overwhelmed by the silence around them, falter. Anthony doesn't dish it out in the other two places, either, and is left with most of his fans feeling let down, and the rest being puzzled. He's angry at himself for being a coward, but is finally able to see that by not having to flame out, the band will be able to play in the spring concert and won't get kicked out of the Rock Band club. He realizes that he'll have other chances in his future to be true to his artistic self, and that sometimes it's okay to keep the longer-term picture in mind. Plus, he finally gets the change to maybe start moving forward with Valerie, which probably wouldn't have happened if he'd offended her father that night. So although life isn't perfect, at least he realizes that 8th grade can't really last forever, and that things might actually get better in the future.

[Stacy Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was read and reviewed by my co-worker, Emily:

Breakout is about an eighth grader named Anthony who is in a school rock band. When pressure from school, peers and parents finally brings him over the edge, he writes a song expressing exactly how he feels about it, called “Breakout.” The song is posted online and almost overnight becomes a hit with Anthony’s classmates and beyond, and the band plans on playing it for the upcoming school concert. The only problem is the f-words at the end.

What follows, in between Anthony’s whining about typical middle schooler problems, is a debate about swear words and self-expression—teachers and parents want him to simply change the words to make it appropriate for the concert, his peers like the song the way it is and pressure him to sing it anyway, even if it causes trouble, etc. In the end, after everyone has said their opinions on the matter, Anthony plays the song and stops singing at the f-word phrases, making a signal for the crowd to join in—like professionals do at real concerts. Nobody sings anything, so Anthony is able to avoid getting in trouble, but is also not completely bending to authority by changing the original words. The book ends with Anthony and his bandmates not really making a sure statement about swear words one way or the other, and looking forward to writing more songs and playing more concerts that don’t cause so much trouble.

The book is in first person POV, so the narrative is filled with uninspired descriptions of everyday middle school life, complete with a liberal sprinkling of “like”s and “totally”s. While this makes Anthony’s “voice” feel authentic, it also makes the writing feel amateurish and boring. The book is sectioned off first in days before the concert, and then there are many titled sub-sections in each of these days. Many of these “chapter breaks” don’t indicate any passage of time, or even a particular change in subject matter: the “chapter” called “Back to the Barracks” is about 1.5 pages about Anthony walking home, then there’s a huge blank space for a new title, “Daily Rations,” that covers him entering his house and his mother saying hello to him. The frequent army themes of these titles distracted me from what was actually going on in the story, and also brings me to my biggest complaint:

He describes everything in terms of Liberation Force, a shooter game set in WWII, but with zombies. Fights with his parents, playing his guitar, awkward conversations with girls, everything, is treated as a metaphor for the game, complete with a run-on sentence about how it’s like that one stage in the game where you’re fighting in the French countryside and blah, blah, blah. The concert, and not being fully prepared for it, was compared to the final battle in the game where a zombie-fied Hitler has surprise-attacked you and is eating you alive. By page 30, I felt I knew more about the game than I knew about the character. Also, since the book is supposed to be about making music, it seems odd that the main character focuses so much more on this game instead.

While nothing in the game is more explicit than your typical war/zombie movie violence, a few of his comparisons could be considered offensive for racial/historical reasons. The worst of these was his constant referring to school, his home life and his prediabetic diet as being in a stalag or a concentration camp, and his older family members dying from diabetes-related issues to being sent to a gas chamber.

Despite the theme being about swear words and getting parents and kids to talk about them, the few instances of the aforementioned f-words in the book are always asterisk-ed out, and there’s no other foul language. While the characters have dated/talk about dating, there’s no other mature content. Aside from the video game descriptions, there is no actual violence.

I personally didn’t like this, but maybe tweens and young teens would enjoy it, especially if they like video games and/or music.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something about this book that struck a chord with me as a middle school teacher. Anthony reminded me of students I have currently and had in the past who feel misunderstood by their teachers...and seeing events from his perspective makes me want to do better by them. For this reason, I think Breakout is a book that teachers should read (especially Emerson's author's note about the inspiration for this character).

Breakout will appeal to the boys in my classroom, but also some of the girls who want to get into the head of the boys and figure out what they're really thinking. But the best audience for this book will be the musicians or kids who feel misunderstood. They will relate to the main character and root for him as they go along on this twelve day journey with Anthony, to Arts Night when his band will play for the school, to figure out how to stand up for what he believes and be true to himself.

At it's heart, this is a book about perspectives and words and choices and wanting to be heard and being true to our feelings. That f-bomb word is a major factor in this book (although the actual word is never written out), but it's about so much more than just one polarizing word and a choice about whether to use it during a performance or not. The power of one word comes more from the intent behind it and the purpose for using it - it's about the emotion that caused that word to come out, as Anthony figures out and defends.

All of that being said, there were some specific references to things woven throughout that at times felt a little overused to me, but they did all end up connecting together at the end in a way that made sense. This could be more because I do not play video games, and so these references throughout would connect more with the intended teen audience who have more familiarity with them.

Kevin Emerson has again written a novel that is an ode to the music-loving teen, a call to action for teachers to understand their students, a story with universal themes of acceptance and finding one's own strength and figuring out what's right that will resonate with many readers, and rocking good writing that teens will relate to and devour.

Although Breakout is a different tone (and gender of main character) from Emerson's Exile, it is one to hand to students who enjoyed his writing and the music-centric elements.

*Disclaimer: I was given an advance copy of this book by the author for an honest opinion, but that did not influence my review.

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breakout is a young young adult novel that could almost be middle grade but there’s some stuff that’s definitely more mature than I would give my 10 year old. I guess age wise this is perfect for 12 year olds. However, it has subject matter that I can imagine some parents won’t be happy about so I can see how this is a tough one to get into the right hands. It reads as a younger YA but deals with some more mature stuff. However, I think it’s something that SO many junior high age kids will be able to relate to and connect with 100%.

Anthony is in 8th grade but he was held back one year so he *should* be in high school. In fact Anthony feels like everyone just treats him like a baby and being stuck in a school that is k-8 is really not helping his situation. When you are the oldest grade in a school with that many grades in it you are expected to be a role model. Use ‘school appropriate language’ and behavior. Anthony just feels torn up because he’s never able to really express himself.

Anthony is a very realistic kid and Kevin Emerson really was true to what it’s like. I mean I can think back to that age and Anthony’s behavior is spot on. He’s not well behaved. He struggles with following rules. He really wants to be heard. He dreams of being a famous musician but he can’t even use the words that express what he feels.

That’s where the f-word comes in. Anthony writes and sings a song and at the end is the f-word. It gets on the internet and he’s quickly an internet sensation (within reason, it’s not THAT big but he’s getting messages from people around the world). They love the song and say he really expresses what they feel. But he can’t play that song in the upcoming school show. At least not with the f-word. So he has a huge debate as to whether he should break the rules and be kicked out of rock band and be in big trouble, or if he should change them and make the adults happy.

I love, love, loved how the author approached this. Sure Anthony is a kid who is not seeing the other side of things. So his teachers, his parents, and other adults as well as one girl who he might kind of like, try to explain it to him why it’s a bad idea. Why he can still express himself without the bad word. You’ll have to read the book to find out what he does though.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eighth grader Anthony Castillo just can't catch a break. Not only is he dealing with his former girlfriend now dating his best friend and bandmate, Keenan, but his mother has him eating a healthy diet so he can avoid the possibly genetic health issues faced by other family members. All he really wants to do is play music for his band, the Rusty Soles, and move up levels in Liberation Force, his favorite video game. After a particularly frustrating day at school and at home, Anthony channels his emotions into a song. This is the first song he's ever written, and he peppers it with several F-bombs simply because they express the way he feels. When Keenan uploads it, the song and Anthony receive quite a lot of unexpected attention, not all of it complimentary. As the days tick down to the band's performance at the school's Arts Night, Anthony faces a dilemma: Should he clean up the lyrics to make them more palatable to the audience or stay true to his artistic vision--or is there some other way to handle the situation? I liked the honesty here as one youngster tries to do the right thing, but finds it hard to figure out what exactly that is, and I also liked Mr. Darren, who runs the rock band activity. The author nails perfectly the adulation that often comes to musicians for all the wrong reasons and describes a couple of guys trying to deal with a small measure of fame. Above all, the book explores what price may be paid for standing up for one' beliefs while also reminding readers that they had better be sure they know what it is that they believe. If the depiction of the Seattle middle grade social scene is in any way accurate, I'm glad that I grew up in a small town. I doubt that I could have kept up with these eighth grade hipsters. The book provides many places from which to move into honest discussions about language and the power of certain words to express feelings but also to obfuscate messages since some hearers cannot move past the words themselves.

[Gurdaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Breakout” by Kevin Emerson represents one world of high school and how the slightest of errors and pains and can seem to feel like it’ll be eternal. The novel wholeheartedly focuses on the inner battle of a young upcoming band from Seattle called “The Rusty Soles” The challenged and ambitions Anthony who is also the writer and vocalist of the band faces a challenge on school grounds for possible expulsion if he continues to break school rules; mainly profanity.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. I too was in a school music program for some time and I recall doing performances in class and out of class and the talk of censorship always had to receive school approval prior to any big performance. “Breakout” paints the picture of being torn between the devil and angel metaphorically speaking. At one side, a young fourteen year old wants to say what he feels and be honest to himself, but on the second scale weighs heavy of adults who feel the young ones express themselves way too vulnerably simply for shock value.

It has to be one of the underrated things growing up as a teenager especially in this era where we are growing much faster. With everything we are inspired from and how even the slightest current events can affect us, we all feel some way about the things in this world so why do we have to live up to the common standard? Why do censor our feelings if it is honest to our gut?

I highly recommend this book to anybody in high school who has pursued music or have been witness to angsty class bands. It’s laced with all the troubles between rock and roll and young love. It’s a quick and easy read with one focus all the way to the end; to breakout or not breakout, that is the question.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s 12 days until the fall Arts Night, where 8th grader Anthony Catillo hopes his rock band, Rusty Soles, will make their successful debut. This is the only bright spot in his life. The only teacher he likes is the Rock Band Club adviser, Mr. Darren; Anthony feels that the rest of his teachers do not understand him.

He’s given up dating. Since he’s overweight, his family’s meals have become healthy, nutritional (also boring and tasteless) plus his parents force him to attend a weekly Fat Class where he’s forced to exercise.

As Anthony narrates the action of his life, he compares it to his favorite video game (Liberation Force 4.5) where Nazis are bombing and surrounding him and he knows there’s no escape. This military survival game becomes a metaphor for his life.

Just when his frustration levels at his life boil over, he writes his first song, “Breakout,” where he expresses what he’s really feeling. His passionate song ends with two F-bombs. He shares his song with his bandmate and best friend, Keenan, who immediately puts it up on their BandSpace page. Suddenly, “Breakout” is a viral hit and it brings increased attention at school.

Then when the principal hears the song and its swear words, Anthony is forced to decide whether or not to sing the original F-bombs in the band’s performance at Arts Night. Singing how he really feels will result in serious consequences at school, but if he censors himself, how can he call himself a real artist?

Teens will cheer for underdog Anthony and identify with his life struggles, especially if they like rock music or playing in a band. Plus, my students will enjoy the local references as it's set in Seattle.

[Sarah Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frustrated middle school boy explores the limits of artistic expression. 7th grader Anthony feels trapped in a bad session of his favorite online game, Liberation Force. But instead of fighting Nazi’s, he’s battling uptight teachers, shallow girls, and his own weight (with a parent enforced diet and exercise regimen). The only thing going right in his life is playing guitar in an afterschool rock band club. One night, Anthony pours all his emotions into lyrics for a new song, records it, and sends it to his buddy to check out. Unknown to him, his friend posts it online where it receives a lot of positive feedback, so much so that they want to perform it for the next school concert. Problem is, Anthony included a few F-bombs, which the school administration want changed for the performance. Should he stick to his original vision, as encouraged by his suddenly interested ex-girlfriend, or will the song be as good with altered lyrics, like the cute drummer girl suggests? Author Emerson’s work with real teens shines through as he captures the confused brilliance and intensity of many young teens with pitch-perfect dialogue and realistic character actions. Bonus: it’s set in Seattle. Highly recommended for grades 5 to 8.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Breakout follows 14-year-old musician Anthony, who is ready to breakout of the confines of his K-8 school, and the rules that restrict his life and his ability to express himself. He pours his frustrations into a new song for Rock Band club, but there's only one problem--the "f-bombs" at the end of the song. Anthony, who is an expert player of a World War II video game, is no stranger to combat, and is prepared to fight to have his voice heard. The difficult decision lying before him, is whether it's okay to lose the battle, in order to win the war. What's more important, freedom of expression, or living to fight another day? And what matters more, expressing what he truly feels, or doing it in the right place and time? Breakout shows how young people in particular can feel trapped by rules that they feel they have outgrown and that keep parents and teachers from seeing teens as individuals, with their own unique needs.

The audiobook is read very aggressively, with quite a bit of anger and frustration, feelings that the protagonist often has. The author's recording of the title song is included at the end, and no actual "f-words" are used in this book (at least to the best of my memory).

[Brenna Hanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I really enjoyed the premise of this book, I found something's lacking. Anthony is a great character for young readers to relate to and the book does a great job encouraging kids to express themselves in creative ways.
That being said, I thought the writing was trying a little too hard to sound like an 8th grade student. There were times that Anthony's "Come on"s and "this sucks" s were cheesy and inauthentic. And there were times when the adults in the book were cardboard cutouts, but with a halfhearted attempt to make them sympathetic by including tidbits about their lives out-of-school.
The book also teaches a lesson, but I wonder if that's something middle grade readers would see through too easily. Would definitely be interested in getting a teen's perspective of this book to see how the ending came across.
Overall, I enjoyed the diversity of some of the characters and the emphasis on moral choices, but I felt the execution was inauthentic and lackluster.

[Erin Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony is angry - about his town, his teachers, his weight, everything, and his escape route of choice is music and his band, The Rusty Soles. One night, Anthony composes his newest song, "Breakout" and posts it to BandSpace, where it becomes an instant hit. His band decides to play this song for Arts Night, but there is one little problem. "Breakout" has a couple F-bombs in the lyrics, which Anthony purposely and purposefully used to convey his real feelings. Will he cave and change his lyrics, or will he risk destroying the whole Rock Band program in the name of expression?

This was a fun read that ended up being much cleaner than I originally anticipated. I was expecting a fun little realistic fiction read about a high school kid but got more than that. There are many teens out there who could very easily identify with Anthony's frustrations in life. I saw a little bit of my angsty, 90's teenage self in this book. I can't wait to put this one back out on the shelf!

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if it is just that I don't read them enough, but I adore when a YA book has a male narrator that actually sounds like a teenaged boy. They swear. They talk about breasts and sex and how much they hate the authority figures in their lives. So when an author's willing to go there with their characters, I appreciate it. Emerson does so here, and gives us a great look into a boy's mind when he's frustrated with being treated like a child, but still isn't quite sure how to stop it. Music is his escape but soon becomes a new prison in this story, and it's very well told. There is honesty in the voices, even in the adult figures who maybe wish they were back in high school themselves. This is a great read for people who love rock, fighting authority, or just want to feel like they aren't alone in the tailspin of adolescence.

[BibliofiendLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Castillo is pretty much like any angst ridden rocker. He's fed up with the constraints of day-to-day life and wishes that he could 'breakout' from under the thumb of those constantly telling him how to live his life. The only difference between Anthony and other rockers is the fact that he's still an eighth grader. He's tired of being told what to do by his parents (be healthy!), his teachers (do your work!) and his administrators (tow the line!). What he really wants to do is focus on his band, the Rusty Soles, their musical debut at the school's Art Night, and play the latest version of Liberation Force with his best friend, Keenan. Unfortunately, like for any teenager, if seems as if life is out to get him.

Full review here: http://tinyurl.com/q5xm5ey

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, relevant story for the young adult reader. The rock music theme is the perfect backdrop for the dreams, emotions, challenges and choices confronted by Anthony. The author's musical background shines through in the spot-on descriptions of musical equipment and performance. The story moves briskly from initial premise to conclusion with just the right mix of fun,young romance and frustration with the establishment.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angsty, misunderstood boy finds solace in playing in a band.

I DNF'ed this around 100 pages in when I felt the plot running around in circles and the characters getting stale.

My students don't necessarily ask me for books about kids in music or bands, and while I love some disaffected teenage boys doing disaffected teenage boy things, this one in particular didn't grab me.

If I'm on a spending spree for a classroom library I might consider this title, but otherwise I'll put it aside.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think middle and high school students will absolutely be able to relate to the main character in this story. Anthony feels like he has no control, his teachers don't listen to him, and all he really wants to do is play his guitar and practice with his band.
Lots of places where F*** is in the text - but exactly like that. Author makes a point of saying how important it is that we use specific words for a reason, including swears.

[Mel Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I was right alongside Anthony wondering what he would do. This is a great book for middle grade and I can't wait to recommend this to kids who want to rock out!