Another Band's Treasure: A Story of Recycled Instruments

by Hua Lin Xie

In a small village in Paraguay, Diego dreams of giving music lessons to the children he sees each day. The only problem: there aren't enough instruments to go around.

But when he and Nicolas, a carpenter, look to a nearby landfill, they see instruments in the making. Soon, a paint can, a wooden plank, and a faucet knob become the start of a violin―and their recycled instruments give the kids in town new ways to express themselves.

Inspired by the true story of La Orquesta de Instrumentos Reciclados de Cateura, Hua Lin Xie's first graphic novel is a big-hearted ode to the power of music.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Music, Nonfiction, Picture Books, Middle Grade, Comics, Realistic Fiction

128 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2023

Reviews

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Band's Treasure is a short, fine glimpse of life in impoverished Paraguay, where a bunch of kids living near the dump are introduced to the joys of music through handmade instruments. They form a little band and get to go play in Asuncion, the Paraguayan capital.

There's not a lot of depth here and the art is a bit rough. Not a terrible read by any means, just quick and forgettable.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute story about children getting the music education they need using created and found instruments. I felt that this was such a simple story with a very powerful message about children in a lower socio-economic setting and their need for proper education. At one point, a child is told by an adult that music is for rich people....and my heart just shattered.The best part? It's inspired by a true story!

The illustrations weren't for me, but it didn't keep me from enjoying the story as a whole.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[topcitrouille · Rating 3 out of 5]

✧ j'ai beaucoup aimé le dessin fusain + crayons de couleur, la double page où les enfants crient leur joie aux nuages snif trop beau

✧ l'histoire se passe dans village paraguayen, où la misère fait fortune / un habitant va proposer des cours de musique aux enfants à partir d'instruments fabriqués avec des rebuts de la décharge du village, dont les monticules s'agrandissent chaque jour / hop à la fin toute la troupe est invitée à jouer à la capitale

✧ la narration et l'écriture des dialogues sont assez simplistes, j'ai trouvé qu'il manquait un peu de profondeur politique, la force de cette organisation collective est un peu noyée dans le côté "belle histoire émouvante", même si du coup je la devine de manière sous-jacente

✧ quoi qu'il en soit, j'ai hâte des prochaines bd de cette autrice !

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of the orchestra in Paraguay that uses instruments recycled from trash from the town’s landfill has already been told in picture book Ada’s Violin by Susan Hood but this graphic version is targeted at middle grade readers. Hua Lin Xie uses black and white illustrations with one key exception-a single guitar made from the town’s trash. (The possible purposes of these artistic choices would make excellent discussion points in art and ELA classes.) Panels in Xie’s book are realistic and starkly represent the poverty experienced by the town of Cateura and, unlike in Ada’s Violin, the children living in this marginalized community are portrayed as aimless, fighting, and some even smoking marijuana. Hope comes in the form of a guitar playing man who begins to teach small groups of young people how to play guitar on the few instruments available to him. His carpenter friend catches a vision of creating additional instruments to enable more kids to play and uses the resources readily available in the dump that is the only notable feature of their town. Music lessons turn into an orchestra that is now a traveling performance group and has enabled the town to create a fully funded music school and brought hope to many.

Solid choice for a library’s graphic novel section especially if efforts to include non-fiction choices in this format are being made. Quick read with small bits of text but plenty to create a complete picture of the events and allow for discussion of plot progression and some character development.

Thanks for the print arc, Graphic Universe and Lerner Publishing Group.

[Sj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Band's Treasure is a treasure. I love this story. I had heard about the true story that this book is inspired by. Reading the book has made it all the more special. The best part about the book is the story. The art is good too. I love that when the violin is made, it is the only thing that is in color in the entire book. This is the story about a small town in Paraguay. There is no school so the children don't have anything to do. A local man decides that he wants to teach the children music. At first, he doesn't think children will come but then they show up. His class is so popular that there are not enough instruments. They make instruments out of garbage from the local dump.

I would read this story to my 3rd through 5th grade special education students. I recommend this book to anyone 3rd grade and up. It is a beautiful story of perseverance, kindness, and creativity.

Reading this book will definitely put a smile on your face.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The true story of a group of people in a small village in Paraguay who create musical instruments out of found materials from the waste/dump that dominates their region.

It seems as if most of the effort was from one craftsperson with an enormous creative spark and natural talent to create instruments - but the young musicians who learn to play beautifully are equally awe-inspiring!

The last page directs readers to a website where they can listen to the orchestra play, and it is amazing.

The idea that other children in other locations have easier access to instruments is not dwelt on, nor is the source of all the trash, or the idea that people throw items into a trash dump without care for recycling...it's a complicated thought, since they are re-using things that seem to be other people's trash.

Issues of equality, equity, and access to resources are underneath this appreciation of human ingenuity and creativity...but not discussed here.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a small town in Paraguay, with no schools, Mr. Diego, offers to teach music lessons to the children. But, when more kids are interested in lessons than there are instruments for, Mr. Diego's friend Nicholas gets an idea to make instruments from found items at the dump.

Another retelling of the Recycled Orchestra. Black and white illustrations with dabs of color here and there - when the first instrument showed up in red and blue, I thought the idea would continue with other instruments, but it didn't. I thought the text was lackluster, much of the dialogue was incidental words and didn't really advance the story. I think Ada's Violin is a much better retelling. The characters are from Paraguay

Cross posted to http://kissthebook.blogspot.com

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cateura is a slum in Paraguay. It exists because trash from the closet city was dumped here and a community of people moved here to work in the dump. They built houses (often of trash) and raised families all on the industry of trash. Favio Chavez worked in Cateura as an Environmental Engineer and he decided to teach music to the local children in his spare time. The problem is--there weren't enough instruments to go around. So a local carpenter, Nicolas Gomez decided to make the instruments. And he made them out of what was so easy to come by in Cateura--trash. This is a wonderful, inspiring story. This book doesn't really do justice to the wonder that is the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, but it served as a springboard for me to learn more.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick graphic novel based on a true story. This seems to largely follow the story of the real life La Orquesta de Instrumentos Reciclados de Cateura, so I'm not sure why Xie chose to fictionalize the story. Maybe the difficulty of getting permission? At any rate, the story is very briefly told, without a lot of characterization of either the teacher, the builder of instruments, or the children. It's because the story itself is so fascinating, and the art so good, that this book is worth reading.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple but true story about a small village in Paraguay who started a band for children using instruments made from recycled materials. Now they've played all over the world. The story is simple and all ages, but really nice even for adults. The art is rustic but that didn't ruin the nice story for me.

[Jennybeast · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a tremendous story! It would never occur to me that you can make a recognizable instrument that functions out of a collection of found objects, and I love that it is based on true experiences. I also think this story has so much to say about hope, and self-esteem and community. The graphic novel is very expressive with very little text -- accessible, intriguing.

[Julesy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story 5 stars I like the idea of taking junkyard items to turn it into musical instruments.
Artwork 2 stars Looks like an elementary-aged child drew this. Some of the characters' faces and bodies are disproportionate.
Color N/A (B&W)
Lettering 3 stars

Overall rating: 3 stars

Theme/genre: Music
Setting: Paraguay

[Tiffany catsinfable · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was adorable. I’m a huge music freak and just seeing kids get so excited to make music with any little things that they have is amazing. Not to mention, seeing them and the community around them so supportive of one another and proud of themselves is precious.

[Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je ne savais pas trop à quoi m'attendre, c'est très poétique et plein d'espoir. Comme je suis très critique je trouve que l'on occulte un peu la dimension politique de la misère et la pollution au profit d'un message positif sur les actions individuelles qui peuvent changer la vie néanmoins.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Hermes_Fang · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short but warm story.
Although the making of instruments is not as easy as it illustrated, you can create music with everything you want nearby.
Music should be approchable and playful.

[Alaina Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful story about music. A perfect inspiring and lighthearted children’s novel. I lived the art style and how the recycled guitar was the only colored thing (besides black and white shading).

[Lisa Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting little story. Not sure it would do particularly well with American audiences due to the kids getting high in the beginning. Maybe teen, though the story seemed more upper grades focused.

[Dominic Fortin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une histoire fabuleuse... et, en plus, elle est vraie.

[Jim Windisch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Telling the story of The Recycled Orchestra in graphic novel form makes for an interesting book. The black and white images helped me feel the setting at the edge of a giant garbage dump. I loved how the author uses color for the first recycled instrument, but I wish that continued for all of the instruments made from trash. This was a quick, enjoyable read. I hope it will get young readers interested in learning more.

[Jon Switzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A graphic novel based off of a true story and in an interesting style. The eye catching sketch-like illustrations gives a mute tone until a surprising burst of color is presented. The story is at first very melancholy before things start to pick up in a motivational way.

I do wish more color was added in the eye popping way it was for the first gift of the hand crafted violin. The gray tones are subtle and that burst of color provided an inspiring growth throughout the story.