Review of The Fastest Drummer

Clap Your Hands for Viola Smith

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Candlewick Press

(pub. 3.5.2024)

40 pages

Ages 7 - 9

Author: Dean Robbins

   Illustrator: Susanna Chapman

Character: Viola Smith

Overview:

" Five girls played together in the Smith Sisters Orchestra: Irene on trombone, Erma on vibraphone, Edwina on trumpet, Mildred on violin, and Lila on saxophone. But what of the littlest sister? When Viola’s time came, almost every instrument was taken . . . except one.

When she first sat behind a drum kit, she lost the beat, made a terrible racket, and had more fun than she’d ever had before. Viola took to the road with her family, learned from the greats, formed her own band in the face of discrimination and ridicule, mastered twelve- and seventeen-piece drum kits, and played so fast she left no room for doubt: women could not only keep the beat—they could beat the odds.

At one hundred years of age, Viola was still slamming her snare and socking her cymbals."

Tantalizing taste:

"Viola practiced, practiced, practiced.

She worked on paradiddles, single stroke rolls,

double stroke rolls.

Her playing became bolder, flashier, and faster...

Women musicians got little respect in the 1930s...

They believed women could never sound as good

as men did on their instruments.

Viola had an idea for changing people's minds. She

would start her own women's band: The Coquettes!"

And something more: The author, Dean Robbins, shared in the Author's Note: "Following Viola's lead, countless women instrumentalists made their mark on popular music. They hailed her as a hero and an inspiration, marveling at her determination to keep playing to the age of 107."

Review of Evidence!

How Dr. John Snow Solved the Mystery of Cholera

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Knopf Books for Young Readers

(pub. 8.13.2024)

40 pages

Ages 4-8

Author: Deborah Hopkinson

   Illustrator: Nik Henderson

Character: Dr. John Snow

Overview:

" Dr. John Snow is one of the most influential doctors and researchers in Western medicine, but before he rose to fame, he was just a simple community doctor who wanted to solve a mystery.

In 19th century London, the spread of cholera was as unstoppable as it was deadly. Dr. Snow was determined to stop it, but he had a problem: His best theory of how the disease was spread flew in the face of popular opinion. He needed evidence, and he needed to find it fast, before more lives were lost.

Taking on the role of detective as well as doctor, Dr. Snow knocked on doors, asked questions and mapped out the data he'd collected. What he discovered would come to define the way we think about public health to this day."

Tantalizing taste:

"Here's Dr. John Snow now, on Sunday evening. He looks like a gentleman, but he grew up poor, the oldest of nine children. John hasn't forgotten that. He's been a doctor to the queen, but he cares about science and regular people, not riches. He often gives his services for free to those in need.

Tonight, John's not here to see a patient. He's on the hunt for clues. Because John is a detective: a medical detective."

And something more: The backmatter of the book explains that: "Evidence! is a true story that marks a key date in public health history: September 8, 1854, when the handle came off the Broad Street pump in London, England. A few months later, Dr. John Snow published a book about his investigation that included a map showing the pattern of the epidemic. This map has inspired scientists ever since.… Each year, the John Snow Society invites a leading scientist to give a lecture on public health. The event is called the Pumphandle Lecture."

Review of A Mind of Her Own

The Story of Mystery Writer Agatha Christie

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Beach Lane Books

(Simon & Schuster)

(pub. 5.28.2024)

40 pages

Ages 4 - 8

Author: Robyn McGrath

   Illustrator: Liz Wong

Character:

Agatha Christie

Overview:

" Before Agatha Christie became the greatest mystery writer of all time, she was a girl who loved books, make-believe, and puzzling out problems. She was a keen observer, always noticing the secrets hiding in the shadows and the clues just waiting to be uncovered.

More than anything, Agatha loved detective stories. She longed to write her own mysteries, but she struggled when she put pen to paper. The letters came out jumbled, the words twisting and snagging. Writing became a new puzzle for her to solve.

Her family and teachers chided her for being lost in her head, but Agatha wasn’t lost…she had a mind of her own!"

Tantalizing taste:

"Setting acting aside, Agath returns to writing.

Tim and time again, she puts pen to paper,

conducting a symphony of ideas,

but teachers reject her compositions

and criticize her grammar...

Back at home, Agatha retreats into her imagination...

Her mind fills with story possibilities ...

but again the words twist and snag

when she puts pen to paper...

Putting together one clue at a time, she begins

filling her six-pence notebooks with

suspicious characters,

fast-paced plots,

engaging scenes,

and sharp dialogue.

Agatha's detective story becomes a puzzle for her to solve.

A mathematical equation.

Just like she did with her father."

And something more: The More About Agatha Christie explains: "With with no playmates or formal schooling, Agatha was often alone with her imagination. She spent a great deal of her time with her imaginary friends and family pets, as well as her nursemaid... As a young girl, Agatha was paralyzingly shy. Family often teased Agatha for appearing to be lost in her thoughts"