Seattle Blues

By Michael Wenberg

The summer of 1969 starts off badly for 13-year-old Maya. Her mother has sent her to Seattle to stay with the grandmother she's never met; her father is reported MIA in the jungles of Vietnam; and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1934813044
• ISBN13: 9781934813041
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: WestSide Books
• Length: 236 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.0" x 5.5"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Circle of Life

A great story, family, friends, loss and understanding with music as a theme and not just any kind of music but Blues. A warm and caring story. A great read.

Trombones save the day

It's 1970 and Maya, a 13 year old black girl, is confused and angry. She doesn't understand why her mother is sending her to spend the summer with a grandmother she doesn't know; she doesn't understand why her father is missing in action in South Vietnam; and she doesn't feel really loved or wanted by anyone. Over the summer we see Maya grow to appreciate the complexities of life as she befriends an autistic neighbor boy, Tommy,and as she gets to know her grandmother. Tommy and Maya discover a trombone in her grandmother's attic which leads to the discovery of her grandmother's musical past. Through music, Maya learns to heal, to love, and to deal with life. Ultimately, this really is a story about hope and beauty. This is a book that touches on issues such as race, war, love, autism, and most importantly the healing strength of music. This is a great story - appropriate not only for young readers but for adults too. I highly recommend this and agree with JD Smith - this would be a great movie!

Great read!

Not only did my 9 and 11 year old enjoy the book I did as well. Definitely would recommend to all!

Art Saves Lives

This novel explores the transformative nature of music learning as a young adolescent finds empowerment, peace, and love through interaction with her dead grandfather's trombone. Set in the West Coast of the early 1970's, the protagonist shares many societal concerns of today's youth. Wenberg's writing adeptly brings the reader into the mind and the heart of a young girl who reluctantly leaves her home in San Francisco and travels by bus to Seattle to meet her grandmother for the first time. This book could well be transposed into a film script. Here's hoping that Hollywood notices.

Booklist Online, January 14, 2009

REVIEW. First published January 14, 2009 (Booklist Online). Maya is forced to spend the summer of 1970 in Seattle with Grandma Ruby. It's bad enough Maya is being sent away from sunny San Francisco, but her father has gone MIA in the jungles of 'Nam, and she is the only one who believes he is alive. Ruby is a distant, church-going librarian, not used to living with other people, let alone an inquisitive 13-year-old bent on shaking up the contents of her life. However, Maya's persistent high jinks--convincing Grandma to get a mean new cat to solve her mouse problem; forcing her to meet the new neighbors, including the autistic Tommy; and finding her way into the off-limits attic--only draw her closer to Ruby. It's clear, from Tommy's virtuosic piano playing to Grandma's sweet, strong voice rising high above the choir, that the heart of this book is in the music, especially jazz. Wenberg lovingly crafts the pieces of Ruby's history, and by extension Maya's, leading to the startling realization that Ruby plays a significant role in Maya's life. -- Courtney Jones