Jukebox

April 26, 2021
Music links 12-year-old Indian American Shaheen (Shahi) to her white father “like rhythm and melody,” but her dad’s growing obsession with the topic is also becoming a source of contention in the family. When he doesn’t return home one night, Shahi and her Indian mother grow worried. Convinced that the record store Shahi’s dad frequents holds answers, Shahi and her 15-year-old cousin Tannaz (Naz) slip inside an open alleyway window to get inside. In the attic, they discover a mysterious jukebox that can play a full album, and when Naz puts on a Bessie Smith record, she and Shahi are transported to the year 1929, where they encounter a Lindy Hop contest at the Savoy. Realizing that the jukebox sends them to the same era as the tunes it’s playing, Shahi and Naz begin their search for Shahi’s father, traveling from one great music era to the next. With a rich color palette, vivid historical details, and funny rapport between the cousins, Chanani (Pashmina) writes a love letter to music through the decades, visually twining the albums with important historical events. Music aficionados will appreciate the message of connectivity that, through music, transcends generations. Ages 10–14. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House.

May 1, 2021

Gr 4-8-A time-traveling jukebox, snapshots of social unrest, parent-child dynamics, and a heavy dose of vinyl nostalgia-the puzzle pieces are there for a meaningful story about how music connects us, especially in challenging times, but Chanani's latest graphic novel doesn't quite hit the mark. Young teen Shaheen and her cousin Tannaz search for Shaheen's missing father, Gio, by shuffling their way through the time periods represented by the magical jukebox's albums, from 1930s Harlem to a James Brown concert in Boston right after Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination to the birth of hip-hop and beyond. As compelling as it sounds, a story of just over 200 pages isn't enough to fully realize the many themes introduced. Cultural moments are merely hinted at, and the interpersonal relationships at the book's core are traced lightly-the result is a plot that is exciting but wanting. Chanani's illustrations are colorful but flat; one gets the sense that the narrative would have been far stronger given more space to develop. Shaheen and Tannaz are Muslim and South Asian American; Gio is white; Earl, the jukebox's creator-owner, is Black, and intercultural interactions are centered in the narrative. VERDICT An exhilarating though uneven jumble of intriguing concepts, this graphic novel has many elements, musical and interpersonal, that may pique the interest of readers, especially fans of Chanani's. An additional purchase for larger collections.-Emilia Packard, Austin

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2021
Shaheen's dad is missing. Music, which bonded them over the years, now seems to be the cause of their separation. Twelve-year-old Shahi and her journalist father, an avid record collector, have connected through music for as long as she can remember, although lately he seems to pay attention to it more than he does to her. Until the day Shahi's dad gets lost in music--literally. Shahi and her cousin, Tannaz, set out to find him by sleuthing after hours inside the local record store, where he and Earl, the store's owner, were last seen. They discover a massive jukebox, which they come to realize is magical, as it transports them back in time whenever it plays a record. Hopping in and out of time to attend legendary concerts seems to have led to both men's disappearance. Now Shahi and Naz need to figure out if there is a way to bring them back. The story highlights the eras and contributions of notable Black musicians including Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, James Brown, and Marvin Gaye. Chanani's illustrations of the family's San Francisco neighborhood as well as the historical settings are delightfully colorful and vibrant, and her attention to detail is impeccable. She weaves musicality into her exploration of personal relationships, creating a world where music connects us all. Shahi has Italian and Bangladeshi heritage; Naz is Bangladeshi American and bisexual, and Earl is Black. Captivating and lyrical. (playlist, author's note) (Graphic fiction. 10-14)

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Starred review from July 1, 2021
Grades 6-9 *Starred Review* Music has always connected 12-year-old Shahi and her father, but his vinyl obsession also leads to his growing emotional distance and sudden disappearance. When Shahi and her cousin Naz go looking for him, their search leads to a record-store attic, where they come upon a mysterious jukebox. As they sift for clues, they find that whenever a record is played, the machine transports them back to the time period of the music's origin. What follows is a whirlwind journey through the twentieth century: Bessie Smith's music leads them to Depression-era Harlem; James Brown's to his famous Boston concert the night after Dr. King's assassination; Grandmaster Flash's to 1980s Venice Beach. The result is a broad overview of modern Black American music history, though Chanani (Pashmina, 2017) is careful only to include elements that serve her story. The power of music is imbued in every aspect--the characters, plot, and even the artwork, which bears a synesthetic quality, evoking music in its glowing, jukebox-inspired purples and golds and the flowing ribbons of sound that trail Shahi and Naz across time. Exquisite attention to detail--fashion, architecture, dialect--brings each era to life, providing a treasure trove for young history buffs and a launchpad for those interested in music history. Most importantly, though, this is a fun, heartfelt time-travel adventure of two girls in search of connection.

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