Customer Reviews

Playing Dad's Song

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I couldn't put this book down! "Playing Dad's Song" is a touching, beautiful, unsentimental story of a boy named Gus (lovable, idiosyncratic, and very real) grappling with an extraordinary challenge - how to reinvest in life following his beloved father's violent death at the World Trade Center. Young readers will recognize Gus in themselves and appreciate his sense of humor and his many struggles. As a bereavement therapist specializing in childhood and adult traumatic grief, Playing Dad's Song also rings true. This is an important book not only for the young reader but for adults, too. It will inspire parents and communities to rise above their own pain and reach out to bereaved children desperately in need of their guidance.

I thought this book for middle grade readers was a gem. It deals with strong emotions in a totally unsentimental manner. The main character Gus is so real I could smell him - worrying about the bully at school who calls him "pickleface," hiding under his blanket to mourn his father, learning to juggle to please his sister, and - through his oboe and his teacher - discovering for himself the healing power of music.