My Year of Epic Rock by Andrea Pyros

Pages: 195
Intended Audience: Tweens and up
Genre: Real life
Notes for Parents: There is nothing that should be objectionable to parents.

The Back Cover

If life was like a song, Nina Simmons’ song would be “You Can’t Always Eat What You Want.” (Peanut allergies, ugh). But that’s okay, because as her best friend Brianna always said, “We’re All in This Together.”
Until the first day of seventh grade, when Brianna dumps her to be BFFs with the popular new girl. Left all alone, Nina is forced to socialize with “her own kind” – banished to the peanut-free table with the other allergy outcasts. As a joke, she tells her new pals they should form their own rock band called the EpiPens. (Get it?) Apparently, allergy sufferers don’t understand sarcasm, because the next thing Nina knows, she’s the lead drummer.
Now Nina has to decide: adopt a picture-perfect pop personality to fit in with Bri and her new FBB or embrace her inner rocker and the spotlight. Well…call me a rock star, maybe.

What the cover doesn’t tell you:

The cover description is a bit misleading. After her best friend dumps her, Nina makes friends with the people at the allergy table and they form a band to participate in the school’s talent show. This is the story of how Nina deals with the difficulty of losing a long-time friend, and how the experience changes her.

What’s good?

This is a quick and easy read with good characters, and a simple plot that tackles issues that should be relevant to most tweens. Nina is a sympathetic and relatable character. She’s insecure, makes assumptions, and minimizes her abilities like so many of us do. Nina’s mom dotes and worries about her daughter because Nina has serious food allergies; she even makes a living out of creating cookbooks for families with similar issues. The grief that surrounds the loss of a friendship is portrayed with sincerity, as is the awkwardness of making new friends, and the anxiety of a budding romance. The hard work involved in forming a band and making a song sound good is also well documented.
Best Part: Nina and her mom’s relationship.

What isn’t good?

There wasn’t a whole lot of rock going on. Nina and her new friends forming a band is only a small sub-plot and might disappoint anyone looking for a music focus. Being a “quick and easy read” also means there’s not a whole lot of depth to the characters, or to the straight forward plot that offers no surprises.
Worst part: Nothing stood out as being particularly bad.

Recommendation þþþoo

This was a sweet story. There’s not a lot of depth, but characterization is strong, the issues are important, and the story is entertaining. Recommended.

Pyros, Andrea. My Year of Epic Rock. Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2014.