Loved the story, students will enjoy connecting with the characters and trying to help solve the mystery of the Shaheen's father's disappearance.

Good graphic novel. I liked the idea of time traveling, music, family and mystery. It could spark interest in music that middle graders are unfamiliar with. It was a quick read with a lot to keep turning pages for. I recommend it for middle grade graphic novel shelves anywhere.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the DRC.

Thank you to NetGalley, First Second Books, and First Second for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I also thought that the art style was really unique and I really loved it.

A very sweet title that explores several types of familial love. Great music is at the center of the story and will make one heck of a mixed tape.

Includes great representation. I enjoyed the themes of identity, family, friendship and fantasy. The melded together well.

This was really cute. I loved the characters and the music theme. I enjoyed the characters and their bond with one another.

I didn't particularly love this book. The character of the dad seems wholly self absorbed and childish and it's hard to be understanding about why he is the way he is. It's a cool idea though and I think it might be more enjoyable for someone who is more into the history of popular music.

This book is great. It teaches some music history, while telling a lovely story of family and dealing with anxiety.

When Shaheen discovers her father has gone missing, she quickly finds that a magical jukebox may be the source of her problems. With the help of her cousin, Shahi embarks on an adventure across time and music in order to save her father.

Cute and heartwarming, I enjoyed the characters, their story, and the illustrations. Some of the transitions from one record to the next felt a little too abrupt, but I enjoyed the overall story and think this is the perfect read for middle-grade graphic novel fans.

Eh, this book missed the mark for me. The concept is awesome, so are the drawings/coloring...the execution fell flat. Too much choppy dialogue; a lot of scenes felt forced. There's also a binary character/a few conversations about that preference which seem added to the story just to have that kind of diversity in there. Best part: I love the role history plays in the book as the girls go back in time.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own and are unbiased.

4 stars

Cutest graphic novel i have read last night oh my goodness !!!
solving mystery and clues was very nancy drew inspired which i enjoyed it so much!

everyone should read this not just middle grade peeps

I think this is a great title to read for the whole family! This musical, time-traveling graphic novel will pull-in kids & parents alike.

Oh my gosh, this was such a refreshing take on time travel that also incorporated the importance of family and a love of music.

This story follows Shaheen who teams up with her cousin Tannaz to find Shaheen’s father after he mysteriously disappears. It’s typical of Shaheen’s father to lose track of time when he is listening to music or tracking down hard to find vinyl, but this is different. He never just ignores Shaheen’s text messages and phone calls. Shaheen and Tannaz end up finding a time traveling jukebox and embark on a magical adventure that follows different musicians in different eras in order to find Shaheen’s father. They must work quickly though before they run out of time.

This was such an unexpected surprise of a story. Even though there are some lighthearted moments with Shaheen and Tannaz are enjoying the music of the different eras, there are definitely quite a few social topics that the author addresses really well (the feminist movement, sexuality, immigration, racial identity, etc). I loved the mystery aspect of this story, and the fact that there were very real consequences for altering history when time traveling.

I really enjoyed Shaheen as a character since she’s determined and passionate, but I think watching her learn about how much she underestimated both her cousin’s and father’s love for her was probably one of the best parts about the book.

Overall, this is a great story that I think young readers will enjoy getting lost in.

Thank you to First Second Books for providing a review copy through NetGalley. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

When Naz’s father goes missing after she has an argument with him, she thinks it is her fault. The guilt is eating away at her until she finally convinces her older cousin Shahi to go looking for him at the local record shop. No one is there, so they sneak in and find a strange jukebox upstairs that transports them back in time when they plug it in and play a record. Convinced that Naz’s dad is stuck back in time, they go hunting through time by playing multiple records. But that’s a lot of time traveling, and it seems to be hurting their ears. Can they ever find him? Is he even in one of their times?

I had some major logical issues with the time traveling aspects of this. I really liked the author/illustrator’s Pashmina and I wanted to like this, but I can’t get past the time travel issues, and I also felt like the characters were a bit flat. Granted, this is a graphic novel and it isn’t all that long so there’s not a lot of time to develop them, but a few more frames might’ve been worth it to help flesh them out and understand their emotions better. Since this is an advanced copy I’m reading there’s always a chance these are resolved before the book goes to print. This had potential with the jukebox transporting listeners to the year that the album came out; it’s an interesting concept that hasn’t been used much if at all in time travel. I would’ve been happy with just Naz’s anxiety issues as the other minor plot since that was dealt with well and developed more than anything else other than the time traveling. If the issues are resolved, recommended for fans of time travel and graphic novels.

Notes on content [based on the ARC]: One minor swear. No sexual content other than one of the girls saying she is bi. The death of MLK Jr is mentioned but not shown. No other violence. Naz has anxiety issues but she gets good advice from others in how to handle it.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the premise of this book was so creative. Two cousins go looking for a lost father, discovering he was missing due to a time machine-jukebox hybrid.

- Loved the diverse representation is culture and characters.
- Illustrations were bold and engaging.
- Loved the correlations between music and historical events (lots to use here in a classroom setting)

Unfortunately for me, the plot felt a bit disjointed. The time-traveling experiences are fun, especially to see the culture, music and clothing of a certain time period. But they might seem repetitive to younger readers. One the other hand, when they finally find the dad (spoiler) at the end, the record store owner seems to get upset instantly and for no good reason. Then the build-up is over and solved with-in a few pages.

I am wondering if the climax of the book should have been the reuniting of Shahi and her dad, without the introduction of a secondary problem so close to the end of the book. Or perhaps the evil genius of a record shop owner could have been better alluded to earlier in the book so it wasn't such a throw-in near the end.

I also found that the throw-in of 2 random book titles (who I am SURE have a connection to the author's life) to be a bit out of place and obvious. Kind of like the placement of products in a TV show for the strict purpose of advertisement.

A fun time-travel adventure. It teaches kids about history and music, and has a diverse cast of characters. Kids will enjoy it. No content concerns.

Shaheen and her father’s relationship has always been strained by his obsession with music. Moments spent together centered around new music her father had found or interesting, to him, musical trivia. Shaheen’s attempts to connect on other levels such as books, food, or just what’s going on in her life, haven’t landed and when her father goes missing, she blames an argument they shared on his absence. With her cousin Tannaz’s help, the two girls break into the local record store for clues on his disappearance. While they don’t find her father, the two do discover a magical jukebox that can transport you through time. Convinced that he is trapped in time, the two girls do everything they can to find Shaheen’s missing father and find themselves in the front row of history along the way. 

I love Nidhi Chanani’s illustrations and her ability to find magic in everyday objects. Her other book, Pashmina, about a magical pashmina scarf that can transport people is one of my and my son’s favorites. In Jukebox, vinyl records become our vehicle for transporting through time, landing on important historical events when the records were created. Chanani does an excellent job of conveying the significance of the events without taking the reader out of the story. I really appreciated the way Tannaz coming out as bisexual to Shaheen was written. I think many kids will be able to relate to both Tannaz’s hesitancy and Shaheen’s reaction of dating is just gross! 
Thank you to Netgalley and First Second for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. 

Readers are sure to be captured by Chanani’s beautiful illustrations and will fall in love with her imaginative storytelling.

A very sweet tale about a Muslim desi girl, and her search for her lost father whom she shared a love of music with. Accompanied by her cousin, she time travels to many places. The art style was beautiful, the colour scheme was well done.

Nidhi Chanani is amazing in her ability to create magical travels using everyday objects. She infused a shawl with the power to fantastical India in her 2017 award-winner, Pashmina; now, she weaves a story about a jukebox that can transport listeners to a moment in time, inspired by the albums they play, in Jukebox. Shaheen is a girl who feels like she and her mom come in second to her father's love of - obsession with? - music, particularly with albums. He never seems to be present to hear her when she's talking; he just wants to talk about the newest album he's on the hunt for, and he spends hours searching record bins for new additions to his collection. When he doesn't return home one night, Shaheen and her cousin, Tannaz, start a search, only to discover a glowing jukebox at the local record store where Dad spent so much of his time. A Bessie Smith record spins on the turntable, and the girls find themselves transported to Harlem's Savoy Ballroom in 1929! The song ends, returning them to their present time and place, and the chase through musical history is on. The girls spin different records, visiting key moments in time. from political marches to landmark concerts, while searching for Shaheen's father. Will they be able to find him before morning? Jukebox is an incredible journey through our history using music as the vehicle. Sections are organized by album cover, with Shaheen's father's notes on the albums and social climate, giving readers more context as they prepare to jump into a new decade: Bessie Smith's section includes notes on the album's 1929 release, the oncoming Depression, and a 1929 Oscar awards program; Nina Simone's Black Gold includes a Golden State Comic Con program and a newspaper with an Earth Day headline, all of which happened in 1970. Notes from Shaheen's father mention her career and marriage eroding in the 1960s, and the music industry's punishment for her political music.


Brilliant storytelling and an essential look at the ties between music and social change. Visit Nidhi Chanani's website for printables and more about her books, and get multiple copies of this book ready - your readers deserve them!

I received an electronic ARC from First Second Books through NetGalley.
Time travel and music - hard to find a better combination. Shahi's dad has disappeared and she asks her cousin Naz to help her find him. He is completely dedicated to music history. His vinyl collection is impressive and his knowledge even more so - unless you're tired of hearing about it and feel like it's more important than you. Shahi feels awful because she shared how she felt in an angry manner and then her dad didn't come home.
Readers see the two girls work together to search for her dad. They stumble on a jukebox that takes them back in time to the day each album was released. It's a special machine as it also plays the entire album. That's how long they have to experience history and search for Shahi's dad. Eventually, she figures out where he is and rescues him along with the jukebox's creator.
The artwork is detailed and colorful and captures each era as the girls move through historic events and hear some of iconic music performed live. Chanani reveals more about her characters at a smooth pace that readers will appreciate. They'll also connect to the struggles each girl faces. A layered read for readers of various reading levels.