Our main character, Rosie, a violin prodigy, is on a violin strike the summer before her 7th grade year when she and her mom leave home to help care for her dying grandmother. Rosie feels like they can’t possibly see eye to eye when Rosie encounters a girl who she’s pretty sure is the 12 year old version of her mother.

The perspectives and storyline in The Color of Sound are so unique. I mean, have you ever read a novel about a Jewish protagonist with synesthesia who (possibly) time travels? What I really enjoyed about this book was how it wove these interesting elements with the super relatable theme of family.

In my opinion, a good read aloud book needs to make kids want to learn more. I can totally see reading this to a class (grades 3-7, maybe) and going down a rabbit hole into Jewish culture, synesthesia, classical music, or even improv acting. It would be so fun!

Thanks to #NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for this ARC.

*Thank you to Carolrhoda Books for letting me read an ARC of this book through NetGalley!*

The Color of Sound
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 6.57/10 overall

Characters - 6
Personally, I felt like beside the main character, Rosie, the characters weren't fleshed out enough. While the story was mainly about personal growth it would have been nice for the rest of the characters to feel more realistic as well.

Atmosphere - 7
It was clear that a lot of thought into telling the story from Rosie's eyes and I enjoyed learning more about the experience of synesthesia from a first person point of view. However, there were some parts that I would have liked a bit more description on.

Writing - 7
I don't really have anything to say about the writing. It was decent, but it didn't stand out much to me.

Plot - 7
The plot was interesting and easy to follow. Everything wrapped up nicely and there were no noticeable lose ends, but it didn't really produce an impact. As much as Rosie grew and learned more about what she wanted to do with her life, parts of the plot deviated from that central idea and seemed unnecessary to include.

Intrigue - 7
The description and the cover drew me in and made me intrigued enough to read this book. I was continually interested in the story, but not to the extent that I "couldn't put the book down".

Logic - 6
The book was reasonably logical, but I felt like the time travel part was inessential and disjointed to the rest of the story. Rosie easily could have learned more about her mother's past in a different, less confusing way, especially since the time travel element didn't have the same vibe as the rest of the plot.

Enjoyment - 6
I enjoyed parts of this book and I can tell that a lot of work went into developing Rosie as a character, but this book wasn't very memorable to me.

So much to love about this book! Rosie is a violin prodigy whose whole life has revolved around refining this skill from the time she was very young, but this summer going into 7th grade, she quit entirely and her parents aren’t sure what that means for any of them. Maybe if they would stop structuring her life for her and just listen, they all could figure out what more there is to Rosie. A trip to her grandparents’ Connecticut home, necessitated by Grandma Florence’s imminent death, proves to be the start of changes for all of them. Isler’s book includes topics such as controlling parents, poor communication, loss of a family member, the trouble with secrets, Jewish heritage and the Holocaust, the neurodivergence called synesthesia, forgiveness, friendship and being present when someone needs to be heard. While that might seem like too much for one book, Isler composes her story smoothly and uses Rosie’s music and musical vocabulary to do it. Each chapter begins with a musical term (defined) that sets the theme and fluidly blends all those themes in one great harmony, much like Joanne Fritz’s excellent NIV Everywhere Blue. Readers will need to have tissue handy by chapter 15! Text is free of profanity, violence and sexual content. Representation: Rosie’s family is Jewish and that fact is pertinent to the plot but other races and ethnicities are not clearly defined; Rosie’s best friend Julianne keeps crushing on girls in their class while her crushes are an important factor in their friendship woes, the fact that they are on girls is a big issue; neurodivergence

Final verdict? A must-have for libraries serving those in grades 5-8.

Thank you NetGalley and Lerner Publishing for this arc.

This was such a cute book, I absolutely loved it! I have never seen Synesthesia representation, and it was done SO well in this novel! This was such a heartwarming read. I love everything this book touches upon and think it is a great middle grade read! I love the time travel aspect and how the MC gets to spend time with her mom at her age, the way this story weaves together the mother daughter relationship is fantastic. This is overall such a unique story that touches on so many topics, just some being; generational trauma of the Holocaust, what it means to be a good friend, ego, family dynamics, and family relationships. I will definitely be buying this for my friends little girl, she will absolutely love this book!

The Color of Sound, Barth Isler's second novel revolves around Rosie a 12 year old violin prodigy. Rosie's whole life has been about playing the violin and pleasing her driven mother. When Rosie decides to take a break from the violin her mother makes her come with her to visit Rosie's grandparents which include her grandmother who is not doing well. Rosie also has synthesia which lets her see music in colors. What starts out as a simple premise is turned on its head when Rosie inexplicably meets a younger version of her mother in her grandparent's shed. This leads to a journey to find out how people become who they are due to circumstances in their lives. Rosie comes alive on the pages and the twists and how they are revealed will make readers want more.

Rosie is taking a break from playing the violin; it's been 67 since she started her "strike". In retaliation, her mother has taken away all of her electronics and has decided that if Rosie isn't going to the elite music camp that has accepted her for the summer, she will go with the her to spend six weeks with her grandparents in Connecticut. Grandma Florence is in the end stages of Alzheimers, and Grandpa Jack has a housekeeper, Tamar, and dog, Vienna, to keep him company. Rosie is allowed to wander around the property, which includes a small cabin. One day, she enters the cabin only to find a girl her age there who says her name is Shoshanna, or Shann, which is Rosie's mother's name. Sure enough, when asked, Shanna says it is 1994! Trying to make sense of how she could be speaking to her mother, Rosie goes to the public library to do research, and becomes entranced by an improv drama camp there run by Mia. We learn a bit more about Rosie's violin career; she was a true prodigy who had practices, classes on music theory, and public performances, but the pressure her mother put on her to play the violin cost her her best friend, Julianne. Rosie also has synesthia, so not only hears music but experiences it as color, and this is a lot to process. While Rosie learns more about Shanna's life, and tries to prevent things like the death of her dog Stimpy, she learns secrets about her family's life. She learns more from Grandpa Jack, with whom she swims every morning. Her grandmother's mother was a violin player named Dahlia who perished in the Holocaust, causing Florence to be both intrigued by music and worried about it, so that Shanna was never allowed to play an instrument. Rosie plays for Florence, but only when her mother is out of the house. When her surgeon father visits for the weekend and sees her swimming, he immediately wants her to pursue the sport, and is angry that she chooses to throw away her talents. There is also drama when some of the older improv theater participants come to the house to swim. In the end, Rosie grows to understand more about her mother's life and her heritage, and tries to give the younger version of Shanna information that will change the way she raises Rosie. Will it be enough to help form a more supportive relationship with her mother?
Strengths: I'm sure that there were many Jewish families after the war who supressed information about what happened to family members during the Holocaust; it was a different time, and people didn't want everyone to know their private business. Rosie's mother's reaction to this is realistic, and the effect it has on how she is raising Rosie makes sense. It was good to see Rosie developing a good relationship with her grandfather, and I especially liked how the dog, Vienna, played into things. The time travel happens without explanation, but who doesn't secretly want to be able to meet a parent when they were a child?
Weaknesses: I wish there had been more information about Rosie's synesthesia, especially since her mother also seems to experience the world this way. I don't know anything about the condition, and imagine that young readers might not, either. Since this is a fantasy book, they might think that this is not a real condition, so some explanation would have helped.
What I really think: This is s good choice for readers who like time travel books or characters who play violin and also face life challenges, like Day's We Still Belong, Langley's The Order of Things, Chow's Miracle, Glaser's A Duet for Home or especially Ross' Something For Lottie, with its Jewish representation.

More important than my reaction (as a book lover, a mom, and a former 5th grade teacher) is how this book grabbed my middle-grade son. I started reading it out loud and before long, he had taken the kindle out of my hands and I had to read over his and try to keep up as he tore through it.

At one point, he paused reading to say, “the author must also have this special ability because otherwise there’s no way they could have written about it with so much detail.” His teachers have been doing a great job building students’ awareness of neurodiversity and I think this book will be a fantastic addition to any middle school classroom library. It’s also simply about growing up looking for love and acceptance, pressures to be successful, learning about how people’s motivations and intentions can be good even if their impact is hurtful and how to navigate that.

Im excited for the release of this book so I can share it widely with my son’s school and educator friends. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.

This was such a creative and multilayered story about a twelve-year-old discovering her true self through self-growth. I was very much enjoying this story and loved the multilayered narrative. Rosie is a violin player who has synesthesia, therefore she can see music in colors. I thought the story was absolutely brilliant and unique, it was quick with the family secrets & conflicts. This would be the perfect read for a young reader!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with access to read this book!

This book is beautifully written. Showing how Rosie can acquire the knowledge to listen and play music through colors. During the summer, she took a break from playing the violin. Rosie came across a younger version of her mother. Knowing that there’s something more about the family’s history.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and write a review.

This was a really beautiful book. I loved learning about synesthesia.
Rosie learns a lot about herself and her mom over this summer of discovery.
I liked how we get to see past Shoshana interact with Rosie. And how we see Jewish traditions coming into Rosie's life.
This book is ultimately about family and the bonds between mothers and daughters.
But it's also about finding what's right for you in the world, not being forced by your family to do what they think is right for you.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow. When I wasn’t reading, I wanted to come back and see what was going to happen next. I loved the main character and was fascinated learning about her synesthesia. The character relationships and development were incredible and I appreciated learning more about Jewish heritage and traditions. Will spread the word to all how amazing this book is.

The color of sound begins with more than one interesting premise. Rosie can see music in colors and seems to hear music from the world around her. Also, she is a musical prodigy who is currently on strike from playing her instrument. Both ideas are interesting, and I was looking forward to learning where the story was taking me. Rosie's voice makes for a good narrator, she is not very good at expressing her emotions, but she describes most people and feelings through colors, so the reader has a good idea of how she is feeling about events. I did, however, feel there was just too many things happening in the story, and therefore, all of them are resolved with very little effort on Rosie's part. The problems with her best friend, which turn out to be the catalyst for her violin strike, are solved almost without any effort on her part. The pieces of the puzzle that solve the family's mysterious history just appear on cue, and the odd visitor she meets both appears and disappears with no explanation. The story could be improved by removing some of the story beats, and better explaining others.

Isler details generational trauma with grace. Rosie needs to find her own music, not the one her mother paints for her. For Rosie, that means connecting to her Jewish ancestry and remembering how her mother was once a child herself, who also needed her mother. When Rosie begins to understand her mother's relationship with her grandma, she puts the pieces together, for herself and her family.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this middle grade novel.

The Color of Sound is an excellent look at how easily something viewed as a super power by some can be turned to torture by its bearer. I truly enjoyed this one. I think sadly it will ring true for many children whose childhoods have been absconded with by a singluar skill, interest or talent. I loved this one and look forward to more by Emily Barth Isler.

“--I kept so much inside. I kept so much color to myself because I was scared of being too much” (p. 237). A musical prodigy, Rosie is too much – in a great way. This middle grade children’s fiction text is a smooth read. The reader moves through the pages on the musical notes of Rosie’s violin and her synesthesia, as she sees music – and the world – in colors.

This book moves through one girl’s summer – a summer where she boycotts her violin and subsequently her mom – in an attempt to figure out herself. There is a satisfying ending in what she finds out about her family (no spoiler, but Shanna is a great character addition!) and herself as she makes new friends and rekindles old ones.

This is a well-crafted text that will appeal to young readers, musicians, and individuals trying to figure out complex familial relationships. Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC! With a March 5, 2024, release, this needs to be a must-read!

What a beautiful story! It's woven together by the relationship between mother and daughter, sprinkled with family secrets. The author literally paints a picture of sounds. The pacing of the story was amazing and I found myself not wanting to put the book down. It's a good book for its targeted audience. I enjoyed reading this. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the E ARC.

This book shares such a vibrant and heartfelt story. The main character is unique but still relatable. The writing is vivid and engaging. I would definitely recommend this book to high-level middle-grades readers, especially those who already have an interest in music.

Rosie is a 12 year old violin virtuoso, but she's currently taking a break from the violin so she can get a break from the pressures of her life. Her ability to hear colors contributes to her skill with the violin. Rosie spend the summer getting to know her grandparents as well as coming to terms with herself, her heritage, and her mother.

I like Rosie, not just because she's a Jewish character not written during the holocaust, but she's also deep. I appreciate that she takes a break from the violin, but eventually comes back to music. I like the relationship that she builds with her mother. I think they went from unhealthy, to starting to build healthy.

This book was so good! I loved reading about how the main character slowly learned to be comfortable playing her instrument and learned about herself. The ending was AMAZING!

I think this book will be great for the target audience! The writing is strong enough and our main character, Rosie, seems relatable. It wasn't for me, but I think it has a lot of potential! I could see myself trying other stories by this author in the future.