Heartfelt, relatable, and a joy to read.

Being a band nerd isn't just a way of life, it's an escape from Lucy's home life. When her determination to beat another flutist for first chair becomes too big, an accident and poor grades may just pull her off the stage. What will she choose?

Very fun and an enjoyable graphic novel. The middle grades kids and anyone who has every identified as a and geek will love it.

Band Nerd is a graphic novel that takes on some serious topics. It focuses on anxiety, alcoholism, and the struggles a middle schooler faces. The art work is beautiful, and the character development was done wonderfully. I highly recommend Band NERD.

4 stars

Little Lucy Carver is busy collecting her Adverse Childhood Experiences, and her example is going to make a lot of kids feel really seen (unfortunately).

Lucy is a preteen who is starting her newest chapter as a band nerd at a new performing arts school. At her previous school, Lucy was first chair and her life was just generally simpler. While she's adjusting well to her new environment in some ways, there are also some real struggles, and they aren't all Lucy's fault.

There are some tough subjects in here, including but not limited to Lucy's dad's alcoholism. There are frequent references to this, and while they are done in a way that is mindful of the target audience, I do think some folks - especially in today's gross climate - will not be thrilled to let the target audience read about, well, REALITY. For me, this is a really exciting read for this exact reason. It's not often that a middle grade work has such a realistic view of a challenging circumstance like this, and I think it's great to have a book like this on hand for those moments when a window or a mirror will make all the difference.

There's a lot to confront here, but if a 12-year-old self-proclaimed band nerd can do it, you can (and should), too.

Although the character development was well done and the relationships between Lucy and her classmates were relatable, the subject matter makes this a tough book to recommend to middle school readers as a whole.
Having a parent that drinks to excess causing financial problems and discontent, and that leads to separation and divorce is real for more of the population than we know, which absolutely makes this a story worth telling. The scenes which show the parents arguing are effective and evoke the empathy and compassion that they are designed to.
This book is suited to a more mature reader.
3 1/2⭐️

As a former 'band nerd' myself, I was very excited about the premise of this new graphic novel. Our main character Lucy is starting 7th grade at a new middle school where academics and artistic expectations are super high. We quickly learn that Lucy has anxieties that cause her to become increasing angry, and she is dealing with family situations that arise due to her father's alcoholism. At times, the subject felt too heavy for 12 year old readers; however, I know that some students deal with these situations more than we teachers could ever truly know. Overall, I think students will enjoy this read.

Lucy loves playing the flute and practices so much to get into a new school with a focus on music. She knows it'll be a challenge to maintain her grades and practice her music, but she's embraced the pain of a harder math class. Trying to get first chair is her mission to prove she belongs and prove to her parents that she deserves to be there. But getting first chair isn't as easy as it was at her last school and Lucy has complications at home which make it even harder to achieve her dreams. When her dad's drinking gets to be too much, Lucy takes drastic measure to ensure one thing goes right in her life... but can she live with the consequences?

What I loved most: Lucy's pluck and grit, the realism of the plot, how my heart broke for Lucy and her siblings as a result of her dad's addiction.

This was a tough read, but an important one given the subject matter. Lucy is dealing with so much change: starting a new school, suddenly not being the best flutist in the band, making new friends, and all while she has to deal with an alcoholic father and a mother who is doing her best to keep the family afloat. She struggles to keep everything together, but with the help of some choice adults, finds a light at the end of the tunnel. I loved the art style for this story. It was interesting and different from other middle grade graphic novels I've read in the past. This story wasn't afraid to show how much pressure someone can put on themselves to maintain the status quo from when life was a little happier. My few issues I had with the story was the pacing and character development. There was hardly any time to breathe between one bad thing happening to another, and while that is certainly how life plays out, it doesn't necessarily make for the best read. I think this also lends itself to the lack of rounded characters and minimal character development. Each character felt more like a plot device than a person. All in all, this was a great middle grade graphic novel that can appeal to a wide range of readers.

I really loved the art style of this book. The art is what drew me in to begin with, but the story did not disappoint. I enjoyed the story from the very first page.

This is a fantastic book for older MG readers. I love how it tackled so many hard subjects in a beautiful and meaningful way. Lucy is struggling to fit in at her new school. She's determined to be first chair for flute in band, she's trying to keep her head above water in math, and she's also having a hard time at home. Lucy's dad is an alcoholic who drinks excessively, ends up hospitalized at times, and ends up in rehab. Lucy and her family are struggling, but Lucy has the support of her new friends, her band teacher, and a counselor at school who all help her throughout the book. This is an important book for older MG readers and beyond.

Band Nerd is a graphic novel about Lucy adjusting to a new school amidst a volatile home life. Lucy was first chair at her old school back when life seemed easier because her parents weren't fighting and her dad wasn't drinking as much. Now, life at home is full of tension and her parents are pressuring her to switch back to the easier school. Lucy wants to prove to them she can do it all, but life has other ideas. This is a very poignant story about friendship, family and realistic expectations that reminded me a lot of my own childhood. Many kids who read this will feel less alone in doing so. Thanks to HarperAlley and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

7th grader Lucy is a talented enough flute player to earn a spot at Windley School of the Arts but her family is falling apart. Dad is jobless and abusing alcohol and all her parents seem to do is fight. But surely if she earns the first chair flute spot, that will make everything better, right?

Family dysfunction is the heart of the conflict in Band Nerd, but it is 7th grade and Lucy is dealing with more than any kid should have to so more goes wrong-her grades are plummeting, she doesn’t handle some of the social aspects with her new friends well, and even resorts to trying to sabotage another band students’ chair test in order to achieve her goal. In the end, that sabotage is the catalyst for a band director to recognize the act of more than simply hyper competitiveness and a meeting with a good school counselor, the band director and her parents brings everything to light. Dad adds family counseling to his previously failed rehab attempts and, coupled with finding a job, may finally be on the road to recovery. With guidance from the school counselor, Lucy reaches out to her friends making amends with letters and thoughtful baking, begins math tutoring and the whole family attends counseling.

Graphic panels by illustrator Emma Cormarie are outstanding and using skillfully tuned dialogue, author Sarah Willis develops well nuanced characters and the anxiety felt by not only Lucy, but two of her friends with their own family difficulties, is palatable. Text is free of profanity, violence and sexual content. Representation: alcoholism, a student living with a grandparent, one with a high pressure parent.

Highly recommended for grades 5-8.

Thank you HarperAlley & NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this graphic novel.

I enjoyed this story with character dynamics and the main character, Lucy, being a driven, flautist. I was a band nerd and it consumed me as a child, like it did for her character.

The only thing that didn’t make this a 5 star read was the serious issue of alcoholism. This book’s target audience is 8-12 year-olds. I don’t know if every child should read this book. It may trigger children that may be experiencing alcoholism at home or parents may not be wanting their children to be reading about alcoholism and domestic arguments. I hope that makes sense.

This graphic novel took me by surprise. I genuinely enjoyed the main plot, which centers around Lucy's efforts to navigate her new school, and I found the band class aspects particularly engaging.

While the description hinted at some heavier themes, I was unprepared for the depth and seriousness of the content. As someone who closely relates to Lucy's story, I found certain parts of the novel triggering. Even as an adult, scenes depicting Lucy's father's alcoholism were sometimes too intense for me. I admit that I shed tears during several sections of this graphic novel.

The artwork is simply stunning. It is both moving and inspiring, and it significantly enhances the story.

Overall, I believe this is a quality read, and I am glad to have experienced it. Although I might not revisit it frequently due to its serious content, I feel it is an important story that needs to be told. It can serve as a powerful tool for young readers who are going through similar experiences and emotions. They will feel seen, appreciated, and hopefully, by the end, loved.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for providing an advanced copy of this book.

This seems really cute and good, but it's not showcasing anything when I try and access it in the NetGalley Reader.

This was so much deeper and more serious than I expected, and in the author's note she mentioned her inspiration came partly from Hey Kiddo by Jared Krosoczka, which makes sense. This fun tween story about an aspiring flutist who transfers to an art school when her family can barely afford it became much deeper as it explored important topics. In her transfer to a new school, we learn that affording the instrument was difficult in the first place. We experience alcoholism from a kid's perspective, bullying in a very realistic way where it's almost hard to tell that someone is not being a sincere friend, but instead of only being a victim, she retaliates with her own bullying. The band teacher presented with masc fashion, but didn't use pronouns or draw attention to being nonbinary. The counselor dug deeper to understand what was going on, and the parents finally worked on themselves. The mom enabled the dad while they were together, which showed more unhealthy coping to the children.

I recommend this for teens in Al Anon, schools, and libraries. This was a tough but important book to read, with genuine friendships and it speaks to the resilience of young people.

Anxiety, alcoholism and separation are not what I expected from this book based on the title. Too many deep topics were addressed so none were able to be fully developed. The alcoholic father was not needed in the book and could have been left out in order to appeal and reach more readers.

Middle school can be tough. Add on top of that a dysfunctional family life and you have a Lucy: a determined, yet sad middle school girl trying to live out her dreams of being first chair.

You could tell throughout the book how much she wanted first chair, going above and beyond, and even stealing in one of the chapters.

This book is a great example of how having a loving family affects you and what counseling can do for you.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved this book. As a parent, it prompted a lot of reflection. I strive to support my kids, as we all do. But I made a lot of missteps with my older kids that I really wish I hadn't. This book is sad, disappointing, angering, inspiring, and hopeful. Thank you, Sarah, for sharing your story with us.

This wonderful graphic novel was a pleasure to read and to look at. The story follows a middle-school student, Lucy, who transfers to a new school that is more difficult academically, and has a more challenging band experience, which is what she really loves. Away from school, her home life is chaotic and difficult, as one of her parents is an alcoholic. Lucy facing the challenges of keeping up in a new school, trying to make and keep friends, and struggling to understand what is happening at home makes this book a compelling read.

this book was very good. the art style was a kind i don't see very often, but for this book i really enjoyed it. the characters were pretty full, except for the main character, the most important character. for me this character felt a little 2d, especially in contrast to the other, very in depth characters. while her family, mostly her parents, are 3d, i would not say she is as much as i'd like her too be. but overall a good read.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read it in advance!