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French Titles
It is the beginning of a new school term, and troubles are starting for Simon. He falls in love with Roxane, a very mysterious new student. Is her father a crook? Then Simon's idol, the celebrated singer Marc Macadam, disappears. Simon, who is learning to play the guitar to become as good as Marc Macadam, is concerned. Is there a link between the two problems? Fortunately, Simon and his friends are curious and resourceful, and everything is explained in the end. Young readers will enjoy this funny and fast-paced story with its sympathetic characters.
She is 14 years old, and is unaware that her life is going to be transformed this summer, which seems just like every other one she has known. Life moves slowly in her small village in western Canada. Then one day, she meets a young pianist who upsets her existence by introducing her to the world of black music. From the first notes, the first chords, she feels transported. The rhythm of the music opens an unknown universe that speaks of a different life. She is moved and overwhelmed by the beauty of this song, by the strange mixture of sadness and hope which it conveys. This is a touching book about a young girl's sensual awakening. The reader has the feeling that the entire narrative is a hymn to life, propelled by the music of words. More mature readers in particular will enjoy this novel of passage to adulthood.
Marlon Lamontagne is a gifted young trumpeter who is passionate about jazz. One day, his mother gives him an old LP, a pirate recording of his idol, saxophonist Jimmy Falcon, who died in the 1960s. Listening to the record, Marlon is literally fascinated by the trumpeter's playing, and identifies with him completely. The night passes, time flies… In the morning, uncomprehendingly, he wakes in a 1960s New York alley. There, he meets Falcon, and realizes his lifetime dream of playing at his side in the Brilliant Corners in Greenwich Village, a mythical jazz club. Using this literary technique of time travel, Stanley Péan takes us to the heart of the music, transmitting his passion for jazz and above all his admiration for musicians. The author's style is lively and rhythmic, and serves the narrative well. He paints a touching and strong portrait of the jazz world. The themes are occasionally difficult, but always presented fairly. This is an inspiring novel for young teenagers who are ready to explore other musical forms.
This little book invites children to put together about 15 different musical instruments, inspired by those invented by various civilizations throughout time. The authors also suggest a few simple experiments that will help young people understand certain basic principles about sound waves, amplification and sound transmission. The manufacture of instruments, based on recycled materials and readily found objects, is explained in detail, step by step, and illustrated with drawings that clearly demonstrate how to put the objects together. The drawings are realistic and very faithful to the desired results, as shown by a few photographs of children with the instruments they made by following the instructions.
Inspired by the Brothers Grimm tale "The Pied Piper of Hamelin", Henriette Major has developed a fairy tale in which the piper has gathered sons of the bourgeoisie and poor youngsters together in la Vallée des enfants [the Valley of the Children]. Thus begins for these children a life in which social classes no longer exist and work is done to the rhythm of the enchanted flute that puts their memories to sleep, just as the magic spring water keeps them young. Then comes the day when two alert children decide to break the bonds of this gentle slavery. In a surprising follow-up to the Brothers Grimm story, the author presents a tale in which the presence of the magic flute has unexpected repercussions on the children of the town. The moral of the story is readily transposed to the present and can serve as a departure point for discussion of other themes such as leadership, sharing, creativity and skills. Jean Lacombe's drawings, in tones of grey, stylized and somewhat caricature-like, transport us to the 16th century and add a humorous note to a charming text with a serious theme. | ||||||||||
