About the Book
High school seniors Tom and Dan consider themselves a "basement band," but when their school puts on a battle of the bands, they decide to rise to the challenge and invite two more students to join them. As they tentatively welcome Mark and Jacoby into the group, they get to know one another and start to see past their differences. They decide to call the band The Stereotypical Freaks because they feel that when people look at them, they see a "smart kid, geek, star athlete, and quiet weirdo." This sweet, brief graphic novel features humor, authentic dialogue, and a great, heartwarming story that touches on bullying, identity, loyalty, and friendship.
The book includes a playlist of recommended songs for each chapter by such varied musical performers as Bob Dylan, Rush, the Who, Bruce Springsteen, Green Day, and the Beatles.
About the Author :
Howard Shapiro lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two sons. The controller for the Pittsburgh-based visual effects firm, Animal Inc., he has written ten books. "The Stereotypical Freaks" was his first graphic novel. Joe Pekar is a comic book illustrator who specializes in commission work. Liezel Buenaventura is a very in-demand colorist and has worked with Howard previously, they collaborated on the "Kate's Really Good At Hockey" graphic novel.
Review :
From School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up-High school seniors Tom and Dan consider themselves a “basement band,” but when their school puts on a battle of the bands, they decide to rise to the challenge and invite two more students to join them. As they tentatively welcome Mark and Jacoby into the group, they get to know one another and start to see past their differences. They decide to call the band The Stereotypical Freaks because they feel that when people look at them, they see a “smart kid, geek, star athlete, and quiet weirdo.” Gradually, the story moves from Breakfast Club mode (kids form friendships and learn to see past their preconceptions) into something deeper (kids face a big crisis that puts their everyday problems into perspective). The book includes a playlist of recommended songs for each chapter by such varied musical performers as Bob Dylan, Soul Asylum, Rush, the Who, Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Green Day, and the Beatles. While the cover of this book is illustrated in full color, the pages are filled with black-and-white illustrations that look raw and unpolished but are filled with energy. A good choice for reluctant readers and music fans.-Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
From Booklist
What happens when you take a rock ’n’ roll loving nerd named Tom, add a rock ’n’ roll loving geek named Dan, a high-school battle of the bands, and a desperate attempt to impress the cheerleader that Tom has a crush on? You get Tom and Dan recruiting a rock ’n’ roll loving star athlete named Marcel and a rock ’n’ roll loving foreign exchange student named Jacoby so that they can form the Stereotypical Freaks! With Tom on keyboards, Dan on bass, Marcel on guitar, and Jacoby on drums, they try to win the competition and Jaelithe’s heart while finding out more about each other than they ever thought possible. This sweet, brief graphic novel features humor, authentic dialogue, and a great, heartwarming story that touches on bullying, identity, loyalty, and friendship. The penciling is expressive, thoughtful, and matches the pacing well, but without color, the illustrations tend to resemble unfinished sketches. This would be a fun book for aspiring musicians and even includes a suggested playlist to accompany each chapter. --Candice Mack
