Kwame Alexander

Mary Rand Hess

Seventeen-year-old Blade, who endeavors to resolve painful issues from his past to navigate the challenges of his former rockstar father's addictions, scathing tabloid rumors, and a protected secret that threatens his own identity.

Solo

New York Times bestseller! Blade never asked for a life of the rich and famous. In fact, he’d give anything not to be the son of Rutherford Morrison, a washed-up rock star and drug addict with delusions of a comeback. Or to no longer be part of a family known most for lost potential, failure, and tragedy, including the loss of his mother. The one true light is his girlfriend, Chapel, but her parents have forbidden their relationship, assuming Blade will become just like his father. In reality, the only thing Blade and Rutherford have in common is the music that lives inside them. And songwriting is all Blade has left after Rutherford, while drunk, crashes his high school graduation speech and effectively rips Chapel away forever. But when a long-held family secret comes to light, the music disappears. In its place is a letter, one that could bring Blade the freedom and love he’s been searching for, or leave him feeling even more adrift. “A contemporary hero’s journey, brilliantly told.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review “A rhythmic, impassioned ode to family, identity, and the history of rock and roll.” —Booklist, starred review “Many readers will identify with Blade’s struggle to find his place in a family where he feels like an outsider.” —Publishers Weekly “The authentic character development and tone will strike a chord with young adults.” —School Library Journal

Paula Plaza Ponte 

Hhmmm...I thought this was an all right read. It was a bit tedious at the start but got better as he got to West Africa. It attempted to tackle some really important issues like the disappointment brought about not being able to choose our families to the weirdness and pain of finding out that someone actually had unchosen and chosen you. Anyway, not really sure putting words in stanzas equates to poetry ... but okay.

deva

okay i actually loved how this was written, the way each chapter is written like how lyrics are written (kind of like poems???) is honestly such a nice detail

Moth

The plot was interesting and a new take in finding one's self, in my opinion. It's full of so many twists and turns that you don't see half of them coming. You go into the story thinking you know what this story is about only for everything to get flipped on it's head. And it did this well, never just letting one of those plots come up without just forgetting about them. It does leave some questions unanswered, but to me, it felt like it was part of life. Sometimes, you don't get the answers you want, but it doesn't mean its not important. Sometimes no answer is answer enough to get an idea of the possibilities. We see the pieces of Blade's life that leads to this change, we don't see the aftermath, but that's okay. This story is about him finding who he really is, even if he doesn't fully understand who that is fully. We don't know what happens after Ghana. We leave the story in a heart breaking moment, but one that you know will change more than one character in this story due to the cruel reality of this world.

(full review on blog)

Sampurna Saha 

I enjoyed this especially the audiobook(was not expecting straight up singing) and how short it was but the story wasn't that unique and I know won't stick with me for long.

Noah Warner

** spoiler alert **
           3.9 stars

Would have easily been 4 stars if not for blade being so stupid and love-struck in the first half. I enjoyed the second half a lot though, and if this 'tribute to rock and roll' was more about rock and roll, I could actually recommend this to music nerds. However, solo falls short enough for me not to recommend it.

Flavia Louise

I ended up listening to this on audiobook.
I enjoyed the story but to be honest I didn't really see the point in this being written in verse.

Katie

This was a really beautiful story about self-discovery and the importance of family--both blood family and chosen family. It felt a little difficult to connect to the characters, but I always have that issue with books written in verse. I also highly recommend the audiobook, because it's narrated by the author and the main character is a musician, so they actually recorded his songs and included them in the audiobook. I feel like that really elevates the experience!

Becca Futrell

3.5 stars. 

If you're gonna read this book, lemme recommend the audio book -- which is narrated by the author, Kwame Alexander. There's music & singing involved, 10/10 recommend.
 
This is a pretty good read. I wasn't overly in love with the story & I doubt I'll ever reread it. & I'm sure the plot will be forgotten at some point soon. But I truly appreciated the writing style (written in verse) & all the musical artists references. + the character goes to Africa, and unfortunately, I haven't read many books with that setting, so A+ to Solo.

Jessica 

Blog | Twitter | Instagram | As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via Edelweiss by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way. Review also found here.

This was my first experience with a Kwame Alexander book. Based on the entire prose of Solo I can already tell it won't be my last. Within moments of beginning the story and seeing how it's verse was laid out for readers, I was immediately overcome with the atmosphere of it all. Like with books by Ellen Hopkins there's this sense of intimacy that comes with the format of the story. So much in it generates a sort of warmth and moves you the further you flip through the book and that is the most important thing to note about Solo. 

What strikes me most about this is the message behind various moments in the book. Alexander provides readers with a voice that was desperately needed for its younger audience. Readers will relate to somethings in the pages and others won't, but that's okay. Because there's something deeply obtainable about the voice we witness.

More importantly, there's this element of healing and growing and reaching for life. There's a lot of layer to Solo that will keep readers turning pages. Family relationships and the struggle of living in someone else's shadow. Human complexities that arise not only from this but from love, loss and growing up. Frankly, it makes the novel so raw and moving that you scarcely find yourself drifting in and out of the story. I loved it! Overall, it's an excellent read with a velvety tone that is both honest and thought provoking.

Liz Griffin

A masterful MG/YA short novel about love, loss, and rock n roll. The audiobook, read by the author, profoundly reveals the poetry in every line. Wow!

Catherine

Seventeen-year-old Blade endeavors to resolve painful issues from his past and navigate the challenges of his former rockstar father's addictions, scathing tabloid rumors, and a protected secret that threatens his own identity.