Drummer Girl Paperback – October 1, 2011

Sidney Crowley, the protagonist of Karen Bass's Drummer Girl, is desperate to become the new drummer of The Fourth Down, a local band formed by the high school football jocks. But when Sid auditions, she learns that some of the band members do not want a female drummer for fear of a girl causing problems among the guys in the band. To these particular band members, an acceptable female band member would have to be gay. Meanwhile, the other members might consider having a girl in the band provided she adheres to their basic tenet of looking good onstage. After careful consideration, Sid decides her best shot at getting to drum with the band involves ditching her baggy jeans and heavy metal t-shirts, and reinventing herself within the bewildering world of cute shoes, padded bras, and revealing clothing.Sid soon finds out though that her new image has implications she never envisioned. For starters, her best friend feels that Sid has sold out. And when a manipulated videotape showing Sid making out (actually of Sid being sexually assaulted) goes viral, Sid realizes she has lost her best friend, tensions are spiraling out of control at home, she does not stand a chance of drumming for the band (assuming she still wants to), school has become utterly intolerable, and her new love interest believes all the lies he was told about her.As most teenagers will attest, high school problems are seldom straightforward. In keeping with that reality, Ms. Bass offers us a messy story -a beautifully messy story that held me enthralled right through to the satisfying conclusion. Along with Drummer Girl's compelling story line, Ms. Bass has crafted snappy, realistic dialogue and a sympathetic protagonist who will resonate with teens. I highly recommend Drummer Girl and believe young adults will enjoy hanging out with Sid, her friends, and her beloved drum set.

Drummer Girl is a straight-forward read, with believable complications that practically shout "High School." It's also very cool that Sid is a girl drummer, making her way quite determinedly into what seems to be a boy's world of heavy rock. A foray into girlishness puts Sid in quite an interesting and difficult position, which is resolved nicely, and, I think, honestly. I liked also the way her growing interest in jazz broadens Sid's outlook, and shows how music isn't just about blindly pounding your instrument--it must involve listening to the players around you. I couldn't put this book down. Kudos to the author!

I literally read this book in one sitting. I bought it at 8 pm and finished reading at 11:20. I really felt for Sid, the tomboy heroine. An excellent read, just make sure you have kleenex handy!

I was impressed with the seriousness of this book. I find many YA novels superficial but not this one. It was refreshing to see an author understand and identify sexual assault to mean more than it's generally defined by society. I could identify with Sid, not because I was an aspiring drummer but because a similar incident happened to me and I had not, in my teen years, identified my assault as such. I think the fate of the boys involved was likely realistic, but therefore also disappointing. I'm not disappointed in the novel but in the realistic portrayal of boys who commit sexual assault. This book was not a trigger but rather a help to me.