Module Seven - Sorta Like a Rock Star

Book Summary

Amber Appleton lives in a bus. Ever since her mom’s boyfriend kicked them out, Amber, her mom, and her totally loyal dog, Bobby Big Boy (aka Thrice B) have been camped out in the back of Hello Yellow (the school bus her mom drives). But Amber, a girl of unyielding optimism, refuses to sweat the bad stuff. Instead, she focuses on bettering the lives of her alcoholic mother and her quirky circle of friends: Donna who is a lawyer and the single mother of Ricky, one of Amber’s close friends (who happens to be somewhere on the autism spectrum); Father Chee and The Korean Divas for Christ (soul-singing ESL students); a nihilist octogenarian (Joan of Old); a video-game-playing gang of outcasts; and a haiku-writing war vet (PJ). But then a fatal tragedy threatens Amber’s optimism—and her way of life. Can Amber continue to be the princess of hope? 

APA Reference of Book

Quick, M. (2010). Sorta like a rock star: a novel. New York, NY: Little, Brown & Company.

My Impressions

I believe Rock Star encompasses so many themes that are relevant to teens today  – abandonment; dysfunctional parents; homelessness; bullying; taking on responsibilities beyond your years; and befriending the underdog to name a few. Throughout all of these trials and tribulations, Amber Appleton has not only been able to maintain a stiff upper lip – she has responded with hope and joy. However, when life hands Amber a horrific, impossible circumstance that trumps all the others, Amber descends into a tailspin of depression that forces her to question all of her beliefs. She is surrounded by friends that do their best to help but she shuts them all out, one by one, and does her best to alienate those that love her.  What or who can save Amber from losing all of her hope?  

This book made more of an impression on me than anything else I have read in this class this semester.  It is truly thought provoking and makes you look at your own problems, stumbling blocks, and day to day speed bumps in a different way. You have to love Amber’s optimism and her questions about life. I still see comparisons to the movie The Wizard of Oz (which is mentioned briefly in the beginning of the book).

When I was reading the author flap, I realized that Matthew Quick also wrote Silver Linings Playbook. I honestly don’t know why I failed to connect those dots until after I had finished this book. I have seen that movie and after reading Sorta Lika a Rock Star, I will be checking out Silver Linings Playbook. I think (hope) I will find some similarities.  

What the Professionals Say

Gr 8 Up--Surreptitiously living in Hello Yellow, the school bus her mother drives as a part-time job, Amber Appleton is an upbeat Catholic who spreads joy and happiness while keeping her own difficulties at home very quiet. Her dog, Billy Big Boy, is her companion whenever possible. Routinely, Amber teaches ESL to the KDFC, dubbed the Korean Divas for Christ, with Father Chee on the piano; visits Private Jackson, a Vietnam veteran and haiku specialist; and regularly stops at a nursing home where Old Man Linder backs her corner in her ongoing war of insults with Joan of Old, a Nietzschean cantankerous grump who inevitably smiles in the face of Amber's upbeat humor. The teen and her friends comprise the Franks Freaks Force Federation, ostensibly a school marketing club, but really a place for them to gather. AA's unending optimism in the face of difficult circumstances is well depicted with snappy dialogue and inner musings. When real tragedy hits and Amber is unable to cope, the stark difference between the Amber of the past and the present is delivered in extensive white space and short paragraphs. Amber feels blank. Her reemergence is abrupt, but like a musical, it provides the feel-good ending that rolls on until every bow is tied, every bad guy is given a dose of the Amber spirit, and all of the people in her life are brought together. This book is the answer to all those angst-ridden and painfully grim novels in the shortcut lingo of short attention-span theater. Hugely enjoyable.

By Carol A. Edwards, Denver Public Library, CO

Edwards, C. A. (2010). [Review of the book Sorta like a rock star, by M. Quick]. School Library Journal, 56(5), 122.

A Suggestion for Use in a Library Setting

For a teen book discussion, I would hold a smack down of characters from literature modeled after Amber’s smack downs with Joan of Old on Wednesday afternoons.  We would pit the most hopeful characters against the most nihilistic characters.  And then we would see which ones would win in a battle against each other.

A list of possibilities for contenders for most hopeful characters might include Pollyana, Tintin, Mr. Weasley, Charlie Bucket, Lyra Silvertongue, Piglet, Lucy Pevensie, Sam Gangee, Tiny Tim, Dorothy Gale, and Cindy Lou Who.

The bad guys list could include Voldemort, Holden Caufield, Catcher in the Rye; Hamlet, Captain Ahab, Eeyore, Scrooge, the Wicked Witch of the West, and the Grinch.

I would let the teens come up with the characters they wanted to use and then we could have quotes from different characters and see if they could match the quotes with the characters.  We would, of course, also discuss the book. And we would have snacks. Ice cream sundaes would be an appropriate choice.