Soundtrack
Soundtrack
Jason Reynolds
Listening Library, 2025/Penguin, 2026
336 pages
Grades 7-Up
Realistic Fiction
Stuy is a drummer who lives with his single mother in Brooklyn. When mom’s horrible boyfriend moves in, Stuy move out and in with his uncle in the lower east side. It is here that he meets Dunks, an amazing guitar player, and the two form an instant connection. They discover bass play Alexis and trumpeter Keith, along with thirteen-year-old Frankie (who becomes their announcer) and Soundtrack is born. They create magic in the New York subways, dazzling all walks of life with their new jam-band sounds. Even though Stuy’s mom was punk rock, she has lost her mojo and finds herself in an abusive relationship and Stuy finds it impossible to connect with her. This results in a legal complication that forces Soundtrack to keep their performances a secret. They become a pop-up jam-band, which only adds to their popularity, lifting them to New York City stardom. A devastating turn of events rocks the band to it’s very core, but they lean on each other and turn to the music to get them through.
Reynolds plays with format as he released this title solely on audio last year. It sports a full-cast and is slickly produced, including original music composed by Justin Ellington. This is the story of a band who rises to the top and lends itself perfectly to the audio format. Beyond the music, it is also a story of friendship, family and loyalty. Themes such as domestic violence, living with deafness, institutionalized poverty, and childhood cancer are all respectfully explored. The New York City setting is fully developed and almost a character onto itself. The story is said to be set in the early 2000’s, but it feels a bit more current. The teens all have cell phones and word about band news seem to be passed on through social media. The main character is eighteen, which feels old for younger readers, but the action remains innocent and there is no romance or substance use. Originally intended to only be released in the audio format, the powers that be decided to release it also as a physical book. Because it is such a sound dependent book, audio is the perfect way to consume it. The physical book is in script form—I guess the script from the audio. If graphic novels (a vision based media) can be consumed in audio, I guess this is possible, but I would stick to the amazing original format.