Making the Band (2)

Craftily Ever After #2

by Martha Maker, Xindi Yan (Illustrator)

Maddie, Bella, Emily, and Sam create rock star–worthy instruments with found objects in this second book in the brand-new Craftily Ever After chapter book series!

Emily Adams, Maddie Wilson, Bella Diaz, and Sam Sharma are eight-year-olds with one special thing in common: they love to create. They each have unique talents, too! Emily is great at constructing and building; Maddie has an eye for fashion, fabrics, and sewing; Bella is a gadget whiz; and Sam is a gifted artist. Together, these four crafty friends dream up new projects to design, build, and create and through their experiences, they’ll learn how to handle various obstacles at school and in their everyday eight-year-old lives.

In the second Craftily Ever After book, there’s a talent show at school and for the first time, Maddie, Bella, Emily, and Sam can’t think of anything to do. That is, until an old tin can and some plastic tubing give them a musical idea!

With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Craftily Ever After chapter books are perfect for emerging readers.

Genres: Childrens, Realistic Fiction

128 pages, Hardcover

Published March 27, 2018

Reviews

[Allie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm resuming my quest to read a book from all of the series in my selection area -- the children's series section. This one is fine. Tons of pictures, really large text, cute characters. There is some good crafting/making/tinkering happening here but I wasn't really feeling it.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoy this little series. It's one of the few chapter books series that my five-year-old enjoys listening to for read-alouds. There's nothing too "dramatic" in these books, the focus is positive and I appreciate the diverse cast of characters and the focus on making/crafting. Here, the emphasis is on music and musical instruments. I appreciate that the children aren't defeated when a bit of a "natural disaster" ruins their initial plans and they use their creativity to move forward and make something even better.

[Beth Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read aloud to the younger kids. Not quiet as fun as the first book in the series, mostly because making musical instruments makes me roll my eyes. Still a really sweet and fun friendship book for younger elementary age. Great illustrations throughout.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased the set of Craftily Ever After books (the first 4 books) for my 7-year-old daughter. This is just such a wonderfully written chapter book for children who are getting into more advanced reading. I chose this set because it dives deeper into creativity and problem solving than most books I have seen for young girls- and is still something she will want to pick up and read. My daughter is normally drawn to books with unicorns and narwhals and all that fun stuff- but I wanted her to also find a good story in reading a book that inspires her in the real world, also! So far, we have read 3 of the books together. I really do love this set. It presents each character as having their own unique skill set that will come together to solve a problem or develop a new product. At the end of the book, the author has provided an instructable for how the reader can complete the same/similar project. Highly recommend these books!

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

Craft-loving friends Maddie, Bella, Emily, and Sam have to figure out an act for their school's talent show! They are sure they can find some way to showcase their crafting talents on stage, but all of their ideas are just okay until Sam is inspired to start a band using instruments they make themselves.

This is an adorable series, brimming with diversity and happy, positive messages about caring about the environment, being kind to others, making new friends, and embracing the activities you love. This particular title stands out for the kids' perseverance after their first instruments are destroyed by rain. Also a good place to find lots of creative DIY ideas for young crafters.

[Sheri S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of four friends (representing different ethnic backgrounds) gets together after school to work on projects in their craft clubhouse. Each has their own respective areas of interest (i.e. woodworking, coding, etc.). In this book, the friends learn their school will be holding a talent show and they decide to enter as a group. They face some challenges but persevere and come up with a fun idea in which each child contributes something to the final show. The book is a great example of teamwork and how a child's unique interests can hold great value.

[Megan Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

What makes these so great is how the problem is there, but they work together to solve the problem. But it’s not right away! They go through a few solutions before they find the right one. It’s something that’s realistic! Kids need to know early on that it won’t always work out the first time you try to figure something out. And you can rely on others too! It’s okay! Okay, I really love this series.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makerspace lovers... this one’s for you! These kids will use any materials they can get their hands on in order to “make!” Very fun, and totally timely with the emphasis on this lately!

Excellent for 1st-3rd grade readers!

[Callie Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theese are good books and really easy to read

[Ally Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

JY - first early chapters book. A little "Pollyanna-ish" but fun to see kids working together and having fun

[Linn J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kreativa ungar som skapar saker och ting och I slutet av boken går se igenom hur man själv kan skapa saken.

[Callie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series for early chapter book readers!

[Jen Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read with my daughter. She really enjoyed it!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bedtime read with Maddie. One of her new favorites

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun new series featuring a diverse cast of characters who love to craft. A talent show inspires the kids to form a band making their own instruments. But can they get their act together in time?