Jukebox Joyride

by Jacob Stein, Jason Rabinowitz

If you could go back in time to witness any concert from all of history, what would it be? Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock? Mozart in the Salzburg court? The Beatles’ rooftop farewell?

Jukebox Joyride follows 12-year-old twins Jules and George on a wild adventure through time. Their Uncle Bob, a renowned ethnomusicologist (he studies music!), has discovered the secret to time travel and is having a ball joyriding through history checking out the best concerts ever...but something’s gone wrong! A sinister force has been unleashed, someone is chasing after Uncle Bob, and the fate of all music hangs in the balance!

Now, it’s up to Jules and George to find their uncle before their new rival does! It’s a musical adventure that brings the twins from the birth of jazz in New Orleans to a performance by an 11- year-old Mozart in Vienna, all while trying to make it back to the present day to pass their history test!

About the Creators
Three-time Grammy nominees The Pop Ups have been raising the bar for children’s music for almost a decade. Their mission: to bring “humor, awesomeness, educational utility and wild creativity to children’s media”. Since launching in 2010, The Pop Ups have produced content for Sesame Workshop, Amazon Music, ABC Mouse, Sirius XM, and Nick Jr. and are currently developing a TV show with Amazon Studios. They wrote and recorded the theme song for NPR’s beloved kids’ podcast Wow in the World. Their latest endeavor, Jukebox Joyride, is a swashbuckling adventure that will get kids excited about history and making their own music. Featuring original songs and historical settings, this Audible Original is sure to captivate the entire household.

©2018 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens, Time Travel, Science Fiction, Music

4 pages, Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an Audible freebie a few months ago. I generally don’t review anything that is available only on audio, or even mark that I’m reading them on Goodreads. But I decided to make an exception here, because Jukebox Joyride was adorable. The production quality was insane, making this less of an audiobook and more akin to a radio drama from the past. I loved the importance of music to the plot, and the inclusion of actual music in the production was a welcome addition.

The story wasn’t anything mindblowingly original, and the plot twists were fairly predictable, but overall this was a very enjoyable middle grade work. My only complaint is that I felt a bit mislead by the synopsis. When the book advertised itself as traveling back in time to history’s most famous concerts, I was expecting to see Woodstock or at least concerts featuring actual famous artists from history. The closest Jukebox Joyride came to delivering on this was the inclusion of a young Mozart; every other major musical event mentioned might have been based on historical happenings, but were in fact fictionalized.

All in all, Jukebox Joyride was a cute, light, short audiobook that was incredibly immersive due its high production. I would highly recommend this for families with middle grade children, especially while trapped in a car together over a long road trip.

[Violinknitter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok, first of all, the production itself is great. Sound design, voice actors, all fine & enjoyable. The story, though?!?

I was soooo frustrated during the whole production. The blurb promises time-travel to famous concerts. You know how many famous concerts they attend? ZERO!!!! Not. A. Single. One!!!!

The idea of an ethnomusicologist time-traveling uncle is really fun! Do you know how much use they made of that??? Did we get to hear almost *anything* about what made particular genres of music unique? No!!! I *really* started to miss the old “Mr. Bach Comes to Call” audio story, which at least actually teaches kids some musical terms!!! Oh, and if you’re going to travel back in history and meet a female musicologist, MAKE IT A REAL PERSON!!! You know, so kids can get interested & look up her & her work.

Oh, also, the kids were utterly unbelievable as kids. From the phrases they used when they talked, to the limits of their musical interests (I can believe they’d be interested in classic rock, but not that they’d have no interest in any current musical genres), to the ways they interacted with technology, they’re simply not like late 2010s tweens. (A bully using the nursery rhyme phrase “Georgie Porgie” as a taunt?!? Are you freaking kidding me?!?)

(Side note, and I realize this is incredibly picky... don’t have Nannerl playing the Bach D minor Chaconne in the background. Her dad literally WROTE THE BOOK on 18th-century violin playing... have her play some Léopold Mozart!!!)

(Even side-ier side note... if you’re writing a fun musical romp for kids, don’t ever let someone who 1. works with kids every day and 2. has musicological training, anywhere near your work. You’ll get a very bad review.)

PS: I honestly don’t think the badly-written kids would cause real kids to dislike the story. I bet this would be an enjoyable listen. Just don’t expect it to be educational at all.

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was too tired last night for the more brain-intensive books I'm listening to, so I pulled up this Audible freebie. I wish Audible would just lower their subscription prices rather than giving me supposed value-added junk like this.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little adventure for kids! I enjoyed this one as well, even if the time traveling rules were a bit sketchy. But except for some minor sound issues, the production was good and the voices were well done. The story was not very complicated, but it was still fun. This would be a fun thing to listen to during road trips.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I realize I’m not in the demographic, and the demographic -at large - probably won’t notice or care, but there are far too many inconsistencies. Things like mentioning in one place that the band only practices on one day of the week and then having them practicing again the next day. Also, it’s hard to buy the characters as living in 2018/2019 and not only because of the unlikelihood of 11 year olds caring about music from 20+ years ago (I work with 11 year olds on a daily basis, and most modern day 11 year olds can’t even name music/movies from anything prior to their earliest memories).

[Jen Brodehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly kind of dumb story... nothing much makes any sense at all, including and especially the villain’s motivations. The time traveling is also maybe the most nonsensical I’ve seen in a long time. But the sound effects and music are fun and the performances are engaging.

But did the twins really help solve the problem in the end, in any real way?!

[Linda Barger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not exactly what I was hoping for. The idea of blending music into a audio book sounded good to me, but I was expecting so much more. The story line was not that interesting to be. But to be fair, it was written for kids, and my 6 year old grandson kept asking me to turn it on!

[Jaimie Engle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super fun adventure with great production value. I enjoyed listening to this story and could see it as a kids TV series.

[Quenya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Total Escapism in a great way.

I enjoyed this little story so much. I was having to work on a weekend, and this was the perfect story for my earbuds to help ease the monotony. It is listed as young adult/tween, but it is a good listen for anyone.

The story is engaging, and the characters of Jules/George are great. The whole time traveling with a music theme is great and you can tell the author appreciates music from all eras and genres. The narrators did a good job of creating emotion and a visual image to the story.

Good little listen.

[Sonny Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable.

[Addi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute story about loving music that I plan to read to my daughter.

[Elysa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short, fun story is perfect for road trips. It's something the whole family can enjoy if you're looking for that. It's a simple and entertaining story with a fun cast of characters.

Unfortunately, the sound levels are way off. The sound effects and music often drown out the reader. This issue seems to be a trend with Audible originals, and I hope they fix it soon.

[Kelsey Weiss · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ This book was free with my Audible subscription so I cannot say that I wasted money on it. However, it was definitely a book written for young children. There was no real depth to the plot. If I was a child, I probably would have found this book to be enjoyable.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful book for elementary school and middle schoolers. It is a time travel adventure through the lens of music. When 12-year old twins named George and Jules try to rescue/find their Uncle Bob they have to locate him through all different time periods of music and unravel the clues he has left in each place. They listen to and learn about the origin of jazz in New Orleans, Jimmi Hendrix, and Mozart in Vienna. Of course, there is a villain chasing them and trying to get their time travel equipment.
I highly recommend this book for any family going on a car trip. Just fun, enjoyable and educational. And completely clean!
The group that created this book--the Pop-Ups have a mantra to bring “humor, awesomeness, educational utility and wild creativity to children’s media.” They’ve been nominated for 3 Grammys and have produced music for most of the famous kids' networks and shows.

[Arielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda fun. Liked the exposure to music. Liked the strength of the twins and their bond. Was not into how lightly slaver was portrayed. I get it’s for children, and I’m not saying exposure to all the horrors, but I am saying don’t lie about it. It was not fluffy like that.

The children really enjoyed this caper.

[Ruth Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lighthearted, entertaining adventure which is a good quick read.

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 4 out of 5]

My five year old and I listened to this audiobook on his way to drum lessons once a week over about 3 months. It’s an audible original that really takes advantage of the format with different voice actors, sound effects and music throughout the book. The last book we listened to (The Mystwick School of Musicraft) similarly took advantage of the format but even more so this felt like listening to an old time radio broadcast that was specifically written for the medium.

At only 3.5 hours, Jukebox Joyride is a very kid-friendly adventure about two 11 year old twins that end up time traveling in search of their lost uncle Bob. Their uncle is an ethno-musicologist who found a magic music box on an episode of Storage Wars. After opening the box, he disappeared while on television. The twins (a boy named George and girl named Jules) are both music lovers and instrumentalists. Following their uncles clues the twins jump back in time to a few different points in world history. Their destinations are always music related and at each one they get a new clue to guide them.

The bad guy is another ethno-musicologist named Dirk who wants to erase some music from history, or maybe just replace human error from music. I get that you need over the top villains for a kids book, but Dirk and his Tin-Ear were a bit hard to follow for this father/son combo. Also **Spoilers follow** I think the end of the book could have been improved if Dirk were not a bad guy at the end. The time travel element allowed for a traumatic event in Dirk’s life to have been averted, but afterwards he’s still a mustache twirling villain. **End of spoilers** Despite some car chases, kidnappings and evil henchmen, the book never got more violent or scary that what you’d see on a standard Disney movie.

Besides a few questions from my son asking about the Tin-Ear, he really enjoyed it. About halfway through the book he said he liked the Mystwick book better, but by the end he was hoping there was a sequel to this one we could listen to right away next. There was also a big concert at the end where the twins get to show off their guitar and drum skills that he was really into. I’ve found the audiobooks to be great for 1 on 1 rides, and though they are taking a long time to get through at once a week, my son was super proud of himself after finishing another one and couldn’t wait to tell his mom when we got home.

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book an extra star because I suspect that children might like this audiobook more than I did. Small children might not notice the problems with this book, but I would suffer if children would listen to this audiobook while I was around.

The story: Jules (female) and George (male) are 12-year-old twins who are given a small musical box that transports them back in time in musical history. They are searching through time for their Uncle Bob (a musical antiquities person) while an evil music professor is on the hunt for them in order to destroy music forever... or something like that. Eventually they manage to find Uncle Bob and set everything right. Also, reasonably good music is included. Hooray.

Anything wrong with this story? It was overproduced. There were sound effects throughout which made it difficult to follow, especially at first, because the narrative was overpowered by the sounds of an alarm clock going off, a smoke alarm going off, a teacher yammering in the background, etc. You get the idea.

Secondly, the story was painfully predictable. I know it is for kids, but adults often have to listen to these things along with their kids. It should at least be a little interesting for adults as well. While the musical history is somewhat interesting at first, the author seemed to drop that aspect of the audiobook, simply expecting that children would know who Mozart was and why he was famous.

Finally, the various musical recording devices were described adequately, but not the term "tin ear".

Any modesty issues? None that I recall.

The author was one of the narrators and no doubt his band played the music. The music was reasonably good. Nevertheless, it was not enough to save this audiobook for me. I doubt I will listen to it again, even with children although I wouldn't stop them if they decided to listen to it.

[Dave Shields · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a free book from Audible that I grabbed because it sounded interesting. It takes off very quickly and goes very fast. I actually enjoyed reading it more than I expected I would. It follows two heroes who happen to be 11 year old twins as they race through time with help of a magic music box. Each time period they visit shares a little music and “soul” of the era, the kids do some stuff and then are whisked away again. Ultimately they strive to save their beloved “Uncle Bob” who has been helping their single mother through life.

The book had plenty of humor and fun twists. You always know that the kids are going to be okay but sometimes you don’t know how. There are some pretty hair-raising chases, some intense moments, and some musical fun. My kids would probably love reading it as much as I did. I even learned some things about the music eras in the book that I didn’t know before.

The big negative on this is that it had lots of inconsistencies in the story and even the kids’ ages. The book introduces them as “twins” and says they are 11. Later on, the book says they are 12 even though the story has only spanned 3 days in their life and makes no mention of a birthday. Then, the boy says he’s 11 again. Also, the characters are rather transparent and 1 dimensional throughout the story, they have a single focus and seem like they are not afraid of anything or anyone. The side characters are tossed in for effect but largely are just there to make the story progress.

Perhaps I am being too particular for a short , kid focused book but I believe in honesty. This is not a bad book, in fact, I rather enjoyed reading it. I just wish it was something more than what it was. It’s a fun and quick read, just don’t expect a lot of meat.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

11-year-old twins Jules and George are musicians whose love of music was fostered by their Uncle Bob. Unfortunately, during the filming of a reality show that their uncle was appearing on, he disappeared - vanishing into thin air, on camera, with no apparent explanation. He was listening to some song being played when he just ... disappeared.

In their investigation to locate him, Jules and George come across a music box that, when it plays a specific melody, sends them back in time. And thus begins an adventure in the present and the past to find their uncle and save music as they know it from someone who is trying to change the very music they love.

This story was a fun one, and I enjoyed the soundtrack that went along with it. The narration was also pretty good, with my only complaint being whoever did the voice of Emily - one of the other kids in their band, Unlimited Breadsticks - did a terrible job with her voice; her voice was much too deep to be a female. Other than that small thing - and it really is small since Emily only appears in one scene with, perhaps, 3 lines of dialogue.

Anyway, back to the story, I really liked the different times when Jules and George got to play their instruments, whether they were practicing with their friends in their garage, helping their uncle save music, or trying out for 1st chair in the school band. The various trips they took in their quest to find their uncle helped each of the twins develop their self-confidence in their own abilities and helps them overcome their stage fright.

At about 3.5 hours in length, it is also an audiobook that can easily be listened to multiple times, and it is also one that is worth listening to multiple times.

[Lis Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

George and his twin sister Jules are "practically twelve," really into music. They're active in Stage Band at school, and have their own after-school garage band.

And they really miss their Uncle Bob.

Uncle Bob is an ethnomusicologist, or was, beofre he abruptly disappeared during the filming of a reality show, Pawn Wars, where he'd just won a strange old music box. And in this case, "disappeared" means just that, with cameras rolling, in a great flash of light, with no damage to anything that had been around him.

Then one day the owner of their favorite music shop tells them he has a package for them, from their Uncle Bob. It turns out to be the music box.

They fiddle with it, get it playing a tune, and suddenly they're in New Orleans for the birth of jazz. They meet someone who met Uncle Bob, and had told him to look out for the twins, but that was a while ago, and Bob has moved on.

Soon the twins are bopping back and forth between their present, where they still have to prepare for the next history test, and various important musical moments in history, where Bob has been recently, but they can't seem to catch up with him. And both in the past and the present, they're finding increasingly alarming evidence that something went horribly wrong in the past. Bob is trying to fix it, and he needs the twins' help. Messing around with your own past is not something you should do yourself!

This is a rollicking, fun adventure. There are plot holes you could drive a Mack truck through, and I didn't care. The ride is too much fun!

Recommended. Enjoy.

I received this audiobook via Audible's Audible Originals program, and am reviewing it voluntarily.

[Enakshi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little book. The audiobook was well done. I loved the voices and the special effects. Yes, there were some times when things were a bit off or a response came a bit too late, but these were non-issues really.

The story itself is delightful. I love the two main characters (Jules and George) and the music box that lets you travel in time. That was amazing! One of my favourite parts was when they met young Mozart. The moment I figured out they were meeting 11-year old Mozart, I just started squealing with excitement. (It was very weird because I was out in a public place and people definitely looked at me like I had many screws loose in my head. They were not wrong.)

Anyway, this was a lovely little story and I enjoyed it from start to finish. I kind of wish it were longer though. Took one star away because of the minor lags in the audiobook but mainly because I felt the end was a bit rushed.

Would I recommend this to someone? Of course! Both kids and adults would enjoy this and it’s a great listen after reading a heavy/depressing/angsty book. I also learned some things about music that I didn’t know before and that was an added bonus. All in all, this was a good one.

[Solace Winter · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I was somewhere in the 10-15 range, this probably would have been a 5 star story for me. However, it was a bit "simple" in the story-telling while the music was incredible. But to be honest, I would have enjoyed more music from this, a full song somewhere instead of clips of songs (especially the main bands song Jukebox Joyride, you only ever get the hook). The story is simple, and cute, and I think I'd recommend it for any child. The simplicity, for me, though makes it less something I was engaged in and something that made more entertaining background that simple sounds. However, the voice acting from the creators was top notch, I would have thought they had a mostly full cast, and instead it was only a few people, so kudos to that as well.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pleasant surprise! I really enjoyed this short audible original. I think it would be a great car ride story, as there is enough substance that everyone in the car will be able to enjoy it. Given its intended audience of children in the 8-13 range (probably), the story was a little simpler than I might have preferred, but it was surprisingly engaging for my adult self. A lot of that is to do with the excellent production on this title - the music was really good, and the sound effects and dramatization elements only enhanced the story instead of distracting from it, which has not generally been my experience with other dramatized audio things. If The Pop Ups make any more of these musical adventures, I will definitely check it out.

[Gidg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Performances of multiple narrators was done very well. It was like listening to a child's Saturday morning TV show, innocently entertaining. The story premise is a bit reminiscent of the adventures told in the TV show Carmen Sandiego. Where as Carmen Sandiego was about a thief going around the world stealing priceless art or artifacts and having the audience a bit of history during her escapades and of the children who were hunting her down, we have here lessons regarding musical history and musical culture while the main characters Jules and George try to hunt down and assist their uncle Bob through time.

This is definitely a kid's story. I received this book as an Audible Original Members Monthly Freebie. I would suggest this audible to a child who is into such adventure stories.

[Kelli Santistevan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here’s what this book is about:”If you could go back in time to witness any concert from all of history, what would it be? Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock? Mozart in the Salzburg court? The Beatles’ rooftop farewell? Jukebox Joyride follows 12-year-old twins, Jules and George, on a wild adventure through time. Their Uncle Bob, a renowned ethnomusicologist (he studies music!), has discovered the secret to time travel, and is having a ball joyriding through history checking out the best concerts ever...but something’s gone wrong! A sinister force has been unleased, someone is chasing after Uncle Bob, and the fate of all music hangs in the balance!”

I listened to this book on Audible and I enjoyed it. I liked the music, the characters and the narration. This book was a lot of fun to listen to.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a free Audible Original for the month of June. It reminded me Magic Tree House but I didn't feel like they were unknowingly working for a villain the whole time. You ever read those? The Magic Tree House books? The first time they mentioned Morgan La Faye was the person they were being puppeteered by, I wanted to slap whatever cursed item they were trying to bring back to her out of their hands and yell at them to "Get away from that tree house!" This is kind of like that, but the kids get to travel back to iconic rock concerts, so that's cool. Worth a listen. Your kids might like it and it might get them interested in playing an instrument.

[Stephanie Belflower · Rating 5 out of 5]

I downloaded this book on Audible for my son. He’s going through a phase where he doesn’t want to read himself (he’s 8) even though he is quite capable. He like for us to read to him at night, but I wanted something more, to maybe entice him to read or listen himself. He LOVED this book! We listened on the way to tae kwon do and anytime we had 20 minutes or more in the car. He remembered the storyline from one listen to the next and bonus, he stayed off the iPad for a little while!! I found the story engaging as well, so I didn’t mind listening with him and we could talk about it after. Great job!!!

[John Kaess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun audiobook (audible) adventure story for children. Twins travel through time to find an item on behalf of their Uncle who is an ethnomusicologist. During their adventure they meet famous musicians and attend parts of famous concerts and performances from Mozart to Louis Armstrong and others. I would say this is for about the same age level as Magic Treehouse. Maybe ages 6 to 12. It's fun, interesting and has good sound effects and narration. Your kids will enjoy it, and best of all, it's about music and musicians.