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Rock Star Recess
School of Rock meets Fancy Nancy in this exuberant story about rock n' roll dreams colliding with the reality of elementary school.
Elsie’s music class has played Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star too many times, and she wants to try something new. When her music teacher suggests she “rock on her own time,” Elsie devises a plan. It’s recess, and the playground will make a great venue. Soon she and her best friends are setting up a stage. In true rock-star fashion, their band enlists classmates to help with hair and makeup, special effects, and security. They even host a press conference and an autograph session! Elsie has thought of everything to throw the most epic of recess rock concerts . . . or has she?
Elsie’s music class has played Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star too many times, and she wants to try something new. When her music teacher suggests she “rock on her own time,” Elsie devises a plan. It’s recess, and the playground will make a great venue. Soon she and her best friends are setting up a stage. In true rock-star fashion, their band enlists classmates to help with hair and makeup, special effects, and security. They even host a press conference and an autograph session! Elsie has thought of everything to throw the most epic of recess rock concerts . . . or has she?
40 pages, Hardcover
First published March 22, 2022
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 24, 2022
When a trio of classmates decide to become Rock Stars for Recess, they must battle the clock to get their show and all of its elements together for Recess, but soon, everyone wants to be involved. Can they still pull off the coolest concert at Recess before time runs out?!
As one review said, "It's School of Rock meets Fancy Nancy" and I couldn't agree more.
A very diverse group of awesome and accepting kids, understanding and explaining of everyone's tasks and the multiple people it takes to put on a concert, and illustrations by Emily Mullock that ROCK!!!
As one review said, "It's School of Rock meets Fancy Nancy" and I couldn't agree more.
A very diverse group of awesome and accepting kids, understanding and explaining of everyone's tasks and the multiple people it takes to put on a concert, and illustrations by Emily Mullock that ROCK!!!
April 19, 2022
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, friends! Our book today is Rock Star Recess, written by Patrick Baggatta and illustrated by Emily Mullock, a rock n’ roll lifestyle parody about focusing on fundamentals.
After a tedious elementary school music class, friends Elsie, Lizzy, and Luke decide to shake things up by performing a live rock show at the end of recess. With only 30 minutes to spare, the three quickly form a 3-man band – The Rebells – and set about getting everything ready for a pulse-pounding, foot-stomping performance. They start to practice, but quickly get distracted by other rock star responsibilities: signing autographs, hiring a security team, eating lavish meals, and setting up an explosive stage show. Getting into the rock star life, they feel ready to perform. Except, they’ve made one small oversight: they never practiced any songs! With a hyped-up crowd and their band’s name on the line, how will the trio get out of this conundrum?
Funny, plus a pretty good message. For audiences young and old, it’s really enjoyable to watch the kids get more and more wrapped up in a sanitized version of the rock star lifestyle that they forgot to actually, you know, write and practice any songs. It’s a subtle lesson in starting with the fundamentals of a thing, and it’s the kid’s “boring” classical music knowledge that ends up saving the day. There are some cute jokes aimed at adult readers, too, such as the little rock stars having ultra-specific food demands. The illustrations are incredibly colorful and packed with detail, and both the main and background characters represent a nice diversity of skintones and hair types. The length is fine for a storytime, and JJ enjoyed it. Overall, a fine and fun read for little rockers, and we recommend it. Baby Bookworm approved!
(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
May 17, 2022
The amazing powers of imagination hit full-force, engulfing everything (as a kid's does) to form the best reality ever.
Still caught up in the joy of singing during class, Elsie knows exactly how to spend recess. Her and her friends are going to perform a rock concert. Thirty minutes seems short, but Elsie and her group have everything under control. Soon, make-up, autographs, stage crews, management and more are churning full-gear...until she realizes they forgot something extremely important.
Elise is a ball of energy...or maybe, calling her a small tornado is more appropriate. She's bursting with ideas and determination, and it's hard not to get caught up in her excitement. Her two friends stand at her side, offering words of advice and jumping into the swirl with as much commitment as Elsie. It's an atmosphere packed with positive vibes, energy, and drive to inspire and make a listener/reader smile.
Of course, this is completely over the top and impossible in any twist of reality, except for the imagination. But any child with an active one will know (and their parents, who try to get their attention) that the world disappears. So, while some scenes made me raise an eyebrow, I remembered my own 'spy adventures' as a kid and can only say that these pages hit spot on. The writing is very natural and slides some comments in for a tiny bit of food for thought along the way.
And there's the message, which rides through like a show, but then, this is about a show. It's not preachy and simply rounds off the story, while staying present enough to be noticed.
This is a cute read, which will grab attention when read-aloud or revisited by the reader to gaze at the vibrant illustrations. I don't see this one as being one to read again and again and again, but it's definitely worth a fun visit and could make a nice start to a series. I can imagine that Elsie and her friends have quite a few more ideas waiting to be placed into action. I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed the entertaining adventure.
Still caught up in the joy of singing during class, Elsie knows exactly how to spend recess. Her and her friends are going to perform a rock concert. Thirty minutes seems short, but Elsie and her group have everything under control. Soon, make-up, autographs, stage crews, management and more are churning full-gear...until she realizes they forgot something extremely important.
Elise is a ball of energy...or maybe, calling her a small tornado is more appropriate. She's bursting with ideas and determination, and it's hard not to get caught up in her excitement. Her two friends stand at her side, offering words of advice and jumping into the swirl with as much commitment as Elsie. It's an atmosphere packed with positive vibes, energy, and drive to inspire and make a listener/reader smile.
Of course, this is completely over the top and impossible in any twist of reality, except for the imagination. But any child with an active one will know (and their parents, who try to get their attention) that the world disappears. So, while some scenes made me raise an eyebrow, I remembered my own 'spy adventures' as a kid and can only say that these pages hit spot on. The writing is very natural and slides some comments in for a tiny bit of food for thought along the way.
And there's the message, which rides through like a show, but then, this is about a show. It's not preachy and simply rounds off the story, while staying present enough to be noticed.
This is a cute read, which will grab attention when read-aloud or revisited by the reader to gaze at the vibrant illustrations. I don't see this one as being one to read again and again and again, but it's definitely worth a fun visit and could make a nice start to a series. I can imagine that Elsie and her friends have quite a few more ideas waiting to be placed into action. I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed the entertaining adventure.
October 21, 2023
This is a cute story with a charming group of ambitious students who plan to be rock stars. I love the humour in how the students go about planning their big ideas, but forgetting one very important thing. Emily Mullock’s illustrations are wonderfully engaging.
I enjoyed participating in a live read-aloud session with the author and illustrator. Both did a wonderful job of showing students how they approach story writing and illustrating. Patrick Baggatta talked about the importance of editing. He even shared dummies of the book, showing how he made changes to parts of the text and showing the different phases of the illustrations. He also led students through the planning stages of writing a sample beginning, middle, and end for a story, all while inviting student participation. Wonderfully inspiring to young authors!
I enjoyed participating in a live read-aloud session with the author and illustrator. Both did a wonderful job of showing students how they approach story writing and illustrating. Patrick Baggatta talked about the importance of editing. He even shared dummies of the book, showing how he made changes to parts of the text and showing the different phases of the illustrations. He also led students through the planning stages of writing a sample beginning, middle, and end for a story, all while inviting student participation. Wonderfully inspiring to young authors!
June 22, 2022
This book “would later be known as” bad.
July 11, 2022
I can relate to this one in lots of different ways!
July 19, 2023
A little long for storytime.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews