BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Franz Shubert was a musical prodigy, and very shy. He came from a musical family and played the violin, viola and piano, but his father discouraged him to seek a career in music - it was just too difficult. Shubert's friends were poets and playwrights and musicians and they encouraged him to pursue his dreams. Without a patron, however, few composers were able to make a living, but that didn't stop Shubert, he continued to write music, sometimes writing songs using his friend' lyrics. Shubert's friends made sure he had the means to write his music and helped make sure the world heard it.
I've always loved the music of Franz Schubert, but I had no idea that he was a prodigy. This well-told biography had me in tears by the end. Simply told through the perspective of Franz's friends, it's a great independent read for 3rd grade and above. The illustrations were great, depicting 19th-century Vienna. I really appreciated the author's note with a glimpse at the political undertones of the time. Listening to Schubert as I write this review!
Lisa Librarian
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