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gmamartha's review against another edition
4.0
I really like the feel of this book. Historical fiction (during my lifetime - isn't that a weird feeling), adventure, European setting, military families, music, friendships that don't bicker, families that care... and writing that helps put you into it all.
marie_gg's review against another edition
4.0
http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/2012/02/second-fiddle.html
I finally got around to reading Second Fiddle, the middle-grade novel written by a long-time friend from our church, Rosanne Parry. Years ago Rosanne invited Mike to join her children's writers' group (which has been a great boost and encouragement for him), so she's been a great help to Mike in his own writing career.
Second Fiddle's focus on orchestral music and girls' friendship drew me in and kept me hooked through the novel. Jody is an army kid in Berlin, Germany, right after the fall of the Berlin Wall. She plays second violin in a string trio with her more sophisticated friends Giselle and Vivian; however, Giselle and Jody are due to return to the U.S. soon and Jody is feeling sad that their trio collaborations are about to come to an end.
Their last big hurrah is meant to be a solo and ensemble competition in Paris, but their music teacher falls ill and cannot accompany them. Just as they are nursing their disappointment about the thwarted Parisian trip, they venture into East Berlin to have gelato...and inadvertently witness an attempted murder of a Soviet Union soldier.
They rescue Arvo (who is actually Estonian) out of the river and revive him. In the ensuing days, they nurse him back to health as he hides under the bridge in East Berlin. Then they come up with a plan: why not go to Paris with Arvo disguised as their music teacher? Then he can meet other Estonians and return to his country.
They get into all sorts of adventures in Paris, and girls especially will enjoy reading about the friendship among the three young musicians. Rosanne has a special knack about writing about military families, because of her experience as part of a military family herself. (She lived in Berlin around the time the novel was set with her soldier husband and baby.) She also illustrated this knack and sensitivity in her first published novel, Heart of a Shepherd. Her web site has some great resources and tips for military families--and for supporting friends in military families.
Second Fiddle made me want to pick up my violin again! Check back on my blog for an interview with Rosanne and a book giveaway in March, in time for the paperback release of Second Fiddle.
I finally got around to reading Second Fiddle, the middle-grade novel written by a long-time friend from our church, Rosanne Parry. Years ago Rosanne invited Mike to join her children's writers' group (which has been a great boost and encouragement for him), so she's been a great help to Mike in his own writing career.
Second Fiddle's focus on orchestral music and girls' friendship drew me in and kept me hooked through the novel. Jody is an army kid in Berlin, Germany, right after the fall of the Berlin Wall. She plays second violin in a string trio with her more sophisticated friends Giselle and Vivian; however, Giselle and Jody are due to return to the U.S. soon and Jody is feeling sad that their trio collaborations are about to come to an end.
Their last big hurrah is meant to be a solo and ensemble competition in Paris, but their music teacher falls ill and cannot accompany them. Just as they are nursing their disappointment about the thwarted Parisian trip, they venture into East Berlin to have gelato...and inadvertently witness an attempted murder of a Soviet Union soldier.
They rescue Arvo (who is actually Estonian) out of the river and revive him. In the ensuing days, they nurse him back to health as he hides under the bridge in East Berlin. Then they come up with a plan: why not go to Paris with Arvo disguised as their music teacher? Then he can meet other Estonians and return to his country.
They get into all sorts of adventures in Paris, and girls especially will enjoy reading about the friendship among the three young musicians. Rosanne has a special knack about writing about military families, because of her experience as part of a military family herself. (She lived in Berlin around the time the novel was set with her soldier husband and baby.) She also illustrated this knack and sensitivity in her first published novel, Heart of a Shepherd. Her web site has some great resources and tips for military families--and for supporting friends in military families.
Second Fiddle made me want to pick up my violin again! Check back on my blog for an interview with Rosanne and a book giveaway in March, in time for the paperback release of Second Fiddle.
book_nut's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the sense of adventure and place in this book. Had issues with the lying, but the author resolved those by the end.
carpelibrumbookstore's review against another edition
4.0
Second Fiddle, by Rosanne Parry
$15.09 at the Parkville Bookworm(new)
Second Fiddle starts out in Berlin, Germany in 1990, right after West Berlin opened up to East Berliners and the Berlin Wall fell.
Thee 13-year-old girls- Jody, Vivian, and Giselle- are living in Berlin during this time with their military dads when they hear that their music teacher won't be accompanying them to an important concert in Paris, and the trip needs to be canceled. They're disappointed, because it will be the last time they perform together, or so they think.
After they witness the attempted murder of a Soviet Union soldier by his comrades and he begs them not to report the incident to the police or make him go to a hospital, the girls concoct a plan: the soldier will accompany the girls to the concert, acting as their chaperone and pretending to be their music teacher. He'll be safe from another attempt on his life, and any adults the girls encounter while at the concert will be less suspicious if the girls are with an adult than if they were on their own, and they can still perform in the concert. It seems like the perfect plan; they just have to be really careful. Of course, the plan doesn't actually work, and well, suffice to say, they end up with some very unhappy parents.
Overall, the book was pretty good. The girls learn some lessons. There are also some funny scenes in the book, like when Jody is praying with her brothers and changes the prayer about the Lord keeping your soul if you die before you wake to If I should sneeze before I wake, oh what a goopy mess I'll be.
$15.09 at the Parkville Bookworm(new)
Second Fiddle starts out in Berlin, Germany in 1990, right after West Berlin opened up to East Berliners and the Berlin Wall fell.
Thee 13-year-old girls- Jody, Vivian, and Giselle- are living in Berlin during this time with their military dads when they hear that their music teacher won't be accompanying them to an important concert in Paris, and the trip needs to be canceled. They're disappointed, because it will be the last time they perform together, or so they think.
After they witness the attempted murder of a Soviet Union soldier by his comrades and he begs them not to report the incident to the police or make him go to a hospital, the girls concoct a plan: the soldier will accompany the girls to the concert, acting as their chaperone and pretending to be their music teacher. He'll be safe from another attempt on his life, and any adults the girls encounter while at the concert will be less suspicious if the girls are with an adult than if they were on their own, and they can still perform in the concert. It seems like the perfect plan; they just have to be really careful. Of course, the plan doesn't actually work, and well, suffice to say, they end up with some very unhappy parents.
Overall, the book was pretty good. The girls learn some lessons. There are also some funny scenes in the book, like when Jody is praying with her brothers and changes the prayer about the Lord keeping your soul if you die before you wake to If I should sneeze before I wake, oh what a goopy mess I'll be.
plexippa's review against another edition
4.0
If we had known it would eventually involve the KGB, the French National Police, and the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, we would have left that body in the river and called the Polizei like any normal German citizen; but we were Americans and addicted to solving other people's problems, so naturally, we got involved.
Synopsis:
Berlin in 1990: a city in transition. The Wall has just come down, people have fled from East Berlin in search of better lives, and the Soviet Army is facing some serious problems of its own. For American Army-brat Jody and her best friends, Giselle and Vivian, Berlin is also home. For a while, at least. Jody's three-year stay is about to come to an end with her family's upcoming move to Texas, while Giselle's family is headed to California. The girls are in the final days of preparing for one last competition as a string trio - in Paris! - when their teacher tells them he cannot take them after all. On their way home from receiving that disappointing news, the girls save a drowning Estonian soldier, beaten and thrown off a bridge by officers of his own Soviet Army. He needs to escape Berlin before the Russians find him. The girls need a chaperon to Paris before their parents find out their teacher canceled. What could possibly go wrong?
Review:
In Parry's second book for young readers, she takes us back to a time that seems too recent to really be called historical fiction, but it is. She sketches the reality of teens of the time - no cell phones, no e-mail - with specific details without waxing overly nostalgic (an easy trap when writing historical fiction set in your own lifetime). For today's tweens, the days of the Soviet Union are ancient history! The story is told through Jody's eyes, but all three girls are strong characters. Their bond, and the way it sustains them through thick and thin, forms the core of the novel. Parry keeps their madcap antics in Paris just this side of unbelievable, giving both a thrilling adventure tale and a sweet story of friendship, loyalty, and discovering one's own strength.
Final Word:
Set in the waning days of the Cold War, this is a fine adventure story with a warm heart.
Source: Checked out from my public library.
Synopsis:
Berlin in 1990: a city in transition. The Wall has just come down, people have fled from East Berlin in search of better lives, and the Soviet Army is facing some serious problems of its own. For American Army-brat Jody and her best friends, Giselle and Vivian, Berlin is also home. For a while, at least. Jody's three-year stay is about to come to an end with her family's upcoming move to Texas, while Giselle's family is headed to California. The girls are in the final days of preparing for one last competition as a string trio - in Paris! - when their teacher tells them he cannot take them after all. On their way home from receiving that disappointing news, the girls save a drowning Estonian soldier, beaten and thrown off a bridge by officers of his own Soviet Army. He needs to escape Berlin before the Russians find him. The girls need a chaperon to Paris before their parents find out their teacher canceled. What could possibly go wrong?
Review:
In Parry's second book for young readers, she takes us back to a time that seems too recent to really be called historical fiction, but it is. She sketches the reality of teens of the time - no cell phones, no e-mail - with specific details without waxing overly nostalgic (an easy trap when writing historical fiction set in your own lifetime). For today's tweens, the days of the Soviet Union are ancient history! The story is told through Jody's eyes, but all three girls are strong characters. Their bond, and the way it sustains them through thick and thin, forms the core of the novel. Parry keeps their madcap antics in Paris just this side of unbelievable, giving both a thrilling adventure tale and a sweet story of friendship, loyalty, and discovering one's own strength.
Final Word:
Set in the waning days of the Cold War, this is a fine adventure story with a warm heart.
Source: Checked out from my public library.
donifaber's review
4.0
This is a compelling story, but even better the interaction between the three main characters feels like a very real, very valuable friendship.
1tolkienfan's review
4.0
excellent characters, edge of seat action. subject not too many books written about--music, military family life and effects on folks after Berlin wall came down
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