Azar on Fire
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Finding her voice takes on a whole new meaning when fourteen-year-old Azar Rossi sets out to win her local Battle of the Bands contest in this heartfelt and hilarious contemporary YA.
Fourteen-year-old Azar Rossi’s first year of high school has mostly been silent, and intentionally so. After a bad case of colic as a baby, Azar’s vocal folds are shredded—full of nodules that give her a rasp the envy of a chain-smoking bullfrog. Her classmates might just think she’s quiet, but Azar is saving her voice for when it really counts and talking to her classmates is not medically advisable or even high on her list.
When she hears about a local Battle of the Bands contest, it’s something she can’t resist. Azar loves music, loves songwriting, but with her vocal folds the way they are, there's no way she can sing her songs on stage.
Then she hears lacrosse hottie, Ebenezer Lloyd Hollins the Fifth, aka Eben, singing from the locker room. She’s transfixed. He's just the person she needs. His voice + her lyrics = Battle of the Bands magic. But getting a band together means Azar has a lot of talking to do and new friends to make. For the chance to stand on stage with Eben it might all just be worth it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Azar Rossi, 14 and of Argentinian, Italian, and Iranian descent, must overcome her fears about using her voice in this uplifting novel, which features characters from Abtahi's debut, Perfectly Parvin. Though Azar dreams of being a singer-songwriter, frequent throat infections as well as nodules on her vocal cords render her voice "scratchy and warbly," making her too self-conscious to speak most days, let alone sing. After accidentally damaging "about a thousand dollars' worth of equipment and school property," however, her principal suggests she sign up to compete in a local Battle of the Bands competition and help repay the school. Now, Azar must go from barely speaking to trying to persuade three of her classmates into joining her ensemble. She eventually recruits white lacrosse player Eben, a hottie who has the perfect voice; Lebanese exchange student Nadim, a bassist; and Argentinian American guitarist Matty. The racially diverse and queer-inclusive cast add nuance to this upbeat tale; while discussing her growing feelings for Eben, Azar realizes she may be demisexual. Azar's evolution from reclusive loner to social butterfly is well wrought, if somewhat predictable, and her frank first-person narration and struggle toward learning how to work in a team is humorous and endearing. Ages 12–up.
