Celebrating the music that infuses Clayton Byrd Goes Underground

Last week I sung the praises of the terrific new novel Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia. Today, I'd love to celebrate by sharing some music, in the form of a playlist recommended to me by Rita Williams-Garcia. This is a fun mix of music that mixes the blues and hip-hop that form the inner anthems for Clayton Byrd, Cool Papa Byrd, and the Beat Boys.



The hip hop beat continues to reign supreme among today's youth. My own teens introduce me to today's beats along with classic hip hop. I love how this novel connects both modern and older music together. As Rita Williams-Garcia writes in her authors note for Clayton Byrd Goes Underground,

"Both beatboxing and playing the blues harp relied upon inventiveness in a language churned up from the gut and out through breath, throat, tongue, teeth, lips and spit to amplify the musician's voice and emotional road beyond mere words."

Rita Williams-Garcia draws upon this inspiration, creates a story of a young man's emotional journey, and captures the rhythm and cry of the music in her words.

The audiobook is magnificent. Listen here, if you'd like, to an excerpt:
Overdrive sample audiobook:

I'm sure I'll be sharing more as the year progresses about what students think about Clayton Byrd. Until then, enjoy the music and the story. The review copy was kindly sent by the publishers, HarperCollins, and I have already purchased several more copies. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this site, a small portion goes to Great Kid Books. Thank you for your support.

©2017 Mary Ann Scheuer, Great Kid Books