Scar Girl - Len Vlahos

Title: Scar Girl

Author: Len Vlahos

Pages: 272

Publisher: Egmont USA

Source: Netgalley

About: Told as an interview with the band after they reach the pinnacle of success, readers will hear from Cheyenne, Harry, and Richie as they discover the ups and downs of being a rock musician, complete with meltdowns on stage and fights that test the limits of the band. 

This is the Scar Boys in their own words.

I read The Scar Boys and loved it, so I knew as soon as I saw Scar Girl go up on Netgalley I had to request it.  The tiny description that I could find for it basically tells you what you need to know.  It’s framed as an interview with the band, which I’m not totally sure I loved.  The transition from interview to story didn’t always make sense to me.  I couldn’t tell if it was all supposed to be told in interviews and the story parts were just one person talking for a long time, or if there was supposed to be a clear separation between them.  This also may have just been an issue with the formatting of the e-galley.  The title made me think this book was going to mostly focus on Cheyenne, but you really get time with the whole band still.  Be forewarned, this is not a happy book, but if you read The Scar Boys, I think Scar Girl is a must.

The Scar Boys - Len Vlahos

Title: The Scar Boys

Author: Len Vlahos
Pages: 256
Publisher: Egmont USA

From goodreads.com: A severely burned teenager. A guitar. Punk rock. The chords of a rock 'n' roll road trip in a coming-of-age novel that is a must-read story about finding your place in the world...even if you carry scars inside and out. 

Like an older, punk rock version of Wonder.  The Scar Boys tells the story of Harry, a boy badly disfigured by burns when he was a kid.  Everyone in his school is terrible to him, except one person - Johnny.  They become best friends and, as so many do, they start a band.  Turns out, they're pretty good.  They go from playing local events to clubs to the point where they want to take it on the road before Johnny leaves for college.

The Scar Boys is an exploration of a lot of things in a very quick moving time in your life.  The summer before college is that time where you start questioning EVERYTHING: your parents, your friends, and especially yourself.

From a bookselling point of view this book is a godsend.  I'm always looking for new books to give to reluctant teen boy readers and this is perfect.  It has a really great boy voice and is about one of my favorite things - music.  An easy sell and a great read.