cover image Road Rash

Road Rash

Mark Huntley Parsons. Knopf, $16.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-385-75342-5

When 17-year-old Zach Ryan gets picked as the new drummer in a popular local band going on a long summer tour, he quickly learns about the challenges that come with life on the road. Playing in small venues, Bad Habit deals with a bar brawl and a manager who won’t pay them, but the biggest problems come from within the band. Zach wants to start playing originals, like a great song written by Bad Habit’s talented guitarist, but the lead singer has too much ego to listen. Zach is a sympathetic “nice guy” narrator who is trying to be a responsible band member, despite being its newest and youngest addition. He’s also good at expressing the thrill of creating music (describing drumming, he says, “You’re the guy with his foot on the gas driving the whole thing. You’re the one making people get up off their asses and dance”). This road trip runs a bit long, including a romantic storyline that distracts from the main plot, but readers and especially musicians should enjoy debut novelist Parsons’s look at a band on the run. Ages 12–up. (Feb.)