Julie Labossiere

“Amy Plays the Violin” is a delightful book that was written by Julie Labossiere and illustrated by Dwayne Brown. It is a simple story about a young girl who is nervous about her first violin recital. Her brother tries to help her out by telling her she could play the drums, but Amy tries out his set of drums and decides that it probably isn’t for her. She then goes to her sister for help, and her sister lets Amy try and play the piano but Amy realizes that she can play the violin better.

This book addresses the common symptom of being really nervous before a first recital. What I really liked about it was the relationship between Amy and her siblings. Instead of mocking or making fun of Amy, her brother and sister are very supportive and understanding and do their best to help her out.

This is a good book for any child who is starting to learn an instrument. It stresses that the best way to combat the nervousness of a recital is to practice, practice, practice but does it in a way that isn’t preachy. Along with being a cute story, this book also comes with adorable illustrations.… (meer)

Recently our family had the pleasure of reading ‘Amy Plays the Violin’ by Julie Labossiere. This is a story about a little girl named Amy, who has anxiety about an upcoming solo violin performance. She also questions if she should switch to another instrument before the big day.

Julie Labossiere is a great story teller. This book reads well and held my children’s attention. I really liked it not only for the positive encouragement and realistic scenario, but Julie takes the time to teach the children a couple musical words that they may have not known.

I believe this book would be of interest to elementary children. Readership age is probably between the 8 and 12. We read this out load as a family and my 9 and 11 year old have stated that “the Amy books” are their favorite.

We also love Dwayne Brown’s illustrations. They really bring the book to life. They are playful and bright.

I appreciate books that deal with real life situations, without giving an immediate solution. It’s nice to see the characters work through their fears and come out feeling good about themselves. It gives children a little extra confidence and something they can relate to.… (meer)

In ‘Amy Goes Surfing’ by Julie Labossiere, young Amy has been taking surfing lessons and is ready to go out on her own to test her skills. While Amy is certain that she can do this alone, she’s also very anxious and a bit afraid. With the support of her family and mentor, Amy decides to take the plunge.

I felt like this was a great book for children. I read this to my 9 and 11 year old and they loved it. They felt like they could relate to Amy, as to there have been many instances where they too were nervous about something.

Anxiety is a normal part of life that everyone will experience many times over. No matter how confident you are, you will always doubt yourself. Julie Labossiere understands this and shows in a positive way that it’s perfectly okay to be scared and if you believe in yourself, you can achieve anything.

I believe this book is great for all elementary students. As far as reading alone, I feel that it’s appropriate for third grade level and up.

Way to go Julie! Another positive, yet realistic book that children can relate to their everyday lives. I look forward to reading ‘Amy Plays The Violin’ and ‘Amy Volunteers’.… (meer)

Amy Plays the Violin
By Julie Labossiere

Amy has been preparing for her first violin recital. Even though she has practiced, she is still feeling nervous about it so she goes to her family to see if they can help her prepare better for the recital. Asking her brother Aaron, he offers her to play his drums, but the sound is just too loud and not quite right for Amy. Maybe her sister Stephanie has a good idea. Stephanie plays the piano so well, but when Amy sits down she discovers that she plays the violin better than she could play the keyboards. Realizing that she just needed the confidence that might come with practice, Amy gets back to it. Finally the night of the recital comes around and with her mom in the wings, the rest of the family in the audience, Amy takes the stage and finds her nerves go away after she starts to play the violin piece that she had been practicing.

An inspirational story about being able to overcome nerves and follow through with a task that might scare you. Spending the time to learn the violin then to explore other instruments only to realize that she was better off with the violin. To follow through with the whole process of learning it and then being part of the recital really showed her courage. Even as scary as that thought was, she knew she had prepared for this night. The since of pride in herself in the end seemed to be worth all the practice time and even the nerves helped her to push through the practices. Practice and patience are really great lessons for anyone, this story is geared for young readers or for reading aloud, with it’s plain wording, large print and great pictures. This would be a great addition to any youth library… (meer)