Tribute to Another Dead Rock Star

From the Publisher

"Grady Grennan-the likable fifteen-year-old son of Janis Joplin-like rock star Debbie Grennan, who abandoned him when he was seven and died from choking after overdosing on drugs and alcohol-relates what happens when he is invited to speak at a tribute in Seattle for his celebrity mother...A moving and memorable story with sharply etched characters." —School Library Journal"Powell poses some provocative questions in this unglamorized, introspective look at the fringes of the rock-star scene. Grady, the 15-year-old narrator, returns to his hometown of Seattle three years after the death of his mother, famous hard-rocker Debbie Grennan, to speak at a concert performed in her memory. While there, he stays with his mentally handicapped half-brother, Louie, and Louie's born-again-Christian family. The half-brothers' artless conversations allow Grady time to reflect on Debbie's rise to fame as well as her self-destructive behavior."—Starred / Publishers Weekly

"Randy Powell never gives in to cheap thrills or pronouncements...Everything and everyone is written with concentrated intelligence and affection."—Hungry Mind Review

Publishers Weekly

A 15-year-old returns to his hometown three years after the death of his mother, a famous hard-rocker, to speak at a concert performed in her memory. "Some provocative questions are posed in this unglamorized introspective look at the fringes of the rock-star scene," wrote PW in a starred review. Ages 12-up. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Powell (Dean Duffy; The Whistling Toilets) poses some provocative questions in this unglamorized, introspective look at the fringes of the rock-star scene. Grady, the 15-year-old narrator, returns to his hometown of Seattle three years after the death of his mother, famous hard-rocker Debbie Grennan, to speak at a concert performed in her memory. While there, he stays with his mentally handicapped half-brother, Louie, and Louie's born-again-Christian family. The half-brothers' artless conversations allow Grady time to reflect on Debbie's rise to fame as well as her self-destructive behavior. From beginning to end, the novel spans only three days; still, the author manages to skillfully encapsulate the personalities of the people and events that have shaped the protagonist. Acutely aware of how his presence causes tension in Louie's household, Grady nonetheless feels a form of acceptance and love from them that his own mother was unable to give. The author thoughtfully and convincingly works out Grady's dilemma about his future (weighing whether to move in with Louie's family, attend school in Europe or become a stagehand for a rock band) as he comes to terms with his mother's strengths and failings ("No, she was no great person. And yet she wasn't the devil, either"). Through sharply defined characters and lively, often humorous dialogue, Powell allows readers to comfortably examine some serious issues. Ages 12-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|

VOYA - Julie Hudson

Fifteen-year-old Grady Grennan's life has not been a bowl of cherries. Grady has been dumped onto his grandmother since birth, and three years ago his rock star mother died choking on her own vomit. Mom tried for a while-Grady lived with her and her boyfriend Mitch, when she and Mitch had a child, Louie. Louie is retarded and lives with the now "born again" Mitch and his wife, Vicki. An anniversary celebration of the rock star's death is planned, but Grady has more on his mind. He is about to be dumped again, because grandma has gotten married and wants to RV around the States with her new hubby. Looks like boarding school, which scares Grady-but what is his alternative? Would Mitch and Vicki invite him to live with them? All is settled during one weekend Grady spends with Mitch, Vicki, Louie, and other assorted offspring. Grady and Vicki clash-he makes fun of Vicki's Christian music and her strict rules, but the author does not. Although she is portrayed as hard at times, Vicki is the backbone that holds anything in this book together. She strives to raise Louie with values that she sees Grady trying to undermine. Grady loves his brother, but is he strong enough to handle him on a daily basis? What is sad about this book is that readers have no trouble believing that both mother and grandmother would just "dump" a kid; it is a reality. What is uplifting is that a family with no legal responsibilities for this same kid does indeed offer him a home-even sadder, this is what readers may have trouble believing. This is a good read with a nice assortment of very different types of characters, all treated fairly by Powell. VOYA Codes: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, Broad general YA appeal, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8 and Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9).

KLIATT

To quote from the review of the hardcover in KLIATT, March 1999: Grady Grennan, age 15, has returned to his hometown of Seattle for a tribute to his mother Debbie, a Janis Joplin-like rock idol who died three years ago. Grady has been living with his grandmother, but now that she has remarried and plans to travel he needs to find a new place to live. Grady's mentally handicapped half brother, Louie, lives in Seattle with his father Mitch, Mitch's wife Vickie, and their three younger children. Grady adores Louie, though the 12-year-old can be difficult to handle at times, but he clashes constantly with the rigid, born-again Vickie. Grady worries that Louie will forget their mother, whom he loved despite her many faults, and spends the weekend trying to come to terms with his conflicted feelings about her. As he says about Debbie when he speaks on stage at the tribute, "...um, I guess if she had a purpose, it was to play music. That came a lot more natural to her than being a mother. But we had some pretty good times..." Grady also comes to realize that putting her career before her sons and her personal life left Debbie lonely and isolated, and that he belongs with Mitch and Vickie's family, though it will be a hard adjustment to make for all of them. Grady is a cool kid who uses a skateboard for transportation and likes to fling his long hair around while playing air guitar, but his need for a family to belong to is believable and touching. He is fascinated by the music world and enjoys his brief look at the backstage life of rock stars at the tribute, as readers will. His fondness for Louie and his run-ins with Vickie are realistic (and spiced with some realistically crude profanities),and humor lightens the novel. Powell, author of other YA novels including Dear Duffy and Is Kissing a Girl Who Smokes Like Kissing an Ashtray?, excels at fast and funny dialogue, and Grady is a smart, sympathetic protagonist. The rock star angle will draw readers in, as will the colorful cover illustration of Grady on a skateboard, with an inset of a wailing rock star labeled "Mom." KLIATT Codes: JS; Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 1999, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Sunburst, 215p.,
— Paula Rohrlick

School Library Journal

Gr 8-11-Grady Grennan-the likable 15-year-old son of Janis Joplin-like rock star Debbie Grennan, who abandoned him when he was 7 and died from choking after overdosing on drugs and alcohol-relates what happens when he is invited to speak at a tribute in Seattle for his celebrity mother. No longer able to live with his grandmother, who has remarried and moved away, Grady must decide whether to move in with the family of his mildly retarded 13-year-old half brother, Louie, or enroll in a study-abroad program in Europe. While attending the tribute, he stays with Louie, his architect father Mitch, his stepmother Vickie, and their three children. Vickie is a committed Christian whose outlook on life and focus on discipline and structure often clash with Grady's more freewheeling life-style. The teen's low-key first-person narrative is alternately sarcastic and self-reflective, and his touching, ambivalent remembrances of his flamboyant mother are skillfully intertwined with his candid account of his fitful, turbulent, and ultimately successful search for a family he's always missed. A moving and memorable story with sharply etched characters.-Jack Forman, Mesa College Library, San Diego Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Adams

The smoothly written novel depicts a real teen with unusual parentage and eloquently portrays the complexities and affections of family life.
— The Horn Book Magazine

Kirkus Reviews

A teenager confronts a stomach-churning change in living arrangements in this thought-provoking tale from Powell (Dean Duffy, 1995, etc.).