Jukebox is the story of a girl who's father disappears. They find a magic jukebox that transports them through time experiencing different moments in music history. The two girls go on an adventure to rescue the dad.

The book is from the author of Pashmina, so I had high hopes for Jukebox since Pashmina is one of my classroom's favorites. This did not disappoint.

The background art was great. It isn't in every panel and doesn't distract from the story, but some of the buildings and backgrounds are hilarious. I loved Nickole's Llama Tours. As the kids are sucked into the jukebox you have these great pages where they are transported to the past. The transition has the song lyrics and makes such a fun way to separate the past from the present.

It was super easy to get lost into the story. Everything combines together perfectly. I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy for both me and my students. Published 6/21

Shaheen's father has disappeared and she is incredibly concerned about where he could have gone, especially because she wasn't as kind to him in their last interaction as she should have been. While her mother is at work, Shaheen convinces her cousin Tannaz that they need to invesitgate. Very quickly they are led to a record store where they find a mysterious jukebox, the music from which whisks them into the past where they experience historic moments where those very songs were played. With each record they play, Shaheen is more convinced her father was also whisked away by the jukebox even though they are not finding any sign of him. With not very much time to search, she is determined she won't let him disappear forever!

This was a sweet story with a fun time travel twist! I highly recommend giving it a try!

(I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review)

Shahi’s father is missing, so she goes looking for him with her cousin, Naz, in a truly Nancy Drew style. At least until… they time travel through a jukebox.

This is the first story by Nidhi Chanani that I read. Many people have been recommending Pashmina to me, so I was thrilled when I saw the opportunity to read 'Jukebox'.

Sadly, I thought the book lacked depth.
Let me explain: I really like the idea of connecting music to specific moments on time, and I love that the book even comes with a record list at the end, but the main characters kept jumping from moment to moment, from song to song, and nothing really stuck. I would have loved to be more in those moments, to see Shahi and Naz reacting to what was happening around them. I understand that Shahi is desperately looking for her dad, but I think it was a missed opportunity. Young generations could have been able to discover amazing music and link them to some key history events. However, I don’t think they will truly see what’s happening in the background if they are not guided by a parent or have a huge curiosity.

I think this would make a terrific present for music lovers, though. The depiction of music, helped along by not only the art but also the colour, feels like something magical. I really hope the younger readers get that sense of magic too.

Great mystery/history graphic novel for middle schoolers. I love the main characters, one of whose dad is mysteriously missing. They discover a jukebox that is actually a time machine so they learn. Each time they play a record it transports them to that album's time period. I really enjoyed the book.

12-year-old Shaheen shares a special bond with her father through his love of music but lately she’s noticed that is where their relationship begins and ends. When her father suddenly goes missing Shaheen and her cousin, Naz, set off to look for him at his favorite record store. When they find an old jukebox in the attic of the store, they find out it does more than just play music and they are suddenly transported to the era of the great depression and Bessie Smith is about to take the stage. Realizing her father must be lost in one of the records Naz and Shaheen time hop from album to album looking for Shaheen’s dad. Facing their fears and discovering more about music and history brings these cousins closer than they’ve ever been. Chanani’s story is original and her art style, even more so. Reader’s will be able to relate to these cousins through the story line but also through the imagery that jumps off the page.

This graphic novel was a blast. Great artwork, wonderful music along with context and history, and a fun time travel plot make this a must read. In addition, it feature a bisexual character, and a diverse cast. Simply
wonderful.

I loved Nidhi Chanani's first book, Pashmina, and Jukebox is just as magical! Shahi and her dad, Gio, share a love of music and records. But Shahi is starting to feel that her dad cares more about music and finding rare records than he does about her. After an argument, her dad goes missing. Shahi and her cousin, Naz, set out to find out what happened to him. In their search of the record store he frequents, the duo stumbles upon a jukebox. When they play a record, the jukebox has the power to take them back in time to a place where that song was being played. Shahi experiences historical moments through music in her time traveling quest to find her father. With many dramatic twists and turns this graphic novel was a page turner!

Really great high concept for a coming of age graphic novel - time traveling through a supernatural jukebox and understanding the importance of music to history and family. The plot was a little sketchy at times - things weren't' fully explored or thought out and this graphic novel could have been a lot longer. In addition, the length didn't serve the characters who didn't much room to breathe and grow and their issues were often dealt with in a perfunctory manner. That said, this comic had a good message, a heart of gold, charming art, and some great music.

I imagine many young readers will come to love this story of mystery, music, family, and friendship.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for an E-ARC!

A mysterious jukebox allows Shaheen to time travel to various historical music moments, as she searches for her missing father.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, as I was a fan of Chanani's last book, Pashmina. I was not disappointed!

I loved the color scheme that was used, and the images are vibrant, even from an e-copy.

I enjoyed how they interwove real historical moments with the present-day anxieties of growing up, relationships to parents, and how to connect with others.

I did wish that Shaheen and her cousin were given more room to explore the musical moments that they were transported to, but otherwise, I enjoyed it very much!

I really enjoyed this music-centric graphic novel. What do you do when your dad is obsessed with music and then disappears one day? Shaheen decides to check out the music store her dad frequents to find him, with help from her cousin Tannaz. What they discover is a jukebox that takes them back in time. We learn a bot about music and history. Love the art.

I really liked Nidhi Chanani's other book, "Pashmina", so I'm a little disappointed that I don't like this one. I feel like the story is really disjointed with no real focus. Why are the girls time traveling to those exact events? What are they supposed to learn from it? This could have been a super fun book, but due to the lack of coherence, I just felt annoyed.

Twelve-year old Shaheen and her father have always been connected through music, but lately his interest in record-collecting borders on obsession. When he doesn’t come home one evening, Shahi and her teenaged cousin Tannaz sneak into his favorite music shop to look for clues. In the attic, they discover a rare jukebox that plays whole records … and transports the listener to the album’s time period, for just as long as the side plays. A Bessie Smith record sends the girls to the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago. A Nina Simone album takes Tannaz on a solo trip to a women’s march in 1960s D.C. Shahi realizes that her dad may be trapped in another era, unable to return home. But traveling back and forth in their quest to find him has serious consequences, and the girls know they are running out of time to bring everyone home safely. The girls’ slight age difference provides an interesting dynamic, incorporating their unique strengths and insecurities. The author’s depiction of each era’s color palette and fashions are especially engaging. The abundant music references and iconic album covers are complemented by a Playlist at the book’s close, perfect inspiration for budding music lovers! Nidhi Chanani’s Pashmina was well-received, and Jukebox displays even greater depth in portraying both adventure and family relationships.

Jukebox is a cute novel about cousins, Shahi and Naz, using an old jukebox that time travels to music under the needle, locate Shahi’s missing father.

I think my students will really like this book. The art is well done and I really enjoy the sketches and process at the end. The storyline is fun and I enjoy that it revolves around vinyls and jukeboxes – I loved putting money in those as a kid and finding a song to play at whatever restaurant we were at.

I did give this book 3 stars from my perspective. I think my students would love it though – it’s just not for me. Here are a couple things I didn’t like or related to in the story: it seems like the only time periods that Shahi and Naz travel to are social movements of some kind. I know a lot of music springs from feelings and world events, but if they could travel to any time during those periods, why just the rallies or concert? Wait I guess, a books needs to take place around more “interesting” times. Also, the way Shahi speaks to Earl at the end really made me lose respect for her character – and that her father let her talk to Earl that way. Lastly, I don’t care about characters’ sexuality in books, they can identify as any letter of LGBTQA+ community, but I like when it’s natural. You know that the character is because you see it or recognize it through the character’s life or actions, not just because they say it.

Overall, the art is awesome! The story will be enjoyed by my middle school students and maybe it will develop some appreciation for classics and people who revolutionized music.

Thanks First Second Books and Netgalley for giving the opportunity to access this ARC. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to adding it to my library upon its release.

'Jukebox' is a fun, original, quirky and charming middle-grade graphic novel. The story is perfect for the graphic novel format, using the artwork to capture the mood and music of different time periods.

The artwork is really stunning, and the coloring is beautiful. It begs to be read slowly to really appreciate the work that went into this book.

I appreciated the relationships between the two cousins, as well as Shaheen and her father. The book also subtly addresses some social justice issues in a way that is not too heavy-handed but helps it feel timely and relevant.

I am looking forward to purchasing this one for our library!

Let me start off by saying I am so excited to add this to our school library shelves. It's not necessarily one that will speak to every student but I think it will have a great impact on those it does. The music choices are so important in historical context and, while some have said it detracts from the story, I really think it adds an opportunity for students to dive into history because they will just want to soak it up.

This book's purpose it not to provide a full historical context about each of these historical eras but I think it will definitely spark an interest in some of my students to do a deep dive with other reading material. I can absolutely see a student wanting to read more about the civil rights and women's rights movements because this book mentions it. I think this also provides a great opportunity for parents to read this with their children and have discussions about music past and present and how it had an impact on their lives.

I wanted to love this one because the art is so damn cute, but the story is just too disjointed. What really works against it is that even though it's aimed at kids, the book doesn't do a good job of explaining the historical context, and even adults would have a hard time understanding why the records it portrays are tied to the time periods presented unless they know a TON about history or a TON about music. There's also not really anything here that would make a kid who reads this want to listen to the music it talks about - it doesn't do a good job at explaining WHY the songs and albums talked about are significant or important.

Nidhi's bright and colorful illustrations paired with her beautiful writing made this book a work of art I could not put down. I love the storyline and the companionship between the cousins. While the book ended wonderfully, it left me begging for a sequel and to see more of these characters in the future. This will be a hit in my library for 4th & 5th graders, and well beyond. My own 9th grader loved it as well.

If you could time travel to the year that a vinyl album was produced, what album would you play (which time would you travel to)? This is the question that reading Jukebox has created to haunt me. There's soooo many places I would want to go, so many time periods I would want to see and so many songs I would want to play! I would say, I would play Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me To the Moon". It was a hard decision to come by... but that's the one I would play. Obviously. this graphic novel is an adorable gem (there is a magical diamond in the story, so this is literal as well as figurative) in which there is a jukebox that when played transports the listeners to the time period that song was played/produced. Naz and Shaheen embark on a musical adventure in time, song and history in search of Shaheen's vinyl obsessed dad who went missing. They find out so much about each other along the way. Love the graphics and the illustrations. I particularly love how the music is illustrated.

Recommended for: music lovers, vinyl listeners, vinyl album addicts, history lovers, time travel aficionados, jukebox fans, LGBTQIA+, graphic novel enthusiasts

Loved this fantasy graphic novel! You have music, time travel and the importance of family all wrapped up in one. The illustrations were beautiful and it was a great story to read. I hope this is made into a series!