Millions for a Song
- Publisher
- Red Deer Press
- Initial publish date
- Jan 2014
- Category
- Music, Music, General
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780889954892
- Publish Date
- Jan 2014
- List Price
- $9.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781552443552
- Publish Date
- Jan 2014
- List Price
- $9.99
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Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 13 to 15
- Grade: 8 to 10
Description
Millions for a Song is the story of Alex, a Quebec teenager and his rock band, The Nexxtep, made up of Alex and his friends: creative genius and lead guitarist Bruno, hot, feisty singer Melanie, and quiet-except-when drumming Jean-Francois. Alex and Melanie are close, very close, but friend-close not boyfriend/girlfriend close, despite the love/hate swings to their relationship.
One day, the friends cross paths with a true rock star whose chance remark will come back to haunt them. "Be careful. The music business is full of sharks." But first, Alex and the others experience the joy of composing and playing their own songs, tracking down their first contract and gig, and achieving fame, high-school style. Yet Alex's parents — teachers both — are far from happy that the band's songs are written in English — and not in their mother tongue French… and that they are rock songs to boot. Alex's dad declares rock passé, but Alex retorts: "My generation's going to get it right."
Then comes Tom Paradis who worms his way into their lives, promising big record deals if they take him on as their manager. They do, only to have him rob them of their songs. The theft comes to light during a rock concert they attend during which the featured rock band straight from Ireland announces that they'll be playing, as a special treat for their Quebec audience, a song by Quebecer, Tom Paradis. And then proceeds to play Nexxtep's song. That's when Alex's band has to learn to fight back. And win.
André Vanasse's original GG short-listed novel is translated by GG Award-winner Susan Ouriou and will strike a chord with young adults, giving them a glimpse into the worlds of music and fame, exploring friendship's many facets.
About the authors
André Vanasse obtained a Ph.D. in literature from the Université de Paris-Vincennes. He is vice-chairman and editorial director of XYZ éditeur. He is directs the Romanichels and the Étoile variables collections, and is editor of the literary magazine Lettres Québécoises. André also writes novels and essays.
Susan Ouriou is an award-winning literary translator who has translated the fiction of Quebec, Latin-American, French and Spanish authors. She won Canada’s Governor General’s Literary Award for Translation in 2009 for Pieces of Me by Charlotte Gingras, after first being shortlisted for The Road to Chlifa by Michèle Marineau and then for Necessary Betrayals by Guillaume Vigneault. The Road to Chlifa was also awarded an honour list placing by IBBY (International Board of Books for Youth) as were Naomi and Mrs. Lumbago by Gilles Tibo, This Side of the Sky by Marie-Francine Hébert and Pieces of Me. Necessary Betrayals was also voted one of the 100 best books of 2002 by the Globe and Mail. Another translation, The Thirteenth Summer by José Luis Olaizola, was runner-up for the John Glassco Translation Prize. She has worked as the director of the Banff International Literary Translation Centre and as faculty for the Banff Centre's Aboriginal Emerging Writers residency. She is the editor of the 2010 anthology Beyond Words – Translating the World.
Christelle Morelli is a French-English literary translator and teacher in the Francophone school system. She has translated the anthology Languages of Our Land: Indigenous Poems and Stories from Quebec and the children’s book Blanche Hates the Night. She has also co-translated 15 fiction, non-fiction and children’s books with Susan Ouriou. Her French to English co-translations other than Winter Child are: Against God, Sand Bar, Jane, the Fox and Me, Millions for a Song, Once Upon a Rainy Day, Stolen Sisters, Louis Undercover and Hunting Houses. Her English to French co-translation titles are: La toute dernière première fois, Chin Chiang et la danse du dragon, Lune jaune, à bientôt, Le chandail d’Amos, Une musique du ciel, Leçons de la Mère-Terre and Un saumon pour Simon. Her co-translation with Susan Ouriou, Stolen Sisters, was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for Translation in 2015.
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