made me laugh quite a bit.

4 stars ( )

Part of the Candlewick Biographies series, this book begins with Handel's smuggling a harpischord into his family home so he could learn to play besides his father's protests and ends with the outstanding success of his most famous work, "The Messiah." The illustrations by Kevin Hawkes are delightful, and the author adds a touch of humor throughout, especially when it comes to Handel's wig. Vocabulary words and other explanatory notes appear at the bottom of pages--resembling a footnote. Although Handel grew up on Germany and studied there and in Italy, he spent most of his adult life in England where he became a naturalized citizen. Handel loved Italian opera and wanted to make the people of England who really didn't like it that much, especially when it was not in their own language, come to enjoy it. He enjoyed a measure of success for a time because the royal family enjoyed it, but that support eventually waned. He'd almost given up when "The Messiah" met with resounding success. ( )

This book summarizes the life of the famous composer, George Frideric Handel, as he pursues his passion of making music. From a young age, his father does not want him to be a musician, but he does it anyways and he goes on to write many operas, as well as 'Messiah,' which was wildly successful and is now sung all over the world around Christmas and Easter.

Historical Fiction
Review: Handel had a passion for music, but his parents did not want him doing music. He knew what he wanted and was not going to be stopped by his parents.
Critique: This is a good Historical Fiction book because it incorporates real life events in Handel's life with fun and motivating events that the authors included. ( )

Review:
A man who would later compose some of the world's most beautiful music is shown as a stubborn little boy with a mind of his own.
Critique:
This is a biography because it is rich in factual content and portrays a historical period.
The illustrations were done in acrylic.
Comments on use:
Introducing a famous composer George Frideric Handel.
Age appropriateness:
middle school